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Author Topic: Is the Seven an "A"?  (Read 105242 times)

Bob Jones

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #90 on: July 12, 2013, 07:41:16 AM »

The Coffee Royal Affair  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBJxB9hHryU

It gives some insight on spotting downed aircraft from the air.  The smoke signals weren't as visible as expected.
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Jeff Victor Hayden

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #91 on: July 12, 2013, 08:36:15 AM »

Great video Bob. It highlights some of the points we try to make regarding survival. Landing near freshwater saved the Southern Cross crew, not so lucky for the Kookabura crew though. This was vital when working to be rescued, be it lighting and maintaining fires or clearing scrub. It's not as easy to make drinkable water as some people would have us believe.
This must be the place
 
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Bob Jones

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #92 on: July 12, 2013, 08:56:25 AM »

One of the thoughts that came to my mind after watching the video...  The pilot of the Southern Cross ordered everyone to the rear of the plane for tailweight(hopefully to lessen the chance of a nose over landing) when they were about to make a soggy landing.   Maybe FN's possible head injury could be attributed to AE ordering him to the rear of the Electra in order to make a better landing on the reef?  Maybe not a new thought but a new one for me :)
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Gloria Walker Burger

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #93 on: July 12, 2013, 04:19:52 PM »

The pilot of the Southern Cross ordered everyone to the rear of the plane for tailweight(hopefully to lessen the chance of a nose over landing) when they were about to make a soggy landing.   Maybe FN's possible head injury could be attributed to AE ordering him to the rear of the Electra in order to make a better landing on the reef?

Thanks for that link. I thought the same thing, Bob. I also thought it interesting that the signal mirror would be so important, a good reason TIGHAR found the compact mirror at the seven site. I also saw parallels between the stranded crew and AE and FN: that they had matches and a pocket knife (at least we know that FN had a lighter), and that they left important survival equipment behind to have more room for fuel. It was also interesting to see that the second missing crew, found dead of lack of water, left a diary written on their plane. I wonder if when (not if!) TIGHAR finds the plane they may find etchings of some sort on it.
Gloria
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Paul Parsons

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #94 on: July 13, 2013, 01:24:40 PM »

And I always wondered why Lambrecht, who spoke of "signs of previous habitation" on an uninhabited island, wasn't told to go back and have a second look.

Lambrecht did not know that Gardner Island was uninhabited: his report states that "... repeated circling and zooming failed to elicit any answering wave from possible inhabitants and it was finally taken for granted that none were there." Perhaps nobody else associated with the search knew either.

And his report does suggest he was looking for the missing plane, not people. So would the presence of people have attracted particular interest?
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Monty Fowler

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #95 on: July 16, 2013, 09:29:39 AM »

Paul, I think if Lambrecht had seen people he would have tried to land and talk to them, as he did at Hull Island - it's always a good idea to check with the locals if you're looking for something.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR no. 2189 CER
Ex-TIGHAR member No. 2189 E C R SP, 1998-2016
 
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Andrew M McKenna

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #96 on: July 16, 2013, 03:31:13 PM »

What is interesting is that whatever Lambrecht saw, markers or some such, it caused him to "circle and zoom" in an attempt to "elicit an an answering wave from possible inhabitants".

Whatever he did see, it was enough to convince him that there were people there he should try to connect with.

Andrew
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Bruce Thomas

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #97 on: July 16, 2013, 04:40:52 PM »

Whatever he did see, it was enough to convince him that there were people there he should try to connect with.
My hope is that the new photos will show the remnants of the Arundel buildings, for they would surely have given the Navy flyers the impression the island was inhabited. 
LTM,

Bruce
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Chris Johnson

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #98 on: July 17, 2013, 01:32:39 AM »

Whatever he did see, it was enough to convince him that there were people there he should try to connect with.
My hope is that the new photos will show the remnants of the Arundel buildings, for they would surely have given the Navy flyers the impression the island was inhabited.

It would certainly go some way to suggest that if they are on the photo's then that could be what the Navy Flyers saw and interpreted.
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Greg Daspit

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #99 on: July 17, 2013, 10:47:09 AM »

Whatever he did see, it was enough to convince him that there were people there he should try to connect with.
My hope is that the new photos will show the remnants of the Arundel buildings, for they would surely have given the Navy flyers the impression the island was inhabited.
I wonder if their condition would indicate "recent habitation"
3971R
 
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Christine Schulte

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #100 on: July 17, 2013, 11:11:06 AM »

Just out of curiosity and to get a better feeling for what the island is like, have TIGHAR ever found anything recognizably Arundel? Or any buildings outsinde the village, e.g. on the settlers' plots (where the settlers are described as having "weekend houses")? From what I've read, e.g. about the condition you found the village in 25 years after the last settlers had left, it seems to me that anything left around deteriorates or gets grown over very, very quickly, so I wonder if buildings etc. from the Arundel's time would still have been recognizable as "signs of recent habitation" after almost 40 years? (Maybe the 1938 photographs will show).
Also, while huts are "signs of habitation", why would anyone trying to describe what he saw many years later call them "markers of some kind"?
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Is the Seven an "A"?
« Reply #101 on: July 17, 2013, 11:43:35 AM »

Just out of curiosity and to get a better feeling for what the island is like, have TIGHAR ever found anything recognizably Arundel?

No.  There's a tumbled-down structure on Nutiran strewn with old liquor bottles that may be the "European style house" mentioned by former residents who were there in the 1950s, but nothing that can be clearly attributed to Arundel.  It was probably a work shed for the clearing and planting operations.  "European style" means only that it had timber framing and was not constructed of local materials.

Or any buildings outsinde the village, e.g. on the settlers' plots (where the settlers are described as having "weekend houses")?

No, but those would probably be made from palm fronds, etc. and would disappear after a few years.

Also, while huts are "signs of habitation", why would anyone trying to describe what he saw many years later call them "markers of some kind"?

I agree.  When Lambrecht see huts on Sydney Island he calls them huts.
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