The more I dig into this the more I think it might actually be a good path of research. Unfortunately a trip to Miami does not fit into my retirement pay budget. But there are some interesting connections and questions that arise:
1. Why did AE chose Miami Municipal over the Pan AM (36th street) airport? With Pan AM (1932) and Eastern (1935) relocating there it was the focus of aviation in Miami at that time and Muni was declining. Was it because of the Pitcairn operation there? Did it have anything to do with National establishing operations there while transitioning at the same time to Electras? What was the relationship between National, Pitcairn, and the city of Miami Port Authority at that time? My expectation would be that National would need some advance support to set up and it appears they were operating there well before the official establishment of operations in Jul 1937. Who supported them?
2. Why I think this may be a good lead has to do with who supported Bo doing the patch work and any other work during the layover? Certainly he did not do it all alone. While it would not have been newsworthy to the news papers, a mechanic who worked on AE's airplane would have been something of a local celebrity in the A&P community after she disappeared. Given the comings and goings, forming and changing, commercial aviation business at the time, I assume they knew each other fairly well and worked for different companies over this timeframe. Who better to consult, or maybe even hire, for a school formed two years after her disappearance? Who, and what, would he have told about his experience working on the famous aircraft? Who might have written it down? If they did, where would such a record be located?
A long shot I know but thought I would pass it on. And before Monty jumps in on me with his boots-on-the-ground money speech, as I said, it doesn't fit into my retirement pay budget. If it did, before I would contribute for someone else to go, I would go myself. There are contacts for the school on their website who I may contact, but I am hesitant to go far with that if I am unable to follow up in person.