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Author Topic: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'  (Read 24352 times)

JNev

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For those who may be interested in another 'golden age' aviation disappearance - the loss of Paul Redfern is near to home for me and has always been intriguing.

I can't help but hope that remains of his plane may yet be found in the South American jungle one day - a very intriguing story.
- Jeff Neville

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Chris Johnson

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2013, 12:44:36 PM »

Last flight of Port of Brunswick

What amazes me is that he managed to get the ship to point him in the direction he wanted to go.  In this day of GPS and SATNAV it beggar's belief.
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Alex Fox

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2013, 03:39:30 PM »

Really interesting stuff.  The Amazon is a really large place to try to find an airplane.
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JNev

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2013, 03:57:26 PM »

Really interesting stuff.  The Amazon is a really large place to try to find an airplane.

Yes it is - I'm sure the odds are very much against ever finding a trace of poor Paul Redfern.  Interesting is one thought that he 'nearly made it' to Rio (wonder how that got figured), so the wreck could be relatively near 'civilization'.

Read the article at the link that Chris provided - good story in there of a pilot who claimed to have spotted his wrecked airplane many times, and that it had sunk lower into quicksand every time he saw it until only the cabin windows (windshield I guess he meant) glinted in the sun.

So many tales of the man and / or plane being spotted but captive / injured / etc., what to believe.  Seems like if any of that were true someone would have checked it out and come back with some proof in all the years he was looked for.

Redfern was the lost aviator of fame for 10 years - then Earhart was lost and all the hoopla swung her way and then he was mostly forgotten.
- Jeff Neville

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Alex Fox

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2013, 07:07:28 PM »

Really interesting stuff.  The Amazon is a really large place to try to find an airplane.

Interesting is one thought that he 'nearly made it' to Rio (wonder how that got figured), so the wreck could be relatively near 'civilization'.

I was wondering the same thing.

Read the article at the link that Chris provided - good story in there of a pilot who claimed to have spotted his wrecked airplane many times, and that it had sunk lower into quicksand every time he saw it until only the cabin windows (windshield I guess he meant) glinted in the sun.

Yeah I read that.  Interesting.  You've gotta wonder if that guy left any notes lying around of where he was.  Not that it would be a fun job trying to extracate that aircraft.

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We should be thankful Nikumaroro is as small as it is.  Can you imagine Tighars trying to find Amelia in the Amazon, bringing up every little anomaly they could find!?  Ha!
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JNev

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2013, 03:22:47 PM »

A fascinating story, he became a legendary inhabitant of the rainforest, ruling over  or being held captive by some lost tribe in the jungle:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X6hQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1iEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4760,5487093&dq=paul-redfern&hl=en

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CvZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WFUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3913,1302489&dq=paul-redfern&hl=en

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nJMuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FpkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3002,3695381&dq=paul-redfern&hl=en

Beats getting held captive, tortured, starved and finally shot and buried in a shallow grave by the Japanese like Earhart...  ::)

It's hard to know what to make of those tales - my gut says they amount to some of the tales we've heard about Earhart, sure enough.  I feel sorry for his family, following those stories and having hopes raised - and nothing credible ever found.

Charles West was an interesting character who looked for Redfern extensively and seemed genuine.  Some of those others with the grander reports make you wonder about whether they were just promoting themselves for more adventuring or just what.

I always stuggle with 'unknowables' - and shudder to think that mysteries like Redfern and Earhart could go unsolved in the public eye; just a personal flaw, I guess... but why I love this stuff so much too.  At least we have a workable trail for Earhart; Redfern appears to have been a hole in the jungle canopy that closed in quickly, but maybe someone will stumble over rusty trusses and rotting wood and fabric and a mud-caked radial engine down there one day and solve it.
- Jeff Neville

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Chris Johnson

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2013, 01:02:59 AM »

It’s a vast area that is also being mercilessly exploited and my fear would be that any wreckage would just be bulldozed over in their quest for other resources.
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JNev

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Re: The mystery of Paul Redfern's loss in his 'Port of Brunswick'
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2013, 05:19:04 AM »

It’s a vast area that is also being mercilessly exploited and my fear would be that any wreckage would just be bulldozed over in their quest for other resources.

You sum it well - that is the more likely scenario.

Funny, I'd thought of Redfern as 'lost at sea' for years until I finally got to read more about the failed effort - the reliable ship's report only 165 miles (or less) from landfall, and a fairly reliable siting of what was likely his airplane from Venezuala.  So loss in the jungle seems likely.

And well lost, as you point out - it is a tough one.
- Jeff Neville

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« Last Edit: July 31, 2013, 09:58:04 AM by Jeff Neville »
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