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[Jerry Germann]

And Aris lending his expertise to the trip ... wow. It shows that TIGHAR's scientific and deliberate approach attracts the best possible minds to devote to this mystery.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189ECSP

That was great that he could make the trip....will he be giving a report on his opinion/opinions concerning artifact 2-2-V-1 , the patch ,....and the examined electra?

[Ric Gillespie]

And Aris lending his expertise to the trip ... wow. It shows that TIGHAR's scientific and deliberate approach attracts the best possible minds to devote to this mystery.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189ECSP

That was great that he could make the trip....will he be giving a report on his opinion/opinions concerning artifact 2-2-V-1 , the patch ,....and the examined electra?

I'm writing the report. When it's finished I'll send it to Jeff Glickman and Aris Scarla for comment and/or correction.  When they've both signed off on the report we'll publish it on the TIGHAR website.  What I can tell you right now is that, at the end of the day, all of us were in agreement that the artifact is the patch.

[Mark Appel]

"What I can tell you right now is that, at the end of the day, all of us were in agreement that the artifact is the patch."

This is momentous. Historic. And BIG news.

[Ric Gillespie]

This is momentous. Historic. And BIG news.

I agree. The trick will be getting it recognized as BIG news.  This is not an Indiana Jones style discovery.  This is 23 years of plodding, painstaking, frustrating research that finally paid off. We need to figure out how to get that recognized. 

[Dale O. Beethe]

I think it's cool that this artifact is something you've had in your possession for years, and it's just now giving up it's secrets.  That's how investigations and archeology often works!

[Dale O. Beethe]

I should add that most of the public probably won't accept your findings until a major recognizable piece of the airplane is found (the "any idiot" artifact).  That is ALSO how investigations and archeology often work.

[Ted G Campbell]

Ric,

Would/could Wichita Air Services be interested in shooting a video that would show how the patch was fabricated and fitted to the L10E?

What I have in mind would be a mockup of AE bird, using old skins taken of the bird their working on.
   Cut a window hole and put in the plastic window – as it would have arrived in Miami
   Remove the window frame (if you all think that is what happened) or fit and back drill for the installation of the patch over the frame and window, etc.
   Fit a patch over the window opening – include the stringers, ribs, etc. in order to explain the rivet rows, the stress from the rib, etc.

Then as a final shot (no pun intended) use a tool that we have an idea was aboard AE’s plane e.g. the fire ax and rip the window out of the mockup.  This should show the saw tooth rivet failure, the zip line rivet failure and perhaps the blow marks that penetrate the skin of the patch.

All of this could be a visual depiction of the patch and its removal hypothesis along with a verbal dialog explaining each step of the process.

If not Wichita Air, we could stage the thing in your barn.

Ted Campbell

[Ric Gillespie]

Would/could Wichita Air Services be interested in shooting a video that would show how the patch was fabricated and fitted to the L10E?

What you're talking about is a way to explain how the window was installed,how the patch replaced it, and how 2-2-V-1 matches the patch.  That's what I'm trying to do in the report I'm writing.  Step by step. Lots of photos.  Mark Smith shot video of the work we did in Wichita.  We'll use it in a video we'll put together explaining why 2-2-V-1 is the patch.

We don't have enough information yet to talk about how the patch got busted out.

[Randy Conrad]

Hey Ric...Was looking at this particular photo tonight of the Electra after landing in Miami. Wandering if you guys have seen this photo? Plus, tell me if that is a patch or piece of metal directly under the window or just a reflection from the plane? Thanks!!!

[Greg Daspit]

Was looking at this particular photo tonight of the Electra after landing in Miami. Wandering if you guys have seen this photo? Plus, tell me if that is a patch or piece of metal directly under the window or just a reflection from the plane? Thanks!!!

I think this wrongly captioned photo has come up before.That is not Miami. Look at the coats. It's probably Oakland before 1st attempt.
It looks like a light spot between shadows of people and the plane to me.

[Doug Ledlie]

Looking for details on the lettering found on the artifact ("AD" and the more recently found separate "D") in terms of their positional relationship to each other.

Meaning are they lined up as in:
a)

D                       AD

or more like:

b)

D

                         AD

If a) do we have the distance between the D's?
If b) do we have the distance between and offset?

[Ted G Campbell]

Ric,

Maybe I didn’t make myself clear of how we (TIGHAR) have been able to pinpoint that the patch came from AE’s plane. Nor how we are to convince the general public of same.

The proposed Wichita video I suggested will show the method of the window/patch installation/replacement but more importantly what I want TIGHAR to show is the methodology of how we reached that conclusion. 

   We find a piece of aluminum on the island that appears to come from an aircraft but initially can’t find a source from wince it came.

   Poring over numerous photographs we find that there was a subtle modification to AE’ s plane while in Miami, it was the installation of a “patch” over an existing fuselage window.

   TIGHAR has visited numerous aircraft museums, manufacturing facilities, crash sites, etc. looking for a rivet/sheet metal pattern that would match the artifact to no avail.

   Then we hear of a L10 E restoration going on in Wichita, solicit supporting funds to go there and what we find is the patch matches the original aircraft design.

The video/narrative/written report that follows this discovery should be aimed at soliciting funding for next years expedition and nothing short of this objective.   I don’t think we have many more years left in the volunteer funding cycle for AE.

Ric, I think we (TIGHAR) are at the point where we are about to solve this 70 + year mystery and we have got to pull out all the stops.  We have got to put our personal pride/objectives aside and enlist the aid of professional PR people to take it from here.

I vote to support a PR firm to take the data we have uncovered and turn it over to them to perpetuate an ongoing funding program to get to the bottom of this major historic mystery.  Ric, you know how much I have confidence in your ability to led the TIGHAR Team on this issue but you must also admit that you are a little hesitant in turning over control to others when it comes to the coup de  grace.
 It’s time to step back my friend and let people that do this for a living to step in and help us put the final touches on the search.  Remember the objective:  Get the funds necessary to go and find the plane!

Ted Campbell

[Ric Gillespie]

"If b) do we have the distance between and offset?"

They are offset and the distance between is about 5 inches which conforms to standard ALCOA practice.

[Mark Appel]

This is momentous. Historic. And BIG news.

I agree. The trick will be getting it recognized as BIG news.  This is not an Indiana Jones style discovery.  This is 23 years of plodding, painstaking, frustrating research that finally paid off. We need to figure out how to get that recognized.

And I concur back. My rule is that if the press gets 70% right, you're doing pretty well. Even the most high-powered Big 10 agencies can't guarantee anything by the time the ink dries. In this case, however, the lack of ability to control or reliably influence the press may work in the favor of big news. Hell, if they want to characterize your 20-year "pick, shovel, grind, sift, start over," effort as an Indiana Jones Eureka moment, well hell, we can build on and back fill the resulting interest.

I'm thrilled for you, your wife and the longtime, loyal TIGHARs.

[Ric Gillespie]

Maybe I didn’t make myself clear of how we (TIGHAR) have been able to pinpoint that the patch came from AE’s plane.

You were clear but your description of how we identified the artifact is inaccurate. I respectfully suggest that you wait until the report is posted on the TIGHAR website. Read the report and ask questions about anything that is not clear.
   

   I don’t think we have many more years left in the volunteer funding cycle ....

What volunteer funding cycle?  I didn't know there was one.

It's best if I don't respond to the rest of your posting.