Posted on 09/16/2005 12:31:54 PM PDT by SmithL
Memphis -- A university student from Egypt was ordered held without bond after prosecutors said they found a pilot's uniform, chart of Memphis International Airport and a DVD titled "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" in his apartment.
The FBI is investigating whether Mahmoud Maawad, 29, had any connection to terrorists. He is awaiting trial on charges of wire fraud and fraudulent use of a Social Security number.
Maawad, who is in the United States illegally, told the judge during a hearing Thursday that he is studying science and economics at the University of Memphis.
"My school is everything. I stay in this country for seven years; I stay for the school," he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Parker said Thursday that the airport-related items were found during a Sept. 9 search.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Scillary does do what she does best....it's not representing the good folks of NY (yes, there are some here. :)
Schillary, of course
Pardon.
And only her husband has been labeled a liar....Go figure.
That is one I cannot, but not for want of having tried. It can't be that many people are that stupid or ignorant. If anything, perhaps more likely willful ignorance.
Wrong! Bring him to ground zero - slowly torture him to death in cruelest possible fashion - this is all these evil people understand. One more thing - change the Constituion - all non-citizens even suspected of terrorist activities are to shot to death immediately.
Placed upon them by no will of their own. ; )
Investigate!
Yes....I suppose that's also true. My, but you have deep thoughts, lol! : )
Pardon, but it IS happy hour.....
Cheers my FRiend!
Enjoy!
I have been POUNDED with mailings from "Friends of Hillary" lately and am wearing my shredder out.
From the book of grass roots dirty tricks: If they include a postage paid reply envelope, send it back! You get to waste their money AND their time.
Believe me Harvard would have given him a full scholarship under their "diversity" program.
I thought the documentary said he did program the FMS to for direct to his target-- but he did have problems with aircraft control-- kept disconnecting the autopilot and then reconnecting after he had trouble.
zipper: I thought the documentary said he did program the FMS to for direct to his target-- but he did have problems with aircraft control-- kept disconnecting the autopilot and then reconnecting after he had trouble.
The terrorist couldn't figure out how to shut the alarm off which went off every time they disconnected the auto-pilot....so they kept reconnecting the auto-control.
As far as the FMS (I don't know what that is), I do remember a pilot, I believe, saying that the terrorists had not figured out the GPS system (I thought that's what he said....is that related to the FMS? sorry, I am not knowledgeable of airplane equipment/technicalities). Their problem was not just with the autopilot alarm. And I do specifically remember the pilot saying that the terrorists were not used to flying commercial aircraft, and certain equipment that exists in commercial aircraft as opposed to smaller planes. If I understood the technical terms they used, I'd have remembered better, but that was my limited understanding.
EGPWS watched the documentary and is familiar with planes and equipment. I'm sure he wouldn't mind correcting my errors and explaining much better than I (though I believe he's offline for the evening).
I respectfully disagree with EPGWS-- it could be done in a few keystrokes on the FMS if he had inside knowledge. He wouldn't need knowledge of the other FMS functions. He might have been able to learn the keystrokes from Microsoft Flight Simulator.
He could also do it another way-- just bring a handheld GPS with him, programmed with coordinates for the target.
I don't think it's healthy to underestimate the cunning of these otherwise goofy suspects.
Microsoft Flight Simulator review excerpt:
For those wishing to engage in the experience of flight there are GPS navigation systems aplenty, dozens of cockpits switches and an air traffic control system which is as lifelike as it bewildering to understand.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009WAPR/ref=br_lf_vg_h__0/026-4262603-2799608
What is an FMS? Does that have to do with a GPS? I really do not understand very much.
I also remember they had trouble maintaining altitude, though I don't know what reason was given for that....
I think you had that mostly right according to the way I remember them saying in the documentary. The autopilot disconnect warning kept going off and they couldn't figure out how to silence it (though it was only one button push). The terrorist flying the airplane wasn't used to that big of an airplane, especially at high speed, when it becomes much more pitch-sensitive-- and was having trouble controlling his altitude because of that. He was trying to descend the airplane, which meant the speed went up, which meant the controls became more sensitive. Then he'd put the autopilot on but that would level the airplane off, so he'd disconnect it again to descend, and so on...
But I think I remember the documentary saying they programmed the airplane for the target, or words to that effect. Once that is done there's a line on the navigation display that takes them on a track directly to the programmed waypoint.
That is also my recollection.
The terrorist flying the airplane wasn't used to that big of an airplane, especially at high speed, when it becomes much more pitch-sensitive-- and was having trouble controlling his altitude because of that.
That makes sense...I didn't understand why he'd be having trouble maintaining altitude.
He was trying to descend the airplane, which meant the speed went up, which meant the controls became more sensitive....
This is over my head, as I don't understand machinery and speed, etc. So, if this was explained in the documentary, I couldn't follow along.
The FMS is what the pilot programs with the waypoints, the GPS tells the FMS where the waypoints are.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.