As a highly modified Electra 10E, I assure you there was not another equipped like her in the world. Lets find the new Britain wreckage and look in the fuselege for the extra fuel tank plumbing. Thats a start.
Tom
Hello Tom
If you read my last post closely you will see where I said
The Earhart Electra has the early type cowl with the prominent set of rivets near the inner lip as does, it is claimed, the New Britain wreck. But as the New Britain wreck has not been located then at present we cannot say for certain that the recollections of the members of the Australian military patrol that found it are correct (something I told Billings which met with the same reaction as my questions here - everyone is a little partisan ) as neither can we say until a wreck is located somewhere around Nikumaroro if that claim is correct. I am quite neutral in the matter.The final sentence in that is the key to how I feel
vis a vis the four relatively sane hypotheses regarding Earhart and Noonan's disappearance. As in the discussion of the Nikumaroro hypothesis I can only work from what has been published as supporting evidence. Also because I am quite neutral in the matter I prefer to judge each on its merits. Currently, as I have said, conclusive evidence has not been found to give any single hypothesis the checkered flag. And because my obviously irritating neutrality and desire to assess the evidence as rigorously as I can (and that is not perfect I assure you
) seems to provoke some strong reactions then I also am trying not to encourage those because in the end they are of no value.
I have engaged Mr Billings elsewhere in questions regarding the East New Britain hypothesis. I was as rigorous, or downright irritating (take your pick
) as I have appeared to be here. I have no intention of discussing that conversation here as that would be both impolite and seen by many, quite rightly, to be self-serving rather than germane. All I will say is that I wish someone would find the particular wreckage noted by the Australian patrol - that would provide an answer either way.
Regarding the Gilberts hypothesis, it also has strong attractions including the Vidal statement to support it, not to mention that as a larger group of islands it would make a good target. Quite possibly Earhart and Noonan could have come down down somewhere there - it is a vast ocean, and there are many small islands.
I have read Gary's arguments concerning the navigation problems and putative distances flown. But again there is nothing except informed conjecture to support them. Frankly I do not think we know enough about the final flight and what was happening in the aircraft to make any firm conclusions about at what point they may have turned back, if indeed they did. However lack of evidence proves nothing, but hard evidence proves everything so like everyone I hope that TIGHAR can put the mystery to rest this year.
Regards
Malcolm