OT Rolls-Royce jet engines...

[Chuck Wintle]

This is in the same vein as the missing Malaysian Boeing 777 aircraft. I seem to recall watching a TV show about Rolls-Royce and the Trent jet engine. if I am not mistaken an employee said that Rolls-Royce is receiving real time telemetry from all of their engines that are on aircraft and possibly limited to the Trent series of engines. Can someone confirm is this? Since its speculated that now the aircraft turned and went 500km from its last known position and possibly the transponder was switched off could the engine have still transmitted telemetry? Thx.

[Brian Elfert]

This airliner supposedly also has automated communications that go directly to the airline. I doubt somebody could really figure out how to disable every single communications device on that airliner.

I suspect the airliner crashed somewhere.

[Dave Anderson NH]

The problem with receipt of telemetry from the engines is whether or not they are also receiving GPS data with it. There is also the issue of whose engines were in the plane. Airline have the ability to specify what brand of engines they want and the choice is so lucrative for the makers that each plane manufacturer builds to fit the chosen engines. The 3 players for large jets are Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and General Electric. There are more choices for smaller planes.

[Chuck Wintle]

The problem with receipt of telemetry from the engines is whether or not they are also receiving GPS data with it. There is also the issue of whose engines were in the plane. Airline have the ability to specify what brand of engines they want and the choice is so lucrative for the makers that each plane manufacturer builds to fit the chosen engines. The 3 players for large jets are Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and General Electric. There are more choices for smaller planes.

I just checked these aircraft have the trent engines. Probably do not have GPS as you pointed out but maybe they can say at the exact time they stopped?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I heard Fox news allude to the engine telemetry data, a couple hours ago. If I heard correctly, they said it had ceased. I wasn't paying a lot of attention though, so may have heard wrong.

[Chris Parks]

The story I read in the media (everyone believes everything in newspapers don't they?) was that RR can pull data off any aircraft equipped with their turbines if the airline chooses to ante up the money. The data is accessed every thirty minutes so if there was a GPS component it could be up to 29 minutes old.

[Chuck Wintle]

The story I read in the media (everyone believes everything in newspapers don't they?) was that RR can pull data off any aircraft equipped with their turbines if the airline chooses to ante up the money. The data is accessed every thirty minutes so if there was a GPS component it could be up to 29 minutes old.

so you are saying that real time telemetry to RR is an extra cost feature? I was under the impression that they do this for all their engines in service.

[Chris Parks]

I understood that it was a cost to the airline, as I said a media story for what that is worth. Apparently Boeing run a similar system and again for what it is worth Malaysian Air was not a participant. Both Boeing and RR have some sort of agreement with data retrieval and logging on Boeing AC with RR power. I think a really good book will come out of this documenting all the cover ups, subterfuge and plain ignorance and lies that have gone on since the disappearance of the MA 777.

Edit, I forgot the link http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-12/malaysian-air-said-to-opt-out-of-boeing-plan-to-share-jets-data.html

[Jason Roehl]

I think before you get too far into conspiracy theory, there's just the concept that some folks have got to be pretty darn embarrassed that they lost a huge airplane in the day and age of high technology.

[Curt Harms]

I think before you get too far into conspiracy theory, there's just the concept that some folks have got to be pretty darn embarrassed that they lost a huge airplane in the day and age of high technology.

As of a few years ago - I don't know about now - there were two segments of the route from off the coast of New Jersey over Bermuda to Puerto Rico that had no Air Traffic Control radar coverage. Aircraft separation relied on position reporting. Things are not always as "high-tech" in aviation as we're led to believe, particularly in the less-developed parts of the world.

[Chuck Wintle]

I understood that it was a cost to the airline, as I said a media story for what that is worth. Apparently Boeing run a similar system and again for what it is worth Malaysian Air was not a participant. Both Boeing and RR have some sort of agreement with data retrieval and logging on Boeing AC with RR power. I think a really good book will come out of this documenting all the cover ups, subterfuge and plain ignorance and lies that have gone on since the disappearance of the MA 777.

Edit, I forgot the link http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-12/malaysian-air-said-to-opt-out-of-boeing-plan-to-share-jets-data.html

I am waiting to see this as an episode on the Mayday tv show.

[Chris Parks]

I think before you get too far into conspiracy theory, there's just the concept that some folks have got to be pretty darn embarrassed that they lost a huge airplane in the day and age of high technology.

No conspiracy thoughts concerning the crash but living in the region you get a feel for how some governments and officials react when faced with an event like this. Their usual modus operandi is to duck for cover and make up the story as they go.

[Jason Roehl]

No conspiracy thoughts concerning the crash but living in the region you get a feel for how some governments and officials react when faced with an event like this. Their usual modus operandi is to duck for cover and make up the story as they go.

That's exactly how I felt--I lived in Taiwan for 3 years in the early '80s.

[ray hampton]

I do not understand how a piece of equipment could be switch -off or unplug from the power harness AND WHY NOT install a buoy that would inflate in case the plane become submerged in the water, a cylinder full of foam would not need to be inflate

[Roger Feeley]

Full disclosure: Everything below is from something I read on CNN or somewhere. Some of the news sites keep pilots on retainer for such questions.

My understanding is that these aircraft have an ACAR system (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting). It's possible from the cockpit to disable system reporting but not to turn off the transmitter. To disable that, you would have to go down into the technical bay below the cockpit. Apparently the reporting was disabled but not the transmitter. The transmitter would still ping the satellite from time to time and it's those pings that, in part, lead authorities to believe that the plane remained in the air.

[Chris Parks]

And that is the exact problem, the aircraft is only monitored or pinged either on demand or at regular intervals. If it were tracked continuously the present needle in a haystack situation would not have arisen. It defies belief that a plane loaded with electronics in this day and age is not continuously tracked. I bet that changes though it didn't after the last one went down in the water which surprises me though I think they knew roughly where that was at the time of crashing. They have just this afternoon (Australian time) decided to ramp up the search in Australia's S&R zone and Australia is to be in charge of this. In reality they haven't got a clue and are clutching at anything that sounds good.

[Jim Rimmer]

The fans of the TV series "LOST" know what happened.