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Amelia Earhart Search Forum => News, Views, Books, Archival Data & Interviews on AE => Topic started by: Randy Reid on June 06, 2012, 12:51:10 AM

Title: Electra Photos
Post by: Randy Reid on June 06, 2012, 12:51:10 AM
anybody know if these two photos are on the TIGHAR site?

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98501403/ (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98501403/)
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97518040/ (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97518040/)

One looks like it shows some of the aux tank plumbing and the other claims to show a morse key. Was this key in place for the world flight second attempt?
Just curious but not enough to order copies at $40 each.

Randy
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: richie conroy on June 06, 2012, 03:54:42 AM
yer we got them on website in forums

they are only copies anyway...

there is some good electra photo's in, fuel system research on page 4 of forums
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Tom Swearengen on June 06, 2012, 05:45:02 AM
Here's one-----I dont actually recall seeing late pictures of the Electra with Red painted wing leading edges. Jeff Nevill and I discussed this in DC, after seeing the 'red' aluminum strip in the artifact display.
He pictures Ive seen of the electra during its stops in the flight dont appear to show a red leading edge. It also isnt apparent in the Luke Field pictures, but was we know it was repaired anyway.
Ideas?
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Bruce Thomas on June 06, 2012, 07:02:58 AM
Here's one-----I dont actually recall seeing late pictures of the Electra with Red painted wing leading edges. ... It also isnt apparent in the Luke Field pictures, but was we know it was repaired anyway.

Black and white pictures camouflage a lot of detail, Tom.  I recall my disbelief when I first encountered the fact of the use of the red/orange highlights on AE's airplane.  I had never gotten the impression of a paintjob from any of the B&W photos.  (Are there any color photos of the airplane?)

When I look at the crash picture (http://tighar.org/wiki/File:Luke_Field_March_20,_1937_Hawaii_Aviation.jpg) in the Ameliapedia article on NR16020 (http://tighar.org/wiki/NR16020), the section of the leading edge of the right wing sure looks to be coated and not bare aluminum.  Similarly, looking at the B&W picture of the plane in the hangar (http://tighar.org/wiki/File:Wheeler_Field,_Mar_19,_1937_Hawaii_Aviation.jpg) before the crash, I discern that the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer is painted. 
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Tom Swearengen on June 06, 2012, 07:21:45 AM
YEP youre right Bruce----I did find a couple of pics during the final flight ( not Luke Field) taken in India & Bandoeng, and they do show a darker (red?) leading edge. So---it is 'possible' that the flush rivited 'red' piece of aluminum we saw in the artifacts display is a trim piece for a leading edge.
Good call!
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Randy Reid on June 06, 2012, 08:58:20 AM
Thanks Richey,
found the tanks but not the morse key yet. will keep looking
Randy
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Tom Swearengen on June 06, 2012, 09:19:42 AM
Randy---did she leave the Morse key behind? I know at one time that was speculated. I'm not sure. Guess if we find it in the fuselege  ;D she had it
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Randy Reid on June 06, 2012, 09:49:03 AM
Tom,
IIRC, somewhere I read that the morse key was removed for the second attempt but don't know where I read that. It could have been speculation on someones part as AE's radio operator was not on board and it might have been his equipment. Lighten the load don't you know.  And Richey, I did find the morse key pic. Thanks again. The caption on the photo kept by the library of congress said something to the effect that Earhart sent out a distress message with this equipment???? Newspaper article though so not reliable.
Along with many others, I tend to discount the post loss messages from Earhart, but who really knows?
Randy
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Irvine John Donald on June 06, 2012, 05:54:55 PM
It's in the forum somewhere but she had no morse key with her. Neither AE nor FN were proficient with morse so it was left behind.
Title: Re: Electra Photos
Post by: Bruce Thomas on June 06, 2012, 06:09:47 PM
It's in the forum somewhere but she had no morse key with her. Neither AE nor FN were proficient with morse so it was left behind.

Start by reading the entry in Ameliapedia about the morse code key (http://tighar.org/wiki/Morse_code_key_questions).