1. Where would FN have been sitting in the aircraft? At least for one flight I remember the navigator being seated in the aft cabin --- aft of the cabin fuel tanks. The reference, as I recall, mentioned notes being passed to AE across the top of the fuel tanks. Would he have been in the aft cabin? If so this would have increased the likelihood that FN would have been injured and/or trapped as the result of a hard landing?
We need a FAQ for this, if it doesn't exist already. I don't have the energy to compose one today.
Please distinguish carefully between
the first and second round-the world attempts.In the first, the navigator had to work from the navigator's station in the back because there was a four-person crew from California to Hawaii and a three-person crew on the
failed takeoff from Lae. The airframe was repaired and
reconfigured for the second attempt by Earhart and Noonan alone.
From
the Forum Archives:Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 09:25:44 EDT
From: Barbara Wiley
Subject: Noonan in cockpit
There was no room in the cockpit for Noonan. His area was in the back of the fuselage situated behind extra fuel tanks having been installed for greater fuel capacity. The "fishing pole" message system, whereby Noonan and AE communicated with written notes was necessary due to the limited space in the Electra.
When you say, "Noonan....'most of the time in the cockpit'...", I do not understand?
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From Ric
The idea that Noonan rode only in the back and communicated via the "fishing pole" system is myth.
There are numerous references in Last Flight to Fred being in the cockpit. For example: In the "Dakar" chapter, " (A)s we munched (peanuts) Fred and I might have been in the bleachers of a ball-game back home, instead of in the cockpit of a plane spanning remote deserts."
Sequential photos taken of AE and FN boarding the plane in San Juan, exiting the plane in Lae, and film of boarding the plane for the last takeoff in Lae, all show them both using the forward hatch. Fred always climbs in first and exits after AE.
2. Was it possible to move from the co-pilot's seat to the navigator's table in the aft fuselage? If so what kind of contortions would have been required?
Yes, it was possible. Going from front to back was necessary to access the toilet. There was an autopilot on board, but I doubt that AE
would have left the front cockpit empty while taking a break to answer nature's call. [Yes, I'm speculating; no, I don't have any evidence to back up this speculation.] Noonan held a
pilot's license. Even though he was not certified to fly the Electra solo, it seems reasonable
to me that he
would have monitored the flight while AE was in the lav or otherwise taking a break in the back of the plane.
5. Do the drawings exist that were used to modify the interior cabin of the Electra? I'm thinking specifically those that installed the navigator's table, the seat and the fuel tanks. If available they could help us understand whether or not these structures could be expected to remain intact after a hard landing.
The
Harney drawings are your best point-of-departure for answering questions like that. I don't have a set yet and doubt that I could read them very intelligently even if I did. Once you've examined them, then you could ask about his sources ...