OT- they are back out looking for Amelia

Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration
Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: OT- they are back out looking for Amelia
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Leming on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 09:23 am:

The company TIGHAR is back at Nikamororo looking for Amelia's plane for the next 8 days - this should be interesting!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 10:52 am:

My friend, Pat Macha, www.AircraftWrecks.com is very skeptical they will find anything.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 11:12 am:

The Discovery Channel and History Channel (and a few others) keep investigating and coming up with new theories about the "true cause" of the sinking of the Titanic. I shake my head and wonder why so many well-educated individuals can't wrap their heads around the simple fact that an iceberg pierced the hull and that's how the water got inside.

In the same way, there is a fascination with the "mystery" of Amelia Earhart's disappearance. She was an accident-prone daredevil who took big risks to set records and her around-the-world trek was fraught with the standard, weather and range-related hazards involved in extremely long, over-water flights in small aircraft. There's no shortage of historians who believe, with all their hearts, that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, made landfall somewhere and either lived as castaways, were captured and executed by the Japanese or became the victim of headhunters or aliens from outer space or hitched a ride with some friendly time-travelers. Sometimes, the simplest explanation makes the most sense and most people familiar with airplanes believe Earhart's Lockheed Electra went into the Pacific Ocean because of navigational error resulting in fuel exhaustion—as would be indicated by her final, plaintive radio transmissions which included: "KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you but cannot see you... gas is running low..."

You can find a transcript of the radio log here:

http://searchforamelia.org/radio-call-log


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 02:55 pm:

You know,I just cant for the life of me understand how some one could look at a decent map,and see just how big the ocean is,and then think "Oh,let me git in this little aeroplane here and fly over there".
I can only imagine how lonely it got flying out over open pacific ocean,no body in sight then,look at the gas gauge and see ye didnt have enough to make it anywhere.Can you picture in your mind the feeling that went thru her stomach as that big engine sputtered for the last time and the propeller stopped,with nothing but Water,water,and more water underneath?Had to be rough.Then if she didnt die on impact with the water,just floating out there for hours,days,whatever,with sharks swimming around? I would be willing to bet she was thinking,"Boy,I wish I had enough sense to have stayed home".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 03:29 pm:

I think the evidence is pretty overwhelming that one or both of them made it to the atoll and lived for at least several days if not for some weeks.

I find it all rather fascinating.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Garnet on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 06:16 pm:

It's already been reported that they've already found women's cosmetic items which match those known to be carried by Amelia. A skull and some bones had previously been found on the same island but now the bones are lost.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 07:01 pm:

Rick,

I found a plane wreckage east of Edwards air force base in California. The wreck is located on the western edge of Cuddeback dry lake. Which is five miles east of highway 395 and Cuddeback lake rd. (really a dirt road).

I have a spar and a hydraulic solenoid valve that I recovered. Can't find any info on this plane.

Ask your friend if he knows anything in this area. I'm real curious to what it is. I suspect a jet of some sort due to the types of materials I found at the crash site.

Philip


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 08:30 pm:

Philip, when I lived on Edwards as a kid, my Dad and I used to tool around the desert on his little Honda. You'd be amazed what we came across, plane wreckage, weather and scientific mylar balloons with hardware still attached, cars out there miles from nowhere. This was in the early 70s. At least a few of the cars were of running board vintage.

As I recall, most of our exploration was more on the western side of Edwards, away from Rogers DL but it's been a long time and I was a wee lad.

I loved it as a kid. Still love the desert. Oregon is 2/3 desert and we make it a point to get out there at least a couple times a year.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 08:34 pm:

There are hundreds of wrecks in the Mojave area, Philip. Are there any numbers of any kind on the parts you have?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Stokes on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 08:37 pm:

I heard these searchers interviewed on the radio - they have clearly done their research and there is a lot of circumstantial evidence supporting the claim that this is where they ended up. It would be marvellous if this mystery could be solved.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dale L Myers on Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 08:44 pm:

I wish them luck,but I don't see how they can find a plane in the Pacific Ocean if they can't find a B-25 bomber that landed in a river near Pittsburgh in 1956 in front of "hundreds of witnesses".
http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/transportation/a/b25_bomber.htm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 02:24 pm:

I thought this might have wider interest than just to Philip, so posting here instead of PM.

"Ralph,

I’ve visited a P-38 (middle of lakebed) and an F-104C on Cuddeback Dry Lake proper, and I’ve been to an F-105 east of the lake. There two other F-104’s off the lake bed, one is west and the other is SW of the lake bed. There’s a T-33A I’ve been to at a small playa west of Cuddeback.

I’d sure like to see what that spar looks like, but if it was at the north end of the lake it’s F-104, and if it is at the “west edge” that could be another F-104 too.

Thanks, Pat"

BTW, Pat is an Aircraft Archaeologist, and believes in taking only enough parts to identify the plane, and the event. A crash site is often the final resting place for people. Don't feel bad about what you've taken, however, Philip. It happens all the time.

The F-104 was a real killer, and some outspoken pilots refused to fly it. You had to be inverted to bail out of the early ones, which didn't work real good just after takeoff.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 03:08 pm:

It looks like it must be one of the F-104's. The wreck is about 1/8" mile south of Cuddeback Lake Rd. as you enter the dry lake. It's located on the western edge where the lake meets the desert.

The last time I camped (Thanksgiving 2011) at the lake we camped about 500 feet from the wreckage. There is a old trail/path that splits the site in two.

Here's the solenoid valve I found.




Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 08:48 pm:

Ralph, I was in the Air Force when the F-104's were around. We were training German Air Force pilots to fly them when I was stationed at Luke Air Base in Phoenix back in 68. There was a reason why they were called "A missile with a man in it". Those little 7 foot wings didn't have much in the way lift to them. They had the glide path of a cannon ball if the engine flamed out. That first series (downward firing) ejection seat could be pretty rough on Crew Chiefs if they accidentally tripped them sitting on the taxiway.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 10:20 pm:

When I was in Army in Germany in '66-67, the Stars & Stripes had about one report a week of another German auguring in with an F-104.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 10:45 pm:

Dennis, from my Air Force days, I recall the phrase "...glides like a typewriter." Don't recall now what it referred to then.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Sunday, July 15, 2012 - 10:48 pm:

Wow,thanks for the laugh there,glides like a typewriter.Wow.Is that a way of saying it is clumsy in the sky?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 06:29 am:

No Mack, when it was under power it was agile, nasty little Devil but if you lost that engine, it was 'Eject, Eject, Eject!' because you were going down in a hurry.
Hey Ralph, I don't imagine it was unusual to see 'Iron Crosses' on 'Luftwaffe' aircraft being stationed in Germany but it was a little odd in Arizona. I'm surprised that a few of the old WW2 fly boys that were still serving there back in the 60's didn't shoot one of them down by accident.
Germany was said to be great duty, that's where I wanted to go but the Air Force sent me to Viet Nam instead. :-( I spent 21 months of my 4 years in the Air Force in Southeast Asia and a year of that was in in Viet Nam.
When you add up the basic training, the 18 months in Tech School and the 21 months I spent in Asia, I only served 4 1/2 months on active duty stateside.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 08:40 am:

Take a look at Cuddeback Lake, CA on www.maps.google.com on the 5 mile range. The colors of the mountains are impressive. Rare earth metals come from a mine somewhere in that range.

Yes, Dennis, I was just very lucky to get assigned Nike Hercules missiles as a draftee, as there were no Hercs in SE Asia. I love to joke about all young men from that era being either draftees, or draft dodgers, most joining the AF, Army or even Marines to dodge the draft...

That said, I have no disrespect for how any young man of that era responded to the draft, except for those who have sent others to die in later wars. There were no good choices. A friend and poster to this Forum had it all arranged to flee to Canada, but was 4F due to a spinal problem.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Monday, July 16, 2012 - 04:50 pm:

Ralph, I joined the Air Force in 64 'to free the world from the Red menace like John Wayne told me to do'. I got out in 68 with a little different outlook on life. Actually, my LA canyon racing Butt was on it's way to jail if I didn't join the military. Those were the 2 options given to me.
I've been involved in aviation since I was born. I never considered going into anything but the Air Force. My dad was Navy Air in WW2 and a crop duster after the war. He was killed in a crop duster accident in 52.


Both my parents were Officers in the Civil Air Patrol. When I was 7 years old I used to spend my time at the Civil Air Patrol meetings playing in a Link Trainer. :-)
That's my (late) mom in the dark flight suit.


Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.
Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration