The boffins at Inmarsat who did the calculations which got the minds of the searchers to think the big picture deserve a hearty "Thank you!". Until they sat down and thought about it, they had no idea they could work out such things.
And I am amazed that they picked up the ultrasonic pings BEFORE they found wreckage.
In the wash up, when they do the documentary on this, the searchers in general and the Australians [with Angus Houston as head] in particular will come out favourably. To have achieved what they have done with so little hard gen to work on is an amazing feat.
Australia's cred in SE Asia is on the ascendency. Have you heard any sabre rattling from Indonesia lately? They can be seen as what they are, a second rate nation that only knows how to bully natives. When the best in the world assembled to find MH 370, there was no Indonesian boat or airplane in sight. They had no idea if MH 370 had flown through their airspace even.
How the bloody thing got there though we may never know but there will be a lot of finger pointing.
Europeans are cancelling orders for stuff with Yank high end electronics because they are wary of "back-doors". This trend may accelerate now because of the belief/perception that the airplane was "taken over" by a ground controller. It is not illogical that US continental defence may want final control of aircraft to prevent another 911.
