Ongoing search for Amelia Earhart

Gillespe said that she disappeared off Radar? In 1937? She was able to maintain radio contact because there was enough fuel in the tanks to keep an engine running. This is a stretch for me.

 

Bob- First gasoline powered radio. Most use the battery.

 

I was thinking more on the lines of damage to both engines and props if she made a rough landing as they say "half on land and half in the water". I know that Radar was in the development stages before the war but I doubt that there were tracking stations that far out in the Pacific at that time.

 

Bob- Personally, I think way too much money and time has been wasted on the search.

I agree on the radar. Most of it was highly classified before the war and nobody would have wanted a system on an island in the 30s where it could have been exploited. Just on military installations, if even then.

 

John- Always wondered how that worked.

 

For what its worth, that was a great presentation. I guess they are heading out summer 2017? I love good ol fashioned mysteries like Oak Island etc. Who knows, they might find wreckage.

The partial crash landing is plausible IMHO. Ive flown to Majuro, Wake Island Christmas (Kiritimati) Island, Johnston Atol, every island has something to offer as far as surviving a landing. Im guessing it touched down below 100kts?

 

Zoomed a satellite view into Majuro to check it out.. fascinating to see how they fit a runway into the tiny sliver of land available..

https://goo.gl/maps/1yMq9dKZoCs

 

Yup, Im sure there was a little excavating along the way. Johnston Atoll was the coolest by far during the day. They gave you a class on the red light system and a gas mask upon arrival. Something about chemical disposal incinerator bla bla bla.

 

My last visit to Johnston Island was August 1958 when two separate 3.8 megaton nuclear bursts were set off, one at 250,000 feet and the other at 141,000 feet, both generated huge EMP disrupting Pacific wide aircraft communications and incredible light shows. Sorry for the off topic hi-jack.

Best regards,

Robert

 

Agree on searching for the site of the termination of the flight. After chatting at length with Paul Mantz long before all this started,I see no profit in going through so much effort and time and money. As I mentioned before, his impressions of Earhardt as a pilot with good judgement were not favorable to a successful flight. She rejected most of his advice and was prone to improvising on what was happening.

 

How did you get permission for there? Would be interesting as long as wasn't contaminated..

I see permit required according to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnston_Atoll

Incredible..

I believe it's ok to visit Bikini Atoll.. one of my long term "to-do" is to land a seaplane and have a swim at ground zero of the Castle Bravo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Bravo site https://goo.gl/maps/oSB22KA41PJ2

 

Therefore one assumes the engine had a generator hanging on the side of it like every car back then.

The problem is the wreckage, or pieces of it would surely have long since washed away, broken up and now rusted away.
Pete

 

Man I thought this was over. I saw a documentary a few years ago where wreckage was found on a beach with clothing and items that would be period correct, some kind of broadcasts were heard by the navy I believe and they had figured she survived... and as far as I could tell the mystery was solved then.

 

Agree. It really is one of a few remaining really great mysteries. The presentation is very good and explains the radio issue very well if one bothers to listen carefully. Their hypothesis is sound and I admire them for continuing to test it.

 

I think Amelia had a hand in her own demise and most people don't want to admit it.

When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

 

One big thing they did not mention in the presentation is that they ditched the trailing antenna prior to this leg. Trying to save weight. Affected communications.

 

If I remember correctly, the decision to omit the trailing Low Frequency Radio antenna was another bad move and hobbled her ability to communicate. As far as wreckage recovery, after 81 years of exposure to salt water and/or salt air there would be little or nothing left of the aluminum. Steel parts would be pretty much rusted away or buried in the sand if it was on a reef or shoreline. Interesting to try to find the evidence but it is a waste of time and money if it doesn't solve anything.

 

And if it solves something?

 

I am amazed that people are willing to devote so much time and money to this...

 

Maybe they can look for MH370 while their at it