The mind of a conspiracy theorist is a awesome thing to behold.
There's just one tiny problem that I can see with the "PBY wing match photo" posted here: http://i.imgur.com/fqipchg.jpg - it shows the lines of rivet holes perpendicular to the long axis of The Putative Patch. The rivet holes on 2-2-V-1 are parallel to the long axis of The Patch. You can't tell anything about the rivet spacing from that photo, either.
Which would seem, to me, to demolish or at least put a serious crimp in the "It came from a PBY" argument.
LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP
No, the orientation is correct, Monty. Note where the much celebrated 'tab' is placed - at the "bottom" of the patch as we've envisioned it on the Electra as the stiffener orientation supports. I believe it is merely the oblique view - looking rather flatly onto the wing, that causes the illusion of a 90 degree shift in axis (short / long axes swapped).
That said,
how was this visual scaled to the PBY structure? I studied a PBY carefully in Dayton, and my belief is that the
actual row spacing is too wide for a fit to 2-2-V-1. Are we looking at an accurate mylar or similar of 2-2-V-1 laid onto this wing?
Another observation - where is the 'double rivet row' on this area of the PBY that we'd expect to see along the 5/32" / tab edge of 2-2-V-1, as it is placed in this photo? Does the 'aft row' (which would correspond to 'our' bottom row) match to the failure edge? Are those 5/32" rivets along that single row? Is there some feature that would explain the tab (as we have before us as a question as well)?
We have seen a reasonable, if not perfect, candidate for that on the Electra - there does happen to exist a double/staggered row in 'the right place'; I do not see it in this area of the PBY - but perhaps some of those questions could be explored.
Is there a more direct view of this overlay on the PBY, perhaps looking straight down? Someone had to go out there to lay on this overlay, unless it was 'shopped' somehow (that's not an accusation, it is merely wondering how done); if so, surely there are more pictures?
Now,
that said, and as said before, I did
not examine the upper surfaces of any airframe to speak of, save the B-17 'The Swoose', whose wings did give access to check the waffle-backed areas of the outer panels that were once suggested by Mark Pearce. That was actually an interesting candidate, but the spacing of the rows did not come close to what would have been dictated by the waffle plating underneath (see picture "SAM_2478.jpg" below, especially).
I remain grateful to Mark, by the way, for bringing that structural feature to my attention - it was an eye-opener as to one method Boeing used to make those birds so battle worthy.
But other than 'Swoose's' wings lying on mattresses, we were not provided with that level of access, so I would never claim we examined all the aluminum acreage present in Dayton - but we did take an impressive sampling away.
Interesting view, but only as a concept for now as I see it. Until someone could properly scale this it means nothing. All that is needed is an accurate overlay view and it could be proven, or disproven.
2-2-V-1 is also unpainted. Were the PBYs unpainted in this area? That's another attribute to consider.
More needs to be done by whomever is trying to make a point of fitting 2-2-V-1 to the PBY. Before I am attacked for shirking that 'responsibility' by those who would toss this on the kitchen wall, I'll have to say that I am fresh out of road time for now after that trip to Dayton, so while I am very open to any real analysis, I am not going to take the bait to go after that for the sake of another who wishes to make the point...
But I am all for it.
I am not super confident that a fit will be found, but by my pictures of the lower surface of the PBY's wing, it does appear to me that there are some marked differences atop the wing by comparison. You never really know until you really,
really look.
Meanwhile, no doubt this will stir the souls and pens of those who tend to proclaim us as less than thorough and merely sensational in the quest to point out just how wrong we are to be looking where we look...
Enjoy the pix... and the birdshit is 'on me', or was. All tne more reason for the next guy to go climbing around on an old PBY, it would be a bit much for the ol' asthma right now.