It has been exactly two weeks today that we have been looking high and low for the missing Boeing 777-200 aircraft. Flight MH 370 is the code that has been used in almost all common conversations in our daily life for the past fourteen days. (Even my 18-months-old son can utter three-seven-oh, but he can’t say mummy- yet).
For the past two weeks, I have been quite popular, answering calls from friends and families seeking for leads and the slightest clue on the poor aircraft. But what do I know aside from the things that the whole world knows? But at least I now know that the black box is not actually black (thanks Adilah). It was previously black but now it is orange. A black box is a flight management system and it tells us ALL that had happened on a flight. And that is why it is very crucial that we find it.
For a journalist and TV producer like me, whose inclination is (obviously) towards lifestyle and fashion and design, I have to admit that I am a bimbo when it comes to technicality.
But really, my 'curiosity kills the cat' attitude helps me get by, filtering what i wish and want to learn. And so, I can’t help but learning the aviation jargon. To me, every day is about learning and understanding - even if it isn't my niche.
So, if you are like me, here is a primer on the 10 things or aviation jargons that have been overly used in press conference and in the media that will help you understand the situation better.
1) ATC – Air Traffic Control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace with purpose to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and provide information and other support for pilots. Air traffic controllers are people trained with highly specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities to maintain the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system.
2) Ping - A protocol that sends a message to another computer and waits for acknowledgment, often used to check if another computer on a network is reachable.
3) Transponder - a radio transmitter in the cockpit that works with ground radar. It emits an identifying signal in response to an interrogating received signal. When the transponder receives a signal from the secondary radar, it returns a four digit identifying cod or squawk code, which helps air traffic control to recognize each plane with its position and altitude. It is constantly being radar pinged, helping air traffic controllers on the ground determine the airplane's speed and direction, too.
4) Primary radar - a pulsed beam of ultrahigh frequency radio waves that blips in a circle from a rotating aerial. If the radar beam 'illuminates' an object, some of the energy is reflected back. How much an object reflects depends on its size, shape and material. The bigger the object is, the bigger the reflection.
5) Secondary radar – Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) is a radar system used in ATC, that not only detects and measures the position of aircraft i.e. range and bearing, but also requests additional information from the aircraft itself such as its identity and altitude. Unlike primary radar systems that measure only the range and bearing of targets by detecting reflected radio signals, SSR relies on targets equipped with a radar transponder that replies to each interrogation signal by transmitting a response containing encoded data.
6) ACARS – (pronounced ay-karz) is Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, a digital data link system for transmission of short, relatively simple messages between aircraft and ground stations via radio or satellite.
7) ATB – is short for Air Turn Back which means the return of an aircraft to air port origin as a result of suspected malfunction or simply when an aircraft made a U-turn.
8) Southern Corridor – areas stretching approximately from Indonesia to the Southern Indian Ocean
9) Northern Corridor – areas stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand.
10) Way points - sets of coordinates that identify a point in physical space. Coordinates used can vary depending on the application. These coordinates can include longitude and latitude as well as altitude for air navigation. A way point is a reference point in physical space used for purposes of navigation.
This writer continues praying for the missing flight MH370 and wishes for nothing but the best for all family members of the passengers on board.
Linawati Adnan
Fri Mar 21 2014
Saifuddin Nasution akui perlu baiki isu di pintu masuk negara, bakal umum perubahan
Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail mengakui terdapat ruang yang boleh ditambah baik berhubung isu kesesakan di pintu masuk negara.
Program MADANI Rakyat 2024 Zon Utara bermula esok, 196 perkhidmatan disediakan
Platform untuk memberi peluang kepada masyarakat setempat memahami dan menilai dasar serta inisiatif baharu dilaksanakan kerajaan.
AWANI 7:45 [02/05/2024] - Jaminan lulus dengan bergaya | Reformasi sistem pendidikan | RM10.5 bilion tempoh empat tahun | Fail afidavit betulkan fakta
#AWANI745 malam ini bersama Jasmine Abu Bakar;
1. Humban siapa yang bantah kenaikan gaji penjawat awam
2. Sebelum Bank Dunia lapor, kementerian sudah ambil tindakan, kata Fadhlina
3. Microsoft labur RM10.5 bilion, peluang generasi muda teroka keselamatan siber
4. Mahkamah Tinggi tolak permohonan Tengku Zafrul
1. Humban siapa yang bantah kenaikan gaji penjawat awam
2. Sebelum Bank Dunia lapor, kementerian sudah ambil tindakan, kata Fadhlina
3. Microsoft labur RM10.5 bilion, peluang generasi muda teroka keselamatan siber
4. Mahkamah Tinggi tolak permohonan Tengku Zafrul
Kerajaan Negeri, Persekutuan perlu lebih fokus noktahkan miskin tegar di Kelantan - Anwar
Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan dan kementerian berkaitan perlu lebih fokus dalam usaha menoktahkan miskin tegar di negeri itu, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Ringgit melantun semula untuk ditutup tinggi berbanding dolar AS
Pada 6 petang, ringgit meningkat kepada 4.7535/7555 berbanding dolar AS daripada paras penutup 4.7700/7750 pada Selasa.
Pasaran getah ditutup bercampur-campur, jejaki pasaran serantau
Pada 5 petang, harga penutup LGM bagi GMM 20 berada pada 755.5 sen sekilogram manakala susu getah pukal pada 716 sen sekilogram.
Perkhidmatan jet di Subang mula beroperasi pada suku ketiga 2024 - Menteri Pengangkutan
Perkhidmatan jet di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (LTSAAS) di Subang akan mula beroperasi pada suku ketiga tahun ini, kata Menteri Pengangkutan Anthony Loke.
MOSTI akan pastikan peralatan, kelengkapan hadapi bencana kimia mencukupi - Chang
MOSTI akan memastikan peralatan dan kelengkapan agensi dan jabatan berkaitan kimia di bawah kementerian itu mencukupi dalam menghadapi sebarang bencana melibatkan bahan kimia.
Trafik udara berkembang 16.1 peratus pada suku pertama tahun ini
Trafik penumpang udara berkembang 16.1 peratus kepada 22.6 juta penumpang pada suku pertama tahun ini selepas dipacu oleh trafik udara antarabangsa.
Panasonic Beauty: Perkenal pengering rambut nanocare, eh-NA0J
Panasonic Beauty: Perkenal pengering rambut nanocare, eh-NA0J
MH370: Apa yang telah kita belajar daripada kehilangan pesawat ini?
Lebih dua minggu telah berlalu sejak kehilangan misteri pesawat Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370, pelbagai teori telah dibangkitkan.
MH370: Kerajaan siasat kekecohan sidang media di Beijing
Ahli keluarga penumpang rakyat China pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 mahu kerajaan Malaysia berterus terang bersama mereka.
MH370: Transkrip komunikasi, tiada yang pelik seperti didakwa
Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Penerbangan Awam Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman turut menegaskan laporan The Telegraph tidak tepat.
#MH370 bukan lagi tajuk utama di garis masa media sosial - penganalisis
Walaupun ramai masih bersimpati namun perbincangan di media sosial pada minggu kedua sudah mula kembali seperti biasa.
MH370: Kapal Norway sudah tiba, misi SAR hanya boleh bermula pada Jumaat
Sebuah kapal milik Norway telah tiba di kawasan lautan Hindi berhampiran Australia di mana dua objek terapung.
Operasi AMSA diteruskan pada Jumaat, cuaca menjejaskan pencarian objek
Operasi mencari dan menyelamat (SAR) di kawasan Australia untuk pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 di kawasan Lautan Hindi disambung esok.
MH370: Inikah dia?
Lembaga Keselamatan Maritim Australia menerima imej satelit yang menunjukkan dua objek yang mungkin berkait dengan MH370.
MH370: India sambung semula pencarian
Malaysia telah membuat permohonan baharu untuk membantu dalam pencarian di kawasan baharu menjangkau 5,000 batu nautika ke arah selatan dari Jakarta, Indonesia.
MH370: Teknologi pemantauan setiap masa bukan sistem mandatori untuk penerbangan
Syarikat penerbangan mahu teknologi baharu betul-betul berkesan sebelum menggunakan sistem pengesahan terkini di dalam pesawat mereka.
MH370: Kelab Liverpool, peminat beri kata-kata semangat kepada anak ketua pramugara
Anak kepada ketua pramugara pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 kongsi bahawa beliau tidak pernah tinggal menyaksikan perlawanan bola melibatkan Liverpool.