Busy time for Project Amelia Earhart flyer

In 1987, Thomas Devine published a well documented book (Eyewitness. The Amelia Earhart Incident) regarding his experience as a Sergeant stationed on Saipan in 1944.

In his book he claims to have seen Amelia's plane on the island, copied down the tail number, and later witnessed it when it was burned by our own government.

He also relates that many locals at the time described seeing Noonan and Amelia on the island as prisoners of the Japanese, their later execution, and their burial in a local grave.
Strange that with all of the hubbub now, no one seems to recall this 30 year old publication.

 

As they say, by analogy...

"Every generation gets the version of Elvis they deserve..."

Hey, why confuse the narrative of history with the facts?

https://earharttruth.wordpress.com/...ne-amelia-was-so-beautiful-and-fine-a-person/

 

I like that quote. Never heard it before!
Maybe applies to the drive-by media? Just asking, that's all. hehehe

 

Project Amelia Earhart honors pioneering aviators.
It involves ham radio in an interesting endeavor.
It stimulates public interest in general aviation, history, and ham radio.

Commemoration of the 80th year since the Earhart flight has brought the historic event to the fore.

The sensationalized "History Channel Earhart photo" is not associated with the Project Amelia Earhart flights.

 

Don't see how AE and Noonan could have possibly gotten to a Japanese held island. They took off from New Guinea and were heading NE. That was 2224 nautical miles on a bearing of 45 degrees true. To reach the Japanese held Marshalls they would have been on a heading of roughly 30 degrees--absurdly off course. A spying mission would have been pointless as they wouldn't have had enough gas to then get to Howland. Rosalind Russell played her as a captured spy in a 1943 movie but that was Hollywood. Saipan of course is due north and that would have made even less sense. My guess is they just missed the island and ended up in the drink. Earhart was brave but sloppy in her radio work. Also, there confusion about the frequencies being used with the ship waiting for her and the trailing wire antenna that might have made all the difference had been removed after the Honolulu crash.

I worked with Kathleen Winters on her book about AE (we were in the same flying club and she needed some radio info) and while I have huge respect for Earhart she did cut a few corners. Her husband pushed her into this flight as they needed the money. It was just too big a stretch.

 

The AE TV show mixed great evidence with crap. Why is it people can't get it right?

Showing the illegal 3.1 MHz transmission from the Marshall Islands was the low point of the documentary. Then showing a ham at the other end-- shame!

 

Which brings up a question I was going to ask. Where did she get the money? The gas cost must have
been a bunch.

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

The trip was funded by a number of sources, mostly Purdue University.

 

Right, Nathan is correct about Purdue since the flight was billed in part as a "science experiment." She stayed in the public eye, giving a tremendous number of speaking engagements, did autographs, wrote books which her publisher husband (Putnam) pushed, and networked with wealthy people. Her contacts with Eleanor Roosevelt certainly helped her with at least semi-official status (hence the standby ship), but she was well known, having received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Some of the fundraising was a bit marginal, notably the rare overprinted stamp Mexico issued (http://stampselector.blogspot.com/2010/08/stamp-investment-tip-mexico-1935-amelia.html). Selling philatelic souvenirs of flights was common--I have an envelope Lindbergh carried in 1928, and so many were made that it is very inexpensive (https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=7903). But the small printing of a stamp is something else again and created a lot of controversy.

 

The TV documentary says they were blown off course beyond Howland and then turned back straight-- west-- to ditch. Apparently, the records show she did have enough gas to do this, and ditched in Milli, in the Marshalls. The three USG archive records document landing and hostile Japanese recovery in the Marshalls. So either these documents are lies or are incorrectly informed. OR--they are correct. They were previously classified.

There was a cowling piece from an aluminum plane of the era found in Milli, along with railroad track wheels for transport (presumably)of the plane into the lagoon, where it was barged. Landing was on rough cobblestone like coral, which is still readily apparent, from the video, except at high tide.

 

882 statute miles? Maybe under ideal conditions. This article says no, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...howland-island-amelia-earhart-royal-air-force There is a lot of WW2 wreckage around Mili so pinpointing her plane among all of it could be difficult, and wheels can be used for transporting many things. It's possible, but what particularly bothers me is no Japanese records. Even if they were destroyed it seems somebody who knew about it (not just a native who maybe saw Caucasians) would have talked. But we don't know. Fascinating mystery though, and like Nungesser and Coli's flight we may never have an answer.

 

I am not going to defend someone elses work-- all your concerns are compellingly addressed in that tv show.

 

My grandfather was born in the same year as A.E., 1897. He followed her exploits with great interest because was a very interested in geography, (as I am) was a technical oriented person and newspaper owner in Yonkers, NY.

He told me once that she had what was called a type A personality, someone willing to risk life and limb so as to feel like he/she were really living. He was not a type A as I'm not also.

He also told me that the world would always focus on the tragedy as amongst other reasons she, her copilot and airplane were still missing, no closure for the people that loved and admired her.

I personally would like to see a retired U.S. Navy Capt. Bob Ballard-RMS Titanic professional type of search be conducted to find her airplane, if it indeed ditched in the south Pacific Ocean. But of course that would cost millions of $$$ and just think of the great number of other airplanes are at the bottom of the ocean in that region due to WW2.

I worked at the U.S. Coast Guard Oceanographic Unit in Washington, D.C. in the late 1970's and met Mr. Ballard when he stopped by for a visit. At the time the USCG had a very large and very active physical oceanography research program. Amongst many things one area of research that we coducted was on the thermocline that Soviet subs could hide under.

 

Why are you looking for a dialogue on this? I respectfully and cordially pointed you to the SOURCE, and instead you go to a DERIVATIVE summary.

Poor form. I don't have any interest in discussing secondary opinions when source info is readily at hand.

Conversation--ended. Your response attempts to marginalize my assistance to you. Done.

 

The photo at Jaluit Island, that the History Channel made such a big deal about, was published in a Japanese book in 1935.
That travel book publication pre-dates Amelia Earhart's flight.
Therefore, the photo is not Earhart. Not Noonan. Not Earhart's plane.

http://www.flyingmag.com/history-channels-amelia-earhart-story-quickly-unravels

More information about the Jaluit photograph:

http://projectameliaearhart.org/jaluit_island_harbor_dock_photo_in_japanese_1935_book/