March 6th 2024.
A decade has passed since the tragic disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The heart-wrenching event still haunts the relatives of the passengers, who recently gathered for a special event to mark the 10th anniversary of the incident. During the event, a display of the plane's wreckage, believed to be from MH370, served as a reminder of the unanswered questions surrounding the fate of the flight.
But amidst the sorrow and grief, there is a glimmer of hope. Aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey, a retired expert who has previously worked for top companies like Boeing, Airbus, and NASA, believes that the missing flight could be located within days if the search efforts were to resume. He is convinced that he has discovered a novel system of tracking planes using radio signals.
Godfrey has been tirelessly advocating for governments to revisit the search, and the ten-year anniversary of the disappearance could be a turning point. In addition, ocean exploration company Ocean Infinity has offered to take on the search on a 'no find, no fee' basis, providing a ray of hope for the families of the victims.
One of the relatives, retired air traffic controller V.P.R. Nathan, whose wife was on the flight, cautiously expressed his optimism about the new developments. He shared that while some may believe that finding the flight is impossible, others like Godfrey firmly believe that it is achievable. Nathan refrained from speculating on what Ocean Infinity might do, as they have their own experts and resources to evaluate any claims about the flight's location.
As for Godfrey's proposed search area, Nathan noted that it is a small region that could be searched in a short amount of time. The retired engineer has dedicated eight hours every day for the past ten years to piece together the clues that could potentially lead to the discovery of MH370. He firmly believes that with modern technology, no aviation mystery is unsolvable.
Godfrey's tracking method involves using an open-source computer program called Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) to record the location of weak radio signals between amateur radio operators. He claims that by analyzing the subtle changes in these signals, he can determine the flight's course with more accuracy than previous attempts that involved tracking debris drift in the ocean.
While the concept may be complex for those without expertise, Godfrey is confident that he has narrowed down the search area to just 30 square kilometers in the Southern Indian Ocean, beyond where previous efforts have searched. Nathan believes that with just one more search, they can finally find MH370 and bring closure to the families of the 239 people on board.
The documentary "Why Planes Vanish: The Hunt for MH370" by BBC, which airs tonight, features Godfrey's groundbreaking research. He is not the only one exploring the potential of WSPR for tracking planes. Researchers at Liverpool University are also studying its efficacy, and Professor Simon Maskell believes that it is entirely feasible to use this technique for this purpose. His team is currently developing a program to track all planes in the sky over a 24-hour period using radio signals. If successful, this could provide compelling evidence that WSPR works and could potentially lead to the discovery of MH370.
However, Nathan also acknowledged that any claims about the flight's final location could be controversial and potentially give false hope to the families. He shared that his standard response to the question of where the flight could be is that only God knows. While some pieces of the wreckage have been found, there are still no definitive answers about why the flight deviated from its course and where it ultimately crashed into the sea.
If Godfrey's tracking method is proven to be effective, there is a chance that the fuselage and black box data recorders could be retrieved, providing closure for the families. When asked if he believes the flight will be found, Nathan responded that ships lost for 300 years have been discovered, and he has no doubt that MH370 will also be found. He and other relatives have been tirelessly fighting for the search not to be abandoned, and they remain hopeful that one day, they will have the answers they have been seeking for a decade.
The BBC documentary, "Why Planes Vanish: The Hunt for MH370," will air tonight at 8pm on BBC1.
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