Alan F.

I believe it's just that the web-site has been overloaded (82,000 visits the other day) due to the volcanic ash situation and the increased exposure that the site has had (I got the same IE response also). Unfortunately it impacts the ability to see Malaysian aircraft. Try it when most of Europe's asleep and it works! I suspect it will be back to normal once the air traffic gets going again - whenever that might be. Also give flightradar24.com a try as they have re-hosted to improve speed (due to increased demand) and added a volcanic ash overlay. The Malaysian aircraft feeds are certainly going out to both web-sites....!!!

This is a snapshot from flightradar24.com...I don't think this has ever been seen before...absolutely nothing flying over the UK

MAS improves baggage handling KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines improved its baggage handling last year, reducing missing incidents to 3.3% per 1,000 passengers. MAS airport operations senior general manager Yusop Jaridi, in a statement Tuesday, said the achivement was fairly better than the industry benchmark of 3.4%. He said mishandled baggages per 1,000 passengers was significantly low at 2.4%, compared with 10.8% of the Association of European Airlines (AEA). Constant communication between the company and ground-handlers such as Malaysia Airports Berhad and other airport authorities, as well as customers, resulted in the improvement, he added. More closed-circuit television cameras would be installed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to enhance the overall security of baggage there, he added. Extracted from – The Star I’m not sure why this article on MAS baggage handling was published. Are they trying to defend their position based on this recent court case? Should we be jumping for joy that MAS have a 0.1% better than average rate for missing baggage incidents? That fact is whether it’s 3.3% or 3.4%, it is still totally unacceptable to those passengers affected by poor baggage handling by any airline. MAS have a long way to go in handling baggage complaints. From my experience they don’t show any responsibility, compassion or signs that they really care that your bag is missing. It isn’t clear from the article what constitutes missing – is it just delayed or completely lost? What does the baggage mishandling figure of 2.4% include – damaged or delayed luggage? Are the figures related to domestic or international passengers, it probably doesn’t matter. MAS’s conditions of carriage (here) are quite clear and in summary a passenger can claim about 6,000RM (1,131 SDR’s) under the Montreal Convention for damaged/missing baggage on international flights (Malaysia has ratified the Montreal Convention, but I don’t believe it is yet in the law books). There’s no weight factor under Montreal Convention, it’s just a ‘flat’ payment, so it doesn’t matter whether its 5kg or 20kg’s. However, the airline would still make you prove the value of goods in the baggage. For domestic flights the very old Warsaw Convention would still seem to apply in Malaysia and the rates are about 90RM per kilo (17 SDR’s per kilo). Now let’s just take a look at some numbers from MAS’s website (figures here) and what liability exposure they have to all these baggage incidents. For the purposes of a little exercise I’m not even going to take the 2.4% mishandled baggage or 3.3% missing figure as ultimately most passengers are reunited with their baggage after several days. Obtaining compensation for these delays and damage is also tortuous with most airlines. If MAS likes to align itself with the general industry standards then it would typically be losing (totally lost) 1 bag per two thousand passengers. See this report. Domestic Passengers carried on MAS was 4,835,000 for 2009. On the basis that quite a lot of travelers don’t have check in luggage and those that do is generally less than the 20kg economy allowance, I’ll take an average of 10kg for 40% of the passenger numbers. So we have 40% of 4,835,000 is 1,934,500. That’s around 1,000 totally lost bags/year. That’s a potential liability of about 900,000 RM for missing luggage (90RM per kilo with a 10kg checked-in bag). International Passengers carried on MAS was 7,112,000 for 2009. We don’t need to take into account weight under Montreal Convention so we’ll assume a maximum 1,131 SDR rate (approx 6,000RM). The vast majority of tourists would typically have around this figure/value in their baggage on a vacation but would still need to prove it. Using the same 1 bag per two thousand passengers’ lost luggage ratio, this equates to a whopping 21,000,000 RM potential liability. So next time you lose your bag, don’t accept all the blurb and excuses by those staff at the ‘lost luggage counter’ – take some action and screw them and affect their bottom line figures!! [/size]

Another site now showing KL virtual radar data is flightradar24.com. Seems to have less delay than RadarVirtuel and only a few seconds behind realtime. The interface also has a few differences which I think are better. There's also some Aussie tracks visible.

System looks like its been done for a while today....but now its back up running again (9.30pm).

It looks very familiar!! Early models don't have an ethernet network port (but can be added with a mod-kit) which makes it difficult for sharing data. I've noticed that RadarVirtuel mask the lat/long when viewing. This KL Virtual Radarlink provides what I think is the best view for KL area and can be bookmarked, preventing the view defaulting to Europe when re-opening.

In the past I've tried quite a few feeder sites like Planeplotter and OpenATC, both used to be OK, but then I think they got saturated with data and the systems slowed down and kept losing connections so it became unusable. Its only recently that a 'customised' Google map is being used by quite a number of sites (another one is flightradar24 plus the one listed earlier Schipol). RadarVirtuel only require the SBS1 TCP port to be open. The receiver was not purchased locally (I've never seen anywhere selling them either) and I suspect they're technically illegal to use - but they're only a receiver. The latest SBS1 also have built airband receiver and expensive - over 400 Euro. Those boffins in certain government departments won't have a clue what ADS-B is anyway!

Anyone who is using the RadarVirtuel site for KL and is wondering why the plots just suddenly disappear. Well its mainly due to the receiver location (2nd floor condo near Mid-Valley...how I wish I was on the top floor). The attached pic and purple jagged outline shows a plot of distances received in the last few days and where the signals fade away and disappear.

Sites like RadarVirtuel are reliant on people supporting them with streaming feeds from 'ADS-B receivers' such as the Kinetic Avionics SBS1 or AirNav RadarBox. Unless someone has one of these in Kuching and is 'feeding' then its not possible for others to see what's happening.

Now it might be possible that we can provide some on-time statistics for arrivals/departures for MAS & Air Asia!!

Came across this site Virtual Radar for those people wishing to track/spot ADS-B equipped aircraft around the skies of KL. Someone (em...em) is feeding the site with aircraft data from KL. It's running with Google maps and has some degree of customisation. The tracks and info will disappear due to the receivers location especially those aircraft to the north of WMKF and those below about 4,000ft around KLIA. I've tried using other web-sites and feeds like 'OpenATC' but they've been unreliable. Virtual Radar does take quite of bit of bandwidth though, even from a Streamyx line but its acceptable if you're not browsing anything else.

This court case was brought about in 2006/2007 when lost/damaged baggage was under the Warsaw Convention rules. Malaysia ratified the new Montreal Convention in 2007/2008 - which introduced better 'benefits' for passengers with lost/damaged baggage. At the moment it only applies to international travel from Malaysia, internal flights still under Warsaw Convention. Just read MAS's Terms & Conditions today and you'll find 1,130SDR's (Special Drawing Rights) in the small print for baggage - SDR's are a monetary value set by the IMF. It roughly equates to 6,000RM today. If you have a lost/damaged bag today you'll find MAS (not sure about AirAsia) bending over backwards to provide you with a new suitcase or bag and signing a waiver form, rather than mentioning your entitlement (under IATA) to 6,000RM.!!

More on this story at: Malay Mail MAS ordered to pay RM10,000 for lost luggage SHAH ALAM: In a landmark decision, the magistrate court here ordered Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS) to award almost RM10,000 to a 51-year-old aviation company manager who lost her baggage after flying with the airlines in 2006. This case is believed to be the first of its kind brought to courts in Malaysia. Magistrate Sharifah Norazlita Syed Salim Idid this morning ruled in favour of the plaintiff, Kang Guat Pheng, and ordered MAS to pay cost of the suit and eight per cent interest from the date of judgement till the date of settlement. Kang had filed the suit against MAS on May 30, 2007, claiming RM 9,675 from what she lost in her baggage, which included branded clothes, jewelry and cosmetics. On Dec 26, 2006, Kang was a passenger on a flight from Ho Chi Min City to Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a friend. In her testimony, Kang said she when she arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 7.30pm, her baggage, which she had earlier checked in, never appeared at the luggage arrival room even after waiting for a long time. She reported this to MAS ‘Lost and Found’ baggage office and the next day she was told via phone her baggage will arrive on Dec 27, 2006. However, after rushing to buy and replace her essentials that day itself as she had a flight to USA, the airline company still could not locate her baggage after making her wait for five hours at the lost and found office. Later that day, MAS informed Kang that her baggage was found and asked her friend to pick it up in Kuantan, her hometown which she told MAS to sent to. However, Kang said her friend was given the runaround twice as each time MAS staff called him, he would have to drop everything just to go to Kuantan airport to pick up her ‘lost baggage’ only to be informed that Kang's bag still has not been found. After sending several letters, Kang was offered to be compensated twice by MAS. The first was USD 200 (RM663.74), which was USD20 (RM66.37) per kg and another offer was made and after the suit was filed. She was offered USD300 (RM995.55) via MAS's lawyer. However, Kang refused both offers and said that the amount offered cannot compensate for her losses. She claimed the total value of the things lost was approximately RM 9,675.00. She claimed MAS had been totally negligent and reckless in handling her baggage, from not even knowing whether the bag was in the flight and to giving her false information. Plaintiff had called two witnesses in the case including Kang herself while MAS, which had denied liability and only agreed to pay USD20 (RM66.37) per kg, had called three witnesses. However, Kang claimed she was not contacted or told anything then after, saying "The trace for the baggage had been nothing short of a farce, from being advised by MAS staff that lost baggage was actually at Kuantan airport, and me sending someone to collect it, thus incurring time and expense, when MAS not even knowing the whereabouts of the baggage." She denied that it was her own negligence as jewelry were common fashion jewelry and theft was not an issue. Zaidi Abdul Hamid represented Kang while Hariharan Tara Singh represented MAS. Items in the bag included a black sequined blouse RM285.00; a sweater pullover RM228.00; a black sequined scarf RM200.00; a blue sequined blouse branded "Guess" RM355.00;a blue blouse RM159.00; a man's jacket and pants RM900.00; a formal shirt RM180.00; a silk "bow tie"RM40.00; a pair of Nike slippers RM89.00;a pair of black stilletos RM559.00; an Issey Miyake black evening bag RM899.00; a black mesh handbag Stuart Weitzman RM699.00; a leather belt RM199.00; several undergarments RM500.00; a Swarovski Crystal Charm Bracelet RM299.00; a pair of earrings RM209.00; a bracelet RM229.00; three black cosmetic bags RM250.00;a set of "Mac" cosmetics RM569.00; a bottle of Coco Channel perfume RM285.00; various skin care products RM500.00; various toiletries RM300.00; a set of various make up brushes RM900.00; a necklace and blue pendant RM285.00; a charm bracelet RM189.00; a diamante earring RM159.00; an onyx ring RM129.00; and a "Beige cloth" hat RM80.00.

CAE today announced at the Singapore Airshow 2010 that it has signed a contract with AirAsia to train student cadets for the airline in a beta program designed to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for the Multi-crew Pilot License (MPL). The CAE program is the first application of an MPL program that will adhere to new performance-based Approved Training Organization (ATO) certification requirements developed by Transport Canada. The objective of the CAE MPL initiative is to deliver a best-in-class training program that provides airlines with pilots who will safely and efficiently operate a modern multi-crew, multi-engine, turbine-powered commercial transport aircraft in all expected operational environments. At the conclusion of the 56-week beta program, successful student cadets are expected to receive an MPL license from Transport Canada and authority from the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCAM), and will enter AirAsia's initial operating experience (IOE) program for Airbus A320 First Officers. "AirAsia is proud to partner with CAE, a global leader in civil aviation training, in the first MPL program designed under the rigorous requirements developed by Transport Canada and DCAM," said Tony Fernandes, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia. "We expect the graduates of the CAE MPL beta class will be extremely well trained and fully competent to move into the right seat in our A320 fleet as they begin their careers as AirAsia pilots." CAE's blended training methodology for the MPL beta program integrates theoretical knowledge, simulation-based training, and aircraft training throughout the curriculum. The four-phase program will begin in March with Core and Basic phases at Moncton Flight College (MFC) in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada, part of the CAE Global Academy network. The cadets will then transition to CAE SimuFlite in Dallas, Texas, United States, for Phase 3 (Intermediate). The MPL program will conclude with Phase 4 (Advanced) training at CAE’s aviation training centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "The MPL is another option for our airline customers in CAE's cadet-to-captain portfolio of civil aviation training solutions. CAE has designed our MPL beta program to provide cadets with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to be a highly competent, safe, and successful professional commercial pilot,” said Jeff Roberts, CAE’s Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services. “We have thoroughly examined the ICAO and Transport Canada MPL requirements, as well as aviation industry best practices, and applied CAE's experience of more than 60 years in pilot training. The result is a systematic, competency-based MPL program which can produce the consistently high-quality flight crews needed for today's modern aircraft.” Extracted from: Peanuts Online - Low Cost Airline News

According to the SBS1 it would have been 9M-MKD (as it was seen departing KL around 6.20pm to Jakarta as flt MH725 - which is scheduled as a 737 a/c).

MAS has recently ordered a full flight simulator for their new 737-800 aircraft to be delivered in 2010.... Article from Marketwire.com (9th Nov): CAE wins contracts for four full-flight simulators and for update and relocation services valued at approximately C$55 million MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Nov. 9, 2009) - (NYSE:CAE)(TSX:CAE) - CAE has signed contracts valued at approximately C$55 million at list prices to design and manufacture four full-flight simulators (FFSs) and related training devices, and to provide simulator updates and relocations. The FFS contracts are with Malaysia Airlines, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, and Mount Cook Airlines and bring the total FFS sales that CAE announced in fiscal year 2010 to 10. "The civil aerospace market continues to be challenging; however, CAE's diversified portfolio allows us to offer airlines a range of aviation training solutions tailored to our airline customers' requirements," said Jeff Roberts, CAE's Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training, and Services. "We are delighted that new customers Malaysia Airlines, Kenya Airways, and Mount Cook Airlines have placed their trust and confidence in CAE for their full-flight simulator needs. We are also pleased that Korean Air, a long-time customer, has chosen CAE for its business aviation FFS." Malaysia Airlines CAE has sold a CAE 7000 Series Boeing 737-800 Level D FFS and a CAE Simfinity Boeing 737-800 Integrated Procedures Trainer (IPT) to Malaysian Airlines System (MAS). This will be CAE's first B737-800 FFS and IPT for Malaysia Airlines. They will be delivered to the Malaysia Airlines training centre in Kuala Lumpur and are expected to be ready-for-training toward the end of 2010. "CAE's Series 7000 simulator design and its proven reliability were among the factors in our decision making," said Malaysia Airlines Operations Director, Capt. Mohamed Azharuddin Osman. "This is a prelude to us taking delivery of our B737-800 planes in 2010. We have ordered 35 aircraft with an option for another 20." Full article here

Russia delivers fighter aircraft to Malaysia and Algeria Russia has completed deliveries of Su-30MKM combat aircraft to Malaysia as part of a USD900 million agreement signed in 2003, the head of the Irkut corporation said on 19 August. According to state news service RIA Novosti, Oleg Demchenko said that the last fighters were delivered on 17 August. Malaysia bought the Su-30MKM fighters from the Russian government in a contract signed in 2003 for MYR3.42 billion (USD934.9 million). (Janes Defence) Does this mean they've sorted out all the reported problems with mixing Russian and Western avionics?

Some more pics of the Saudia 747 incident in August 2001 (23rd?).....100 workers including 11 from the airline and four from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing were deployed in the salvage operations.....

This is just a warning by MAS/Firefly to TF and keeping him on his toes!! A sort of 'are you really sure you want to set-up Labu' message, because if you do, we are right in there behind you (and probably before the seats go cold!!).

Looks like Singapore Airlines first A330-343 is on its way or about to be delivered (see Skyliner ). Pictures at Planepictures.net I wonder if they have a simulator for these aircraft !!!

Please remember that all the data for the tracking is coming from amatuers using the SBS1 radar box and not real ATC radars. Their data is then streamed to the OpenATC site who then turn into something to use in Google Earth. There's probably only one uploader providing the data for the KL area which limits the amount off traffic that can be seen. Quite a few other people have created a small software package using VNC as a backbone (www.kuawaitstorm.com & www.atcbox.com> VNC could be used to view KL data in a better format than Google Earth but likely exposes the sources IP address to the cyber-police here in Malaysia...and risking some time in Kamunting.

To obtain better tracking plots in Google Earth, highlight the 'Australasia' sub-folder in the temporary places folder, then in the G.E. menu bar select Edit - Properties - Refresh tab and alter time-based refresh to something like 15 secs.

Anyone interested in tracking aircraft around KL should check out: www.openatc.com and click on the Google Earth option in the left bar. Accept the terms & conditions and up should pop Google Earth with a temporary places folder for various parts of the world. There's a 5 minute delay to the traffic being shown from the servers sending out the tracks showing a/c call sign, altitude, speed and track.

Anyone know why access to the 'viewing strip' at the end of 32L has been blocked off (this morning)? Those nasty airport police trying to play big brother!!!

I can understand discussions with Sime taking place over the land, but not inviting MAB to join the party. Only recently AK was complaining that MAB are screwing them from all directions - so why would you want to get into bed with them now!! Is there a ruling that MAB have to control all Malaysian airports (and the fee's they charge)?