reply to post by scott3x
Ok...going to do this bit by bit....
Just refer to the post I'm referencing to, please.
Originally posted by scott3x
Here is the transcription that I mentioned I would put up in my last post:
From Pandora's Black Box - Chapter Two - Flight Of American 77, starting at 40:40, regarding the alleged black box data:
Allright, using the transcript from "Pandora's Black Box", we will see where I agree and
disagree with P4T....
Let's take a look at the altitude. The altimeter in the animation, according to the flight data recorder, shows 180 feet one second prior
to impact. Let's see if this is accurate....
Well, firstly it's a little difficult to say it was
exactly one second before impact. As I said, there is going to be some discrepancy
in exact
position based on the SSFDR, because IT gets its position info from the Inertial Reference System (IRS) which did
not
GPS updating at that time, on that particular airplane.
I'd rather not waste space describing the IRS, and its functions and inherent accuracy ranges...except to say that for purposes of gross navigation
it is sufficient, by itself, to be accurate within a mile, sometimes a little more or less...certainly enough to be usable for extended over-water
flights, for instance. BUT, of course --- it also is provided, on the AAL 77 airplane, with various radio updating from land-based sources, further
refining its accuracy to within less than 1/2 mile. Still, that's as much as 3,000 feet horizontally, so even if it's off by only 500 feet? Not
unusual, because as I said it wasn't used for accurate events like instrument approaches and such --- not back then.
All of the above relates to the positional references in the NTSB video used in
Pandora's Black Box, that's why I mention it. Remember, the
possible position error applies
laterally in this instance too. (I recall also that the NTSB, when making that video, made mistakes in t he
airplane's magnetic heading. I'll check on that...)
So, the P4T video goes on and on, and they describe the events accurately, and they dazzle and razzle with all the technical stuff...same stuff I get
accused of!!!
However, let's look at this assumption by them:
The hard data file that we have from the NTSB shows the altimeter being set on the climb through 18,000 and on the descent through 18,000
feet.
I have to take their word on the "hard data file" because I've not seen it. but, while it is natural for a professional pilot to re-zset the
altimeters to local barometric setting as you pass through FL180, I hardly expect the terrorist pilot would have been that disciplined.
Let's watch to see if this altimeter is being set during descent in the animation [the altimeter doesn't snap back after descending
18,000 feet]. The trend continues. There is no snap back. The altimeter is still set to 29.92.
OK...correct, it sure does not look like the altimeter that was recording to the SSFDR was re-set from 29.92 to 30.22 (prevailing setting). Of
course, in the descent it wouldn't "snap back" as they imply....what you would likely see is the altimeter reading
hesitate slightly,
since as you are turning the Kollsman knob, you are moving the 'hands' back as they unwind in the other direction. Capice?? Minor point, just
noted from experience.
But THEN they say:
We will have to manually correct for this from here on out, as the aircraft is actually 300 feet higher than indicated.
Hold on there a second, buckaroos!! How do you know that the terrorist pilot didn't RE-SET one or all of the altimeters at some point from here
prior to impact? They
assume that the altimeters were not re-set at all, and that is the crux of the rest of this subject, from
them.
Considering the hard data file that we have shows the altimeter being set through 18,000 feet, and the animation does not, that is a
blatant coverup to make the animation aircraft appear lower than it actually is.
Whoa! Strong allegation, there! Hope they can provide more 'proof'.
Well, the rest continues on the assumption that the altimeter(s) were NEVER re-set....so it's just an opinion there, and desperation on their part.
~~There is another point, and I am uncertain since I never needed to know ALL the details of exactly how the SSFDR recorded, it wasn't required
knowledge.
But somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of memory I recall as how the Air Data Computer (where all of the pitot/static inputs went to be processed,
then sent to respective instruments) only used 29.92....and of course, the Kollsman window settings only affected the instrument AS SEEN BY the
pilots.
I know that the trnasponder Mode C reported standard altitudes...that is, for the ATC people on their radar, if they assigned you 10,000 feet, and the
altimeter setting was 30.22, they would see 10,300 feet, because YOU had re-set properly. The ATC folks understand this, and how it works. They only
question your altiude if it varies by a substantial amount, different than assigned. (Or is WAY off compared to others at your assigned altitude).
I'm not going to repeat their vertical speed comments...I timed it for myself, once and it looked perfectly reasonable. Didn't save my notes, so
I'll have to look again.....
(Would be a heckuva lot easier if we had the VVI info!!!!)
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[edit on 1 October 2009 by weedwhacker]