I really can't believe that America, or even China, has been unable to locate the plane.
I believe the Boeing 777 holds the record for the longest flight in the world. It effectively means that if you wanted to use the plane to 'hit' any target in the world you probably could, if you could land it and refuel it.
The Boeing 777 is also comparatively easy to fly and land in comparison with other commercial jets. It has a very good safety record; in part due to its ability to land of very short runways. I think its possible to land on land aircraft runways.
Whats the best way to hide an elephant? Hide it in a herd of elephants. The good old, hide in plain sight theory.
One of the arguments against the hijacking theory was that it would have been spotted by one of the nearby countries - especially since there are a lot of disputed borders in the region - without being challenged in someway. However its already been established that its not uncommon for commercial planes to not be tracked as they are in Europe or the US (I think someone upthread said that often the only way the ground knows where a plane is, is because the pilot tells them). If this is true then it wouldn't be unusual for a commercial airliner to be on radar screens and to be ignored as normal. They are looking for smaller jets or jets behaving in an unexpected way. Particularly if it was on a regularly flight path, which we know to be the case.
We now do know that the Malaysian Military DID see the plane. At this time they may not have clocked that the plane was missing yet - but they didn't challenge or question it. Why?
Other nations have commented that the Malaysian government hasn't yet asked for their military radar information. Which is odd. But even more odd is the fact that these countries, given that there is a plane with 239 missing people on it, haven't felt the need to check their own data and volunteer anything freely! They have to be asked. It makes you wonder who has something to hide - not necessarily because they are guilty - but more because they know a plane flew through their airspace and they didn't investigate it.
Whilst Europe and America are frightened of a plane attacking them, there isn't the same level of expectation and fear in Asia. They are more bothered about other threats to their national security. Admitting that they are lax on this would be hugely embarrassing.
Going back to where the plane is now, you are effectively looking for a needle in a haystack. Yes the chinese and the americans have satellite, but this often isn't 100% global coverage and it is often focused on points of interest rather than generalised images. Planes in flight are also moving, so this makes it more difficult to work out which plane is which. Especially if they are moving on normal routes. Then you need to factor in, this was a night flight. Again it makes it more difficult to see.
The weakest place in the whole scenario is where it landed if it didn't crash. It makes it more likely to be seen. But again its like looking for a needle in a haystack. If the Boeing 777 really can be landed on a light aircraft landing strip, that makes it very difficult. You could find all the know runways in the world... but it could have landed on an unknown one or even on an empty section of road.
As for who it was - two obvious suspects are Islamic or Chinese terrorists. But if its Islamic terrorists, nicking a plane with chinese citizens on, is liable to cause a diplomatic problem. China is usually neutral on matters of international security and says its up to the nation state to sort out... Of course this might not bother the terrorists as they have clearly identified that Asian tracking of planes is a bit shit and there is a lack of cooperation in the area (And that Malaysian unlike other airlines didn't subscribe to Boeing's satellite tracking) making it easier to hijack. Chinese terrorists may seem more likely. But the resources and information needed to pull this off, is worrying. Does it need government level knowledge? Certainly you need someone with very in depth knowledge of aviation and probably understanding of how the politics of the area works. Its not a simple operation on the face of it. Do we really think someone could just get that 'lucky' and plan to fly a plane that far without a hell of a lot of thought going into it? Its odd.
(Btw, anyone thought about the fact that the World Trade Centre is due to open to the public in a couple of months).
Did they need someone on the plane? Not necessarily. Its possible it could have been done it remotely... though disabling of transponders etc at different times does suggest someone did it manually, though not necessarily. Though home flight simulators and a need for someone to have very good knowledge of the industry are suspicious.
As for passengers trying to signal for help... Mobile phones only work where there is mobile phone reception below a certain height. A remote
enough location and its no issue. Plus, how many people sleep on a night flight and have the foggiest idea of where they are or how long a long haul flight should take. If the pilot told you, you had been delayed or had to reroute you would take it at face value. By the time you were on the ground, it doesn't take long for people to board...
...its all perhaps not as odd and unlikely as you might think. Especially if the authorities around the world are shitting their pants and want to prevent widespread panic or even unrest.
at overnight developments!