and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov trying to resolve the conflict between moscow and ukraine. russian troops, thousands of them have massed on the border, something kerry calls an intentional climate of fear. and today's discussions kerry said they exchanged ideas, but no agreement was reached. they said they would talk again soon. hello, everyone. i'm don lemon. this is our special coverage. it is the top of the hour. every new day in australia brings with it hope that search crews will find something, anything linked to that missing airliner and the people who are on board. at least one search plane has reached the far offshore search area, and we just learned that an australian navy ship is there now too. a short time ago, australia's prime minister spoke to reporters. he is optimistic too and has a simple message for searchers. a short time ago, australia's prime minister spoke to reporters. he is optimistic too and has a simple message for searchers. keep going. >> we are searching a vast area

of ocean. and we are working on quite limited information. nevertheless, the best brains in the world are applying themselves to this task. if this mystery is solvable, we will solve it. >> and this big ship is preparing to join the hunt. it is fitted with a high-tech black box detector and an underwater search drone. the ship is called ocean shield. it will need a few dice get to the search area. cnn's atika shubert is in australia where the search effort is based. i want to begin with will ripley where he is following the ocean shield, an australian ship with a black box detector that is supposed to be on its way out to the southern indian ocean. what do you know, will? >> well, we know there is another delay, don. we hopefully will have this ocean shield ship depart big this evening. what needs to happen first is maritime inspectors need to come

in and make sure that sophisticated navy equipment has been installed correctly before they give it the all clear to get out to the search area. it will still take a few more days to reach that search area. that poses another challenge, because we know just about a week city hall is left on the batteries. ideal conditions for the battery on the cockpit voice recorder and the inflight data recorder. we have a tpl, a towed pinger locator on the back of this ship. it's a giant microphone that they're going to drop into the water and listen for the fading pings they're emanating, because they've been presumably going off now for several weeks, and we only have a month of battery life. if we get to the point where we know without a reasonable doubt that the pings are gone and they're not being emitted anymore, there is also another piece of equipment on the ocean shield. it's basically an underwater submarine drone type device. and it scans the bottom of the ocean and can map out if there is any debris sitting on the ocean floor. but in order for any of this sophisticated equipment to be effective, we need to narrow

down the size of the search area. they can only cover about 50 square miles a day. we have over 100,000 square miles of area to search. so essentially, until you find that haystack, we've been using the need until the haystack term, this is the needle finder, but they have to find the haystack first, and we're not close to doing that. >> even though it's been delayed, tell us where you. as i understand, this is from the hms sterling. it's the largest naval base in southwest australia. it is the fremantle sound that you're in? >> correct, correct. so we are just -- this is garden island behind me. and fremantle behind me as well. as you mentioned, a very large naval base. we're actually just outside what they call the exclusion zone here in the sound. the reason that we can't get much closer than that is this is a military operation. and so if you're photographing, you know, the operations here

too close, it could potentially be a security risk. so the australian navy, we actually had the water police, the western australia water police come by and visit us as well. very nice. the country has been very nice us to. but they asked us to move back just a bit. but you can still get a good shot of the ocean shield. and it really stands out. it's distinctive, bright red. as we follow this, when this ship does depart and we're able to get a little bit closer to it as we go behind it, it goes about 15 knots. we can keep up with that in this fishing boat that we're in, the thunder. you know, we'll be able do show you what is happening. but essentially, there is 30 people, don, on board that ship. 11 of them specifically tasked with operating this sophisticated equipment that has been supplied by the u.s. navy. it's been installed. let's hope the inspectors can do their job and they can get going as quickly as possible. >> absolutely. will ripley, stand by. we'll get back to you throughout the hour. we'll be relying on you here on cnn. i want to get to atika shubert now. atika is also in perth. the ships and planes are leaving from where you are, pierce air base. you have an exclusive interview with the prime minister.

what did he say to you? >> yeah, he said that the efforts are going to continue, and they have no intention of winding down the operation. in fact, they're going to continue to ramp it up. and we've seen already several planes take off from here today. one of them is already in the search area. another four are on their way. and there are eight ships already in the search area, including the hmas toowoomba. when i asked the prime minister, what did he think of coordinating all these nation's efforts and how confident he was about the information that he was getting from his partners in this, here is how he replied. >> obviously, australia is leading the search. the legal responsibility for the investigation rests with malaysia as the flag of the airline that went down. we will want to work very closely with malaysia. i've certainly offered prime minister najib razak of malaysia the full cooperation of australia.

we've also just appointed air chief marshall anxious houston, a former chief of our defense force, very well respected in our region and in the wider world as the chief of the coordinating center. so angus houston can liaise with the senior officials of all the various countries who have a stake in this. >> how would you categorize then that cooperation or the challenges of that cooperation? >> the challenges are considerable. but let's not underestimate the good will. everyone wants to get to the bottom of this mystery. everyone is united in their common grief, in their common anxiety to resolve this. i don't think we've got a whole lot of competing national pride at stake here. i think we've got at stake here a hole lot of people who just want to solve the problem. >> as a final question, what

message do you have for the families who have loved ones on board the flight 370, but also for their search teams who are going out there every single day about how important the search really is? >> well, my message to the search teams is please keep it up. we admire your work. we respect your professionalism. my message to the families is that australia is your friend and should any of you wish to come to australia, you will be in the arms of a friendly country. >> now, we did that exclusive interview here at the pierce air base. you can hear some of the search helicopters actually taking off in the background there. but it is a daunting task, australia coordinating all these efforts. and part of that is the

information coming out of malaysia has been at times conflicting. and adding to that, of course, china is very concerned about the well-being of its own citizens, more than half of the passengers on board were from china. so it is a logistical but also a diplomatic challenge, don. >> all right. atika shubert, thank you very much. appreciate that one. i want to get back to my panel of experts now. investigator colleen keller who helped in finding the wreckage of air france flight 447 three years ago. geoffrey thomas, editor and chief of airlineratings.com is going to join us in just a little bit from pert. aviation analyst and 777 pilot les abend, military aviator, and our will ripley who is joining us now from perth as well, on the party in perth. i want to get to will ripley first. i understand you have new information for us? >> don, we just got off the phone where the spokesperson for the australian defense force,

and it seems like we at least have a clearer picture of a possible departure time. it's even a little bit later than we now thought. we're now looking at a 6:00 p.m. local departure time at the earliest. just under seven hours from right now. we now know the specifics about the type of inspection that needs to happen. they have installed an a-frame on the ocean shield which you see behind me. we can zoom in to give you guys a better look as it sits here at fremantle naval base here in western australia. the a-frame on this boat is what is going to lower the towed tpl, the pinger locator and lower the underwater drone. both of these high-tech equipment that will search for debris and listen for the ping from the inflight data recorder. they need to in fact the a-frame. they have to make sure it's weld properly to the deck so when they actually get on the indian ocean and drop this into the water that it will work without falling apart that explains a little bit more about the delay that we're seeing out here. >> all right, will, stand by. colleen, prime minister abbott is confident on his search teams. flow is a six, possibly seven-hour delay, you heard will there for a high-tech ship, the ocean shield to get under way. how confident are you in what is

going on? >> well, i'm not particularly upset by the delay right now, because frankly, i don't think we have a very good idea of where to send the ship. i don't mean to be pessimistic, but this is a monumental task. what he is talking about doing is just getting the tpl into the water and hoping that you're going to hear something. you have to get within one or two miles of the source to hear it. and you know the numbers. the search area is so big that it's such a long shot anyway that i don't think a six-hour delay is going to make a difference. >> geoffrey thomas, i don't know if you were able to hear our correspondent there say there has been a six-hour delay, possibly a seven-hour delay now. 7:00 p.m. departure. do you know anything than? what is going on? each moment that goes by, you know, we lose a battery on that pinger. >> don, look, i don't know the particulars of the reason for the delay, but i agree. the time is running out. although according to experts on board that ship, u.s. navy

experts, the pinger is certified to last 30 days. the reality is it may last 40 days. so the window may be a little bigger than we think. however, i agree. now, we're looking for a need until a haystack, and then we've got to thread the needle. this is an enormous challenge. and it can't be underestimated. and the reality is it may take us two, three, maybe even four years to find this wreckage, if past experience is any guide. we may get lucky, we just may get lucky. and with the university of western australia having all that current data, the pleides where the search area is in their database, as soon as we pick up a bit of debris, we can go back to the origins of it on march 8th, which might reduce the search area just enough for

us to get lucky. >> geoffrey thomas brings up a very good point. and, you know, smart minds have been saying this. listen, we all get excited and think we're going to find something the next minute. oh, my gosh that. >> finding? the debris and objects and what have you. but for calmer minds, cooler heads, they have been saying to us calm down. this could take years to find anything. geoffrey brings up good point. david marin brought up a good point last week that it could take two years. the average investigation takes 3.5 years to find. so the six-hour delay is not good because every moment counts here. but when you hear than and it takes three days to get out there, michael kay, are you confident about this search? the prime minister certainly is. but we're losing time here. >> it goes back to the expectation point. and what i'd like to just mention is full credit to the

australians for taking the lead on the international search. but more importantly for their military as well. they'll have been working around the clock nonstop for the last three weeks, reacting on all of the different types of data we've seen coming in. i think colleen raises a really good point in terms of not knowing where we're supposed to be tasking the ships. you can't rapidly retask ships. we've already seen the search area move once already from the sort of deep southwest 700 miles north. if you've got ping locators out in that southern location, so suddenly expect them to head up 700 miles north rapidly, it's not going to happen. >> right. >> so during this delay, we need to have the p-8s out there, the p-3s, they need to be using the time to get out there and really coordinating the data we have to make sure we're narrowing down the search area. >> i think you're bringing up good point. it's a big ship to turn around. they have that saying for a reason because it takes a long time to do that. and if they're not even in the right area, you know, then we're losing more time. stick around, everyone. great discussion. a promising lead or more false hope? search crews spot more items floating in the indian ocean. ahead are, they significant or just more sea trash?

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in an other with at least five nautical miles that include at least four orange objects. i must stress that we can't confirm the origin of these objects. >> four mysterious orange objects floating in the indian ocean called promising leads in the hunt for malaysia flight 370. right now search planes and ships are scouring the sea area, hoping this could be the huge break desperately needed to help solve the mystery of flight 370. back with me now, my panel, colleen keller, geoffrey thomas, les abend and michael kay.

geoffrey, to you first. you say the orange objects may be easier to locate again than previous mystery items that we have seen. why is that? >> well, if the orange objects are identified as from mh 370, then the university of western australia tracks all the current data, all of these -- where this area is large eddies in that area. and they can then track back to march 8th and tell the searchers exactly where that bit of debris came from. if they have the exact location of where it is picked up, on the exact day, they can track it back to where they came from on march the 8th. and that will then give the ocean shield exact coordinates to travel to. but of course, having said, that it won't be a pinpoint in the

sea. it will be an area or probably maybe 30 or 40 square miles. that's kind of the accuracy you're talking about. that's a rough figure. and it can be with the pinger locator. the distance of being about a mile to pick up the ping from the black boxes. you've got, again, be very lucky to get it. >> let's talk about the search, how long this could possibly go on. no one knows for sure. but certainly the australian prime minister tony abbott addressed that at a press conference not long ago. let's listen. >> i'm certainly not putting a time limit on it. i think as i said, we owe to it the families. we owe it to everyone who travels by air. we owe to it the governments of the countries who had citizens on that aircraft. we owe it to the wider world, which has been transfixed by this mystery for three weeks now. we owe it to everyone to do whatever we reasonably can.

and we can keep searching for quite some time to come. and we will keep searching for quite some time to come. and as i said, the intensity of our search and the magnitude of our operations is increasing, not decreasing. >> what the families have wanted, obviously, besides getting their family members back, but they have wanted someone to be in charge, someone with authority, someone to give them information. and i think that's exactly what they have gotten. just in this press conference, michael kay. i don't know if you agree. i think this is probably the best information that they have gotten so far. and it also offers them some hope that their loved ones won't be forgotten soon in this process of searching. >> i think it does. and in the absence of any critical facts or unequivocal facts, this is sort of all we can do at the moment. what i would really like to see at the moment, we've been very

focused on sort of the tactical level activity over the last week, the search, the aircraft, the ping locators. i think i'd like to go and see conversations at the international level again, looking -- reengaging with inmarsat, just seeing the data is right. what we should be doing is chasing data to corroborate that it's gone south. but also, because we don't have enough information to rule out any other options, we need to be looking at data to rule out anything that has gone north or west. >> les? >> this may already be happening. we're not privy to the inside of this investigation. >> i agree. >> let's just hope that it is. you and i discussed this before and we've agreed that that's important. and i hope this objects, these orange objects. i don't want to throw, you know, a scenario that is not necessarily correct. but it could be that's the color of crew life vests, inflatable life vests. >> orange. >> colleen keller, i understand from producers, you're nodding your head in agreement with what michael kay is saying? >> yes. yes, i do agree. i was trying to think of what he was saying. the orange is definitely

unnatural, and it's indicative of some type of life preserver thing. and we definitely need to pick that kind of thing up. what i was thinking earlier is the australians are doing a great job. and it's obvious that they're very methodical in the way they're searching, and that's very important. but we also would like to see transparency in the organization running the search. that's critical for the family members and for other people that are -- we want to see not only how they're picking where they're searching, but are they look at the other data, are they revisiting the original assumptions? are they keeping everything on the table? they have an excellent website, the amsa website is posting updates every couple of hours, explaining why they're doing certain things. and i laud them for that. i think that's wonderful. >> do you think we might see more transparence circumstances geoffrey, with angus houston in charge, a retired air chief marshall? >> look, i do indeed. and i think i agree. the website is excellent.

i think it's going to be taken to a whole new level with angus houston who is a highly decorated commander of the air force and then the chief of defense. excellent credentials. and it also flags from what i see and from what i hear behind the scenes that australia's going to take a much bigger role in the search for and recovery of mh 370. and it's highly likely that hey they will reach agreement with the malaysians that the debris, once we find it, the wreckage, if we recover it, will come ashore at fremantle which is the port here for the west coast and the airplane would be reassembled here as well. and i also believe that the transportation safety board, our crash investigator will actually take a major role in the investigation along with the ntsb and the british and the french as well as of course the malaysians, who will lead the crash investigation. >> we are working on borrowed time. that's how one member of the u.s. navy describes the search to find 370 in the indian ocean,

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time now quickly running out in the search for flight 370 there is only about one week of battery life left on the data recorder. when the battery will run out, the pings will go silent. right now equipment is loaded up and ready to head out to the search zone. correspondent paula newton takes a close look at the u.s. pinger locator and how it may help solve the mystery of flight 370 if time doesn't run out. >> reporter: the ocean shield is at the ready and hours from sailing off to a search zone that so far has yield nod trace

of flight 370. the italian ship will be the linchpin of the investigation, but only if and when air wreckage is found. >> this is a very complex and challenging job, and the first real step here is to find some debris so that committee can back cast and pinpoint an impact point to give us an initial search area. >> reporter: being fitted on board, a u.s. navy tow pinger locator that will try to isolate the signal from the cockpit and flight data reporters and a bluefin 21, an underwater vehicle that will comb the ocean floor looking for wreckage. no matter how specialized and sophisticated this equipment, it won't do any good unless that search zone can be narrowed. >> we need better point of impact estimation than we have right now. >> reporter: u.s. navy commander mark matthews is leading the team that will deploy the locator equipment, and it needs

to come within about a mile of the pinger, just like the one he is holding. >> i can search approximately 50 square miles a day. so, really, if we're searching for a beacon and we're living on borrowed time, i need something that is only less than a thousand square miles. >> right now we're dealing with over 100,000 square miles? >> yes. >> reporter: as you said, challenging. >> it's very low probability of detection if that is our search area. >> reporter: and that's a sobering thought for the families of those missing. as we board ocean shield, those working to deploy her are mindful that every minute counts. the pinger's signal will last a little more than a week. and any wreckage has been dragged by wind and currents for weeks now. paula newton, cnn at australian naval base sterling. >> all right, paula newton, thank you very much. i want to bring back will ripley now. he is following the ship, the

ocean shield, an australian ship with black box detect they're was supposed to be on its way out into the southern indian ocean. but there has been a delay. and will, i understand you have some information as to why. >> yeah, we just spoke with the australian defense force. so there is an a-frame on the boat that is going to drop this equipment into the water. and that needs to be inspected. specifically, the welding on the a-frame. they need to check to it make sure that it will hold up. we have also just learned that this afternoon at some point, they're actually going to bring the ocean shield out here, and they're going to do some tests. we don't know what kind of tests. we don't know what it's going to look like or what they're testing. we expect to see some activity here over the next few hour. we'll of course be monitoring. we're working to get more information. and then we know we're look at a 6:00 p.m. local time departure. that's at the earliest. so 6:00 a.m. eastern time in the united states, 6:00 p.m. local time here at the earliest. and the departure could even be pushed back until tomorrow morning we're told.

we just have to wait and see. i want to bring in glenn connelly who is a senior reporter and produce were the 7 network here in australia, a cnn affiliate. we're partnering up with these guys out on the boat today. glenn, i just wanted to talk to you about the time frame of this search. we've been talking all along about how the clock is really ticking here. >> that's what makes this delay very interesting. we're talking about it might be seven days. it might be 20 odd days left in that black box pinger. if there is a delay here, remember, we are originally scheduled for the ocean shield to leave on sunday there is another delay that makes you wonder about what has gone wrong, whether this equipment has been properly tested, whether this equipment will in fact work. we're talking about deadlines all the time here. i think for us to be continually told another six hours, another six hours, maybe tomorrow morning, something is not right. >> you know, glenn, you and i were chatting about this earlier. we've been out here covering this for a while. do you get the sense that, you know we were so eager a week ago, talking about we're close, we're close, because that was the energy that we felt.

what is the energy that you're feeling now, now being on this story, as we have been now for weeks? >> well, to be fair, the optimism has maintained. but it's not the same. it doesn't have that same buzz that we had when we first saw that debris from the air four, five, six days ago. now i remember three or four days in the search out of perth, there was 122 piece spotted from a satellite. we thought this has got to be it. there are a lot of experts right around the world saying yes, we're on to it now. and then we have that thai satellite image of 300 pieces. now what on earth was that? we've seen a lot of false here and now more delays. yes, our energy is been sapped, but we do remain optimistic and the pilots are positive. >> and you got to wonder too how long this is sustainable. the united states government is spending $100,000 a day. cnn has reported on this search. australian government, do you know a significant number? i know it's a significant amount of money. >> all i can tell you is well past ten million australian dollars. >> how long can we sustain these resources? a thousand sailors, eight, i think ship.

ten when you count ocean shield plus all of the flights overhead. it's an expensive search operation. and we still thus far have come up with very little. certainly no tangible evidence of flight 370. >> will, thank you very much. les abend makes a good point here.

all right. i want to bring back my panel, colleen keller, retired royal air force pilot michael kay and will ripley joining us now. the water in perth, australia. with this new delay, this high-tech search vessel, we're really running out of time here. you brought up a very good point. you said there it is out on the water there off garden island in western australia. you said you can't do what? >> well, this looks like a great asset. but obviously, it's never been deployed specifically for this purpose. so you got to make sure that things are all safe and ready to go, and that you don't lose all that expensive equipment. >> michael kay, cautious optimism. you said what? >> absolutely. this is a critical asset, but it's got a specific capability, which is used when you have zoned in on the area 10. i think we should be guarding against using this as what we call the silver bullet. we've still got to rewind and understand that the higher probability is finding the

debris on the surface or on the ocean bed. and that's what the p-8s -- the p-3s should be doing. it has been delayed, but the maritime surveillance is still going to be out there and still looking for the on top of the surface clues. >> colleen, i wonder if this delay really puts the crew under pressure, giving them about two days before they get out in the area where they think that, you know, they can reach the or hear the pinger before it dies. >> well, i'm sure they're feeling the pressure. but the silver bullet comment is -- has a lot of merit. if you think about it, this is the only tpl we've got in theater. and you don't want to just put it in the water without being really sure that this is the area you want to search in. just to make people understand, this thing reels out a cable that is a mile or so long. they try to get the pinger locator as close to the bottom as they can so that it has a chance so, that it's in the range of the beacons that are lying on the bottom.

so we're talking a couple of miles of cable. and you don't want to snag this or, you know, lose it or have it catch some debris. so it's a very touchy operation. and if it were damaged in any way, where would you be then? they want to be very sure of what they're doing when they deploy this. >> mr. les abend making that point. a very good point, les abend. will ripley, you have been not only reporting from there where the ocean shield is, but you have been reporting from pierce as well there are other assets searching as well, assets in the water and in the sky. and this is just one that they believe is the best option, one of the best options for locating the data recorders. >> yeah, absolutely. you know, you mentioned, you know, we had another ship just arrive. so now with the addition of the ocean shield in a few more days, i believe, according to our latest numbers, and the numbers are changing every day, that

we're going to have eventually ten ships out there. more than a thousand people on those ships doing a visual search. because with all the technology that we have, the true heart and soul, the backbone of this operation are people looking with their eyes, with binoculars, scanning the water to see what kind of debris they can spot. in addition, that's also happening with the air search. sometimes there is ten planes. there have been eight planes in the air, depending on the day. sometimes the planes have mechanical problems, they can't all take off. when you have that many people both up in the air and down at sea level monitoring this area, you got to be hopeful about that. but and it sounds like a lot of people and it is a lot of people. it's a lot of resources and international effort. and yet we still face the reality that this is a huge area roughly the size of poland where they're searching. even with that many people, that many ships, that many planes, still a lot to cover. and it's a daunting task. every little bit helps, the technology and the manpower. >> absolutely from tony abbott, the prime minister of australia's press conference not

long ago. he said 550 personnel were out working on searching here. australia, new zealand, the united states, malaysia, china, japan, korea. and he said 100, at least 100 people were today in the sky alone. and so we keep relying. we keep talking about the ocean shield. but there are a lot of other people and a lot of other equipment out looking. stand by to my panel, everyone, and will ripley as well in perth. up next i'm going to speak to a man who survived the san francisco plane crash. also joining me his daughter. what was it like for her to wait for news, knowing her father was on that plane? don't miss this. we're back right after a very quick break. ♪ [ female announcer ] most of the time it's easy to know which option is better.

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239 people lost. their whereabouts still unknown, causing unimaginable grief for their loved ones. worshipers around the world and here in malaysia offered sunday prayers for the missing passengers and crewmembers. there they are. christian, muslims, buddhists alike lit candled and released purple balloons, one for each of the victims in this poignant ceremony. you know, no aviation disaster is easy to move on from, especially when you or your family member are on the plane.

the loved ones of those aboard malaysia flight 370 continue to hope for news, hoping for a miracle. he was aboard asiana flight 214 that crashed in san francisco. it is a day that haunts him still. i spoke to eugene and his daughter eunice about their advice for the families of flight 370. >> this is really awful, especially when you don't have a clue. you need to have a closure for you to move on. in my case, it was such a dramatic and severe experience that i wanted to overcome and move on with my life. and still, i mean, i had such a short moments of horrifying experiences, and still, that to me is so much scars that i had to deal with. but it's hard to imagine what

those families are going through without knowing, you know, what happened to their loved one. >> eunice, it was hours that you waited. this family has waited weeks now. there has been criticism of malaysia airlines, of some of the government official there's for not being sensitive enough. what could have helped you in that situation coming from officials or from the officials or from the airlines that you can offer that may be watching this to help those families? what kind of support can they give those families as they wait here not knowing? >> you know, at this point, like i said, when you lose complete sense of your mind and your normal life, the only thing you could really ask for is just human support, just human kindness. and just that humility. i think during a crisis, a lot of these airlines go into crisis management mode, and they're thinking legal things, they're thinking image so much out of what is really important. we're all human.

we have lost our loved ones. please help us and communicate was openly and be honest with us. just work with us. and at least then we can work together. because when asiana had happened, we were so disconnected from the airline that it made it so difficult for the families to even trust the airlines. and i think for the malaysian passengers and their families, it really breaks my heart even seeing footage of the passenger families mourning and grieving so much. and then on top of that, having malaysia act so inappropriately. and, you know, honestly, it's very saddening. and i can only imagine what they're feeling, especially because they are waiting days and days and days. and when you're waiting that long and you're hanging on to hope like that, it really just

takes so much life out of you. >> yeah, of course, the families want to hang on to hope. and it's not a criticism of the families. but i've heard psychologists say that they fear that the families are losing perspective here and are somewhat becoming delusional because they -- thinking that maybe the families are alive somewhere. but one can understand that, right? because you would hope against hope that your family member is alive. no matter how odd or unusual the scenario. either one of you can answer that. >> for me, you know, when i first heard about the malaysian airline, i want to tell the families to be strong, because evidence is going to tell you that there is no hope. people and professionals and experts are going to tell you. the media is going to tell you there is no hope. but as the daughter to my dad, if i were to put myself in their situation, i would just hold on to hope. and it's very, very difficult for me to say that to these families, especially now that seeing all the evidence and what's going on. but truthfully, you know, i would never give up on my dad. and if there was ever a moment when i didn't know if he was

okay, i would never stop. and for psychiatrists to say that families are delusional, they're supposed to be delusional. because this is such a tragic event that you can only be delusional at a time like this. >> you eugene, eunice has offered some advice and words of encouragement to the families. your final thoughts. >> well, eunice spoke well, which i totally agree with her. but i would like to add just one comment. i mean, for those malaysian officials and the airlines people. accidents happen. you know, saying sorry over and over again, it doesn't really help people. imagine their families involved in this crash. i don't know if they would act the way they have been treating the families of those passengers. i feel that there is some barriers in between which has to be, you know, i mean, break before any improvement in between.

and they all need support emotionally, of course. but mostly they need transparent reports from the malaysian officials, especially when the investigation, the officials owns the company, the airlines itself, it creates a lot of, i mean, uncertainties and doubt from families naturally and obviously, which they have to be really transparent. and, you know, care. >> make sure that you take part in our conversation as well. send us your questions for our panel of experts. use #370qs. and stay right there. some of your questions, going to get some answers, next. blend of fresh cheese ppeg and aged parmesan. it makes our lasagna a delicious centerpiece for this table

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each day brings new questions about the mystery of flight 370. we're answering questions with our panel of experts. remember, you can send your questions to @donlemon on twitter or #370qs. and here is michael kay, also les abend is a cnn analyst and

also a pilot himself. he flies a 777. and will ripley. you see him there in the water off of perth, australia. i'm going to ask this one. i'm going to ask the question to the pilot here. this is for les. so tower asks how many sorties out of his seat does each pilot get on a flight like this? how much sleep did the pilot or copilot get in the previous 24 hours? do you know that? >> as far as the malaysian crew is concerned? >> yeah. >> you know, this was the beginning of their trip. so, i mean, that was a discretionary thing on their part. but generally speaking on a layover, they're going to at least get 12 hours of rest. >> another question for. you can a -- this says have they looked at tapes from previous flights of the copilot to see if he has always signed off as "all right, good night." that's a great question. >> if they have, we don't have that information at this point in time. it's a great idea.

>> do you have any -- >> we don't know. >> i think it's a great question. >> it is absolutely a great question. >> so will ripley, as you're out there now, and we have this delay, and you're getting information that it's been delayed at least until 6:00 in the evening, and that's six hours more of a delay to get close to that pinger when the time is running out, any updates? >> yeah. we talked just now again with the folks who are kind of feeding us information. and what we're told is that later this afternoon, it looks like we're losing our shot a little bit. but the ocean shield behind the boat here, they're going to be conducting equipment tests here in coburn bay where we are right now. they're bringing the boat out, testing the equipment. we know they had some inspectors who wanted to make sure that the a-ping that lowers the tow ping locater into the water, the microphone that listens for the ping from the black box that. >> want to make sure that it

works properly, that it's welded properly that they can get that i didn't mean to safely down to the water. because when you're out in the indian ocean and things get treacherous, you want to make sure it all holds together and things work properly. they're testing to make sure things work all right. >> according to our experts here, that's what they should be doing. okay, michael kay, you have really been honing in on you want more radar, more satellite information. is that correct? >> i want more evidence to corroborate the track south. because that will then help us feed the assumptions on where it is. and i want to zone in on primary radar. works out to about 200 miles off the coast there is a huge area of radar right near banda aceh. >> what is the reason you're honing in on this so much? why is this so important? >> well, we don't have a lot of information. but the information we do have from the last transponder ping it head kind of west on altitude between 12,000 and 45,000. big flicking evidence. if it's gone that way and gone across the northern tip of

indonesia, it will go across a huge area of radar at banda aceh which is an indonesian radar site in the northern tip of sumatra. it will have seen something. and the question i have is the tide radar saw something. the malaysian radar saw something. primary radar doesn't indicate what it is. but there will be a trace on there. but the indonesians didn't. >> are you saying you want to look into this because do you believe we're searching in the wrong place and that northern track is still a possibility? is that what you're saying? >> it goes back to what i was saying. let's corroborate evidence to support the southern track. let's study data to eliminate the northern track. we can't put our eggs in one basket and assume it's gone south, unless we have eliminated every little bit of date that that can be an assumption of it going north. >> that may already have taken place. >> but radar would help with that. that's what i'm saying. >> and i think the altitude is important. because the altitude relates to speed.

if it's a lower altitude, it means a slower speed. i'm don lemon. thank you so much for joining us. make sure you stay tuned to cnn for any update on the search for flight 370. tune in 4:00 a.m. tomorrow early >> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. coming up this monday at the beginning of a new week, the search intensifies. australia's prime minister says there's no time limit in the hunt for malaysiana airlines flight 370. >> challenges are considerable, but let's not underestimate the good will. everyone wants to get to the bottom of this mystery. >> rising tensions. north and south korea trade artillery fire over a disputed sea border. no breakthrough. u.s. and r