[zipper]

One of the Israelis in the article says:

“Here, every blip on the screen is suspicious because that’s the way we live. That’s our daily program. I can’t imagine they pay as much attention, but if a blip runs wide or runs strange, I would expect them to notice.”

Someone on another thread posted a link to a theory that the missing 777 used SIA68 (Singapore Airlines flight 68) to cloak their own airplane until they could get across the Indian Ocean, away from primary radar.

http://keithledgerwood.tumblr.com/post/79838944823/did-malaysian-airlines-370-disappear-using-sia68-sq68

I like this theory, generally speaking, without having plotted it out completely on the charts myself. I looked at FlightRadar24.com, plugged in a playback for 1720z on the 7th, and sure enough SIA68 is just approaching overhead Kuala Lumpur, at 502 knots and 30k. So according to this theory the plot of their radar track nearly coincided with SIA68's path sometime later, since MH370 turned west on a convergent path at the same time. MH370 was able to join up with them all the way across the Indian Ocean, to an undisclosed location.

I don't know if SIA68 was the host, the cloaking aircraft, since there are many other 777s in the same direction, and I don't agree that TCAS will work in a receive mode without giving away position, but otherwise I like this theory better that most others.

Incidentally a big airplane will paint on onboard weather radar at 25 miles, and emits only a very weak signal. They could have used this to help acquire a visual on another 777, after using a portable ADS-B receiver to find a suitable host airplane, much like flightradar24.com uses ADS-B data for their detailed displays.

[Yosemitest]

" Someone on another thread posted a link to a theory that the missing 777 used SIA68 (Singapore Airlines flight 68) to cloak their own airplane until they could get across the Indian Ocean, away from primary radar.

http://keithledgerwood.tumblr.com/post/79838944823/did-malaysian-airlines-370-disappear-using-sia68-sq68 "

That's a really good theory.

Did Malaysian Airlines 370 disappear using SIA68/SQ68 (another 777)?Monday, March 17, 2014 - 12:01 AM EST
UPDATED: Monday, March 17, 2014 - 9:00 AM EST

But there's problems when you try to match it with the
the arc graph (click on it for more detailed info) that shows the estimated range of the aircraft with it's remaining fuel IF it was flying at its MAXIMUM SPEED or 7 hours 30 minutes of fuel.

Now, from the article:

this statement towards the end of his article.
" A satellite was able to pick up a ‘ping’ from the plane until 08:11 local time,
more than seven hours after it lost radar contact,
although it was unable to give a precise location.
Mr Razak went on to say that based on this new data, investigators ‘have determined the plane’s last communication with a satellite was in one of two possible corridors –
north from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through to northern Thailand,
and south from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. "

My problem is ~ I don't know how accurate that Red Arc map is,
and I don't know whether to trust it or not.

I've been trying to match up the numbers on a "guess-ta-mated" flight path.

You can narrows down the search area if you take all the Satellite "Handshakes" into consideration for the search of runways/landing strips that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 could have landed on.

A look at Malaysia Airlines jet's mysterious course 04:03

The Way Point on the northwet side of her screen is "IGREX" on Jet Route "P628" where the heading changes to a more northerly direction 320 degrees to PORT BLAIR Navaid.

" ...roughly four hours after the jet dropped from civilian radar screens, these people said, the link operated in a kind of standby mode and sought to establish contact with a satellite or satellites.

That's a total airborne time of about 4 hours 40 minutes from takeoff.

The arc graph shows the estimated range of the aircraft with it's remaining fuel IF it was flying at its MAXIMUM SPEED or 7 hours 30 minutes of fuel.

Now, from the article:

this statement towards the end of his article.
" A satellite was able to pick up a ‘ping’ from the plane until 08:11 local time,
more than seven hours after it lost radar contact,
although it was unable to give a precise location.
Mr Razak went on to say that based on this new data, investigators ‘have determined the plane’s last communication with a satellite was in one of two possible corridors –
north from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through to northern Thailand,
and south from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. "

That's 7 hours and 31 minutes after takeoff.

"... The plane departed for an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing at 12:40 a.m. on March 8.
Its communications with civilian air controllers were severed at about 1:20 a.m., and the jet went missing ... "

That leaves 2 Hours 50 minutes to travel from "IGREX" on Jet Route "P628 to an undefined point on that arc of 7 hours 30 minutes from takeoff.

Let's say that the pilot leans the engines out to get the most out of his fuel for distance with the remaining time for "IGREX" and gets 3 hours if time,
before he hits his 20 minutes safety margin on fuel and then starts to burn his 1 hour emergency fuel.
At maximum speed of Mach 0.89 (590 mph, 950 km/h, 512 knots) at a cruise altitude of 35,000 ft , that would allow him 1770 miles of distance (to the red arc), before hitting his reserves.

Let's assume that since he stayed on the Jet Routes, he continued to stay on the Jet Routes.

Now take that information and the arc ping map (important to view this map at this link for more details) along with the jet route map, and you can find possible links.

Now I run the numbers on the Jet Routes starting from "IGREX" on Jet Route "P628" and starting subtotaling for a target of 1770 Nautical Miles.
Take a look from SkyVector.com.

Jet Route P628 NW
IGREX 151 NM to Port Blair
Port Blair 272 NM to VATLA
VALTA 173 NM to URKOK
URKOK 172 NM to KAGUL
KAGUL 51 NM to DORIL
DORIL 99 NM to OPASA
OPASA 75 NM to IKINA
IKINA 28 NM to OPONI
OPONI 121 NM to ASOPO or JABALPUR
-----------
1,142 NM subtotal
---------------

Change route to W66 North to KHAJURAHO
ASOPO 97 NM to KKJ

Change route to W40 NNE via KANPUR to LUCKNOW
KJJ 72 NM to IGONA
IGONA 28 NM to LUCKNOW

Change route to M890 Northwest to SARSAWA
LUCKNOW 87 NM to JALABAD
JALABAD 65 NM to PUMOT
PUMOT 116 NM to SARAWA
--------------
1,607 NM Subtotal

SARAWA 27 NM to ONOGI
ONOGI 26 NM to CHANDIGARH (CHG)
CHG 73 NM to LAKET
LAKET 49 NM to SAMAR

Change Direction North to J220 to SIALKOT (SLT) Airport
SAMAR aprx 75 NM to SIALKOT Airport
------------------
1,857 NM

Now A different Route

From M890 at SARSAWA
--------------
1,607 NM Subtotal

Change route to W39 North to LEH
SARAWA 143 NM to LELAX
LELAX 101 NM to LEH
------------
1,851 NM Subtotal

Change route, direct to HOTAN approximately 030 heading
LEH approx 145 NM to HOTAN

Change Route, via SHACHE via KASHI
HOTAN apx 150 NM to SHACHE approx 310 heading
SHACHE 68 NM via A364 to KASHI

Change Route NNW via TADOT to BISHKEK MANAS
KASHI 100 NM to TADOT approximately 350 heading
TADOT 100 NM to BISHKEK MANAS Airport, Kyrgyzstan
--------------
2,414 NM Total (might be out of range)

==============================================

My Airport of Interest are:
UDHAMPUR (VIUX)
Runway [18 36] 9028.8 x 148 ft, Asphalt

Sialkot International Airport (IATA: SKT, ICAO: OPST)
Runway 22/04 11811 x 148 ASP

GILGIT (OPGT) Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Runway [07 25] 5385.6 x 98 ft, Asphalt
Runway 09 / 27 1003.2 x 49 ft / 306 x 15 m

Skardu Airport Pakistan (OPSD), IATA: KDU
Runway: 14/32 11944 Ft x 100 Ft ASP
Runway: 15/33 6501 Ft x 101 Ft ASP

======================

Reference radar targets, the most interesting targets I've seen is the B-52 and the Antonov An-225 Mriya.
When they get within about 10 NM of the radar, they give a double target, and sometimes a conflict alert, due to the tail return.