There are still no signs of wreckage from the missing Malaysian passenger jet after a second day of intense searches over the vast waters of the Indian Ocean.
One pilot from New Zealand, Lieutenant Tim McAlevey, said he was disappointed but still hopeful searchers would find possible debris from the aircraft that was spotted by a satellite a few days ago.
"It's certainly disappointing and I've got every confidence that if there is an object there that we will find it and every time that we launch we hold that hope. However, we are just going to keep going until we find it.''
Five search planes were combing the remote area about 2,500 kilometers southwest of the western Australian city of Perth as part of an international effort to locate possible debris from the missing Boeing 777. The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared March 8 with 239 people aboard a planned flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The surveillance aircraft participating in the search include planes from Australia and New Zealand and one U.S. Navy plane.
Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said China plans to join the search Saturday, with Japan, Britain and France providing additional assistance. But he said more help is needed.
Australia released satellite imagery Thursday showing two large objects investigators say could be debris from the wreckage of the aircraft. One piece measured about 24 meters long and another five meters.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters his country is "throwing everything we've got" in an effort to find the plane.
"We have an Australian naval ship that is steaming as fast as it can to the area. It is an extremely remote part of the southern Indian Ocean. It is about 3,000 kilometers southwest of Perth. It's about the most inaccessible spot that you could imagine on the face of the earth, but if there is anything down there we will find it. We owe it to the families of those people to do no less."
Darkness, clouds and rain prevented rescue planes from seeing anything on Thursday, but pilots reported the weather was much better Friday.
Mr. Abbott also said he discussed the search efforts with Chinese President Xi Jingping, whom he described as "devastated," as two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese.
Investigators are not ruling out any possible causes, including catastrophic mechanical failure, terrorism or pilot suicide. They say it is possible that someone with aviation knowledge diverted the plane far off course.
Twenty-six nations have been hunting for the plane across an area covering more than 7 million square kilometers, from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean.
Some of the families of the missing passengers are extremely frustrated with the investigation, accusing Malaysian authorities of lying. Police forcibly carried out hysterical and sobbing relatives from a government briefing on Wednesday.
One pilot from New Zealand, Lieutenant Tim McAlevey, said he was disappointed but still hopeful searchers would find possible debris from the aircraft that was spotted by a satellite a few days ago.
"It's certainly disappointing and I've got every confidence that if there is an object there that we will find it and every time that we launch we hold that hope. However, we are just going to keep going until we find it.''
Five search planes were combing the remote area about 2,500 kilometers southwest of the western Australian city of Perth as part of an international effort to locate possible debris from the missing Boeing 777. The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared March 8 with 239 people aboard a planned flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
The surveillance aircraft participating in the search include planes from Australia and New Zealand and one U.S. Navy plane.
Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said China plans to join the search Saturday, with Japan, Britain and France providing additional assistance. But he said more help is needed.
Australia released satellite imagery Thursday showing two large objects investigators say could be debris from the wreckage of the aircraft. One piece measured about 24 meters long and another five meters.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters his country is "throwing everything we've got" in an effort to find the plane.
"We have an Australian naval ship that is steaming as fast as it can to the area. It is an extremely remote part of the southern Indian Ocean. It is about 3,000 kilometers southwest of Perth. It's about the most inaccessible spot that you could imagine on the face of the earth, but if there is anything down there we will find it. We owe it to the families of those people to do no less."
Darkness, clouds and rain prevented rescue planes from seeing anything on Thursday, but pilots reported the weather was much better Friday.
Mr. Abbott also said he discussed the search efforts with Chinese President Xi Jingping, whom he described as "devastated," as two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese.
Investigators are not ruling out any possible causes, including catastrophic mechanical failure, terrorism or pilot suicide. They say it is possible that someone with aviation knowledge diverted the plane far off course.
Twenty-six nations have been hunting for the plane across an area covering more than 7 million square kilometers, from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean.
Some of the families of the missing passengers are extremely frustrated with the investigation, accusing Malaysian authorities of lying. Police forcibly carried out hysterical and sobbing relatives from a government briefing on Wednesday.