Book Update

[Ric Gillespie]

Thanks to tremendous support from the TIGHAR Literary Guild, we delivered the manuscript for One More Good Flight - The Amelia Earhart Tragedy to the Naval Institute Press on schedule on December 1, 2021. It was an important first step but there is still much to be done before the book is ready for production.
While the text-only manuscript is being reviewed by a reader assigned by the publisher, we're working on what will become the final manuscript complete with photos, maps, and all the supporting material needed for a scholarly work: acknowledgments, end notes, list of abbreviations, bibliography, cast of characters, etc. Creating the index comes last. Marketing considerations such as cover design and endorsements (aka blurbs) for the dust jacket will be addressed when the finalized book goes to the production phase.

TIGHAR's thirty-four year investigation of the Earhart tragedy produced a mountain of documented facts, many of them previously unknown. When the truth is known, the mystery disappears, but few would read a dry recitation. The challenge is to present the facts, cited to accepted academic standards, in an engaging and entertaining narrative.

In the firm belief that good history should be accessible and (dare we say) fun, One More Good Flight presents TIGHAR's findings in forty-five chapters divided into six sequential episodes:

The true story of how Earhart acquired the airplane in which she met her fate.
The preparations for her first world flight attempt and the actual cause of the accident in Hawaii that ended it.
Her second world flight attempt up to her departure from New Guinea for the ill-fated flight to Howland Island.
The story of Earhart's disappearance, the Navy and Coast Guard's failed search, and her death as a castaway on Gardner Island.
The story of how events following her death shaped her legend - the government's refusal to release damning reports, the botched and forgotten British discovery of her remains in 1940, Japanese Capture conspiracy allegations and Crashed-and-Sank push-back.
The origins, key discoveries, and lessons of TIGHAR's investigation, and a fact-based assessment of Amelia Earhart's true legacy.

As we move forward toward publication, we'll keep you informed and welcome your opinions and suggestions about how best to promote the book. We will, of course, continue to accept contributions to the Literary Guild and thank Guild members with a signed copy when the book is published.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Thanks to tremendous support from the TIGHAR Literary Guild, we delivered the manuscript for One More Good Flight - The Amelia Earhart Tragedy to the Naval Institute Press on schedule on December 1, 2021.

I'll bet that "2021" is a typo.


Congratulations on completing the manuscript! 

[Jeff Lange]

Nice catch Marty! ;)

[Ric Gillespie]

I'll bet that "2021" is a typo.

You win that bet.

[Roland Young]

Very excited for this, as this is the kind of collection and preservation of this history that is so important to me. I'm thankful it will be available for the eyes & minds of future generations.

[Greg Daspit]

I'm reading the book now and have questions about Earhart's plan for direction finding related to the Itasca in the 0720GMT, June 26th message:
    " Itasca transmit letter A, position, own call letters, as above on half hour at 7.5 MHz. Position ships and our leaving will determine broadcast times specifically. If frequencies mentioned unsuitable night work inform me at Lae. I will give long call by voice 3105 kHz quarter after hour, possible quarter to"

Earhart homing in on 7.5 MHz signals sent by Itasca is clear, though I also understand after reading the book that frequency was out of her DF capability.
But does her stating she will give "long call by voice 3105 kHz" also mean she wants the CG to use a high frequency DF to home in on her?
Are the  "whistling" or high pitch sounds she was making the "long call" and if so, why would the radiomen be surprised by this or not know this was part of the original plan?

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Earhart homing in on 7.5 MHz signals sent by Itasca is clear, though I also understand after reading the book that frequency was out of her DF capability.

Yes, exactly. She seems not to have known the requirements of her system.

1930 GMT 0800 Howland on 3105 logged by Itasca

Bellarts states:

"KHAQQ clng Itasca we recd ur sigs but unable to get a minimum pse take bearing on us and ans 3105 wid voice / NRUI de KHAQQ lng dashes on 3105."

Black and Thompson state essentially the same information.

The Itasca bridge log states: "Plane reported receiving our signals but unable to get a minimum for a bearing; good reception."

Earhart says she received the 7500 kHz signals, but could not obtain a bearing on them. She asks Itasca to please take a bearing on her, and answer with 3105 kHz with voice. She then sends a series of long dashes on 3105 kHz.

But does her stating she will give "long call by voice 3105 kHz" also mean she wants the CG to use a high frequency DF to home in on her?

Yes. She did not understand the limits of the CG system.

Are the  "whistling" or high pitch sounds she was making the "long call" and if so, why would the radiomen be surprised by this or not know this was part of the original plan?

The method of providing a signal that could be used for getting a bearing was not discussed in any of the traffic that Randy Jacobson was able to find. See The Jacobson Database. Oulined in "Radio logs."

All she had to do was to hold down the mic button on a frequency that the Itasca could use for DF. She did not have to whistle or make noise in the mic. 

Cf. "Failure to Communicate."

[Greg Daspit]

The book has a lot more about the preparations than I previously knew just from being on the forum. I had to do some research to understand how radio works to see how huge the mistakes she made were.  This youtube video helped me understand the radio a little better at the 12:08 and 23:20 parts. I don't agree with everything in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTDFhWWPZ4Q

It's shocking that she told the CG the wrong DF frequency to transmit and that they did not correct her.
The book notes she bungled the conversion from meters to frequency. 750 meters should have converted to 400khz, not 7500khz. I could not find documentation regarding the expert recommending 750 meters?