Can someone explain this to me please?
John Delsing says, "I since have found out that you can’t run a LOP of 337 from the Howland vicinity and hit Gardner, at least mot at that time of day they were there." That may be true but it is also immaterial to TIGHAR's hypothesis. Noonan clearly did get a 157 337 LOP and Earhart was clearly running on that line when last heard from by Itasca. If you are south of Howland on a 157 337 LOP and you dead-reckon down the line, you will come within sight of Gardner. That's the most plausible explanation but no one will ever know for sure how they got to Gardner. All that matters is that they do seem to have gotten there.
I understand the concept but John Delsing's statement seems to be a contradition to me -
I surely agree that a 'sun line' shifts with time, yes - but a 'LOP' taken from a sun line taken at a given time of day and laid down across the earth / a chart remains defined and fixed: 157 / 337 through Howland remains that once drawn on a chart; a pilot may follow it by dead reckoning and well come very close to Gardner / Niku if far enough south / southeast 'on the line' from Howland.