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[Monty Fowler]

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the first TIGHAR open house on Saturday (nice place, by the way, but oh, man, not fun to find in the dark).

Near the end, Ric, brought down some of the artifacts that TIGHAR has gathered from Nikumaroro over the last two-and-a-half decades, and spread them out on a table for the assembled TIGHARS to look at. Since I was drafted to help carry the items down, I got a sense of how much space the totality of the artifacts occupies.

It isn't much space. But - it is one heck of a lot more than anyone else has managed to pull together, despite all the other decade's long efforts by other interested parties.

And ever single artifact has been vetted, cataloged and in most cases very minutely examined. Some of them, we know exactly what they are, or were used for. Others, it's good supposition, based on expert analysis and opinion. Some things, I'm sure that God knows what they are, and unfortunately, he's not telling. Regardless, it's all out there for the public to pore through at its leisure.

TIGHAR is frequently and sometimes viciously criticized for what it has found, what it has spent for what it has found, and for what it thinks happened. The depth of the vitriol truly amazes me.

But for all that, I'll willingly stack our pile of proof about what happened to Amelia and Fred next to anyone else's, any day of the week. Niku VIII may not be happening this year, but it will happen. And TIGHAR's pile of proof will get a little bigger. The Great Pyramid started out as a few stones pushed together. And it has stood the test of time. So will TIGHAR's Earhart Project.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP

[Jeff Lange]

Well said, Monty! I fully agree!

Great to have seen you again on Saturday!

[Ric Gillespie]

What we have so far is, of course, much more than the assortment of artifacts we've collected. Our research has corrected many myths about Earhart and the world flight and
brought to light a library of previously unknown historical documents that clarify and expand our understanding of what happened.  For example, our assembly, cataloging and analysis of the post-loss radio signals has eliminated Crashed & Sank as a viable theory. (Japanese Capture never was a viable theory.)

Now one of our artifacts, 2-2-V-1, appears to be poised to be the smoking gun everyone has been demanding.  It will not, however, be the Any Idiot Artifact we've longed for.  If the artifact can be shown to be beyond doubt the Miami Patch the proof will be technical and complex - not something the general public or media will be able to quickly and easily grasp.  But that's okay.  We all routinely accept as true things that are far too technical and complex for us to understand.  We accept them as true because we trust the people who tell us they are true.  The general public and the media will accept that a piece of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra was found on Nikumaroro if and when authorities with sufficient credibility come forward and assert that it is true.  Our analysis of 2-2-V-1 is scientific and the essence of science is replicability of results.  If, when we have concluded our analysis, we feel we can prove that the artifact is the Miami Patch, independent sources with impeccable credentials should be able to look at our evidence and reach the same conclusion.  Exactly who those independent sources will be remains to be seen, but right now our job is to continue the analysis and find out as much as we can about 2-2-V-1 and the patch it (so far) appears to match.

The hyperspectral imaging Jeff Glickman did last week will give us hundreds of of gigabytes of new data about 2-2-V-1 and the dozens of other artifacts that he imaged.  Processing and analyzing that data will take weeks, but we already have a number of new observations about 2-2-V-1 that are a direct result of Jeff and I having the opportunity to work together with the artifact over a period of several days. I'll address those new observations in the appropriate thread.

[Monty Fowler]

Our research has corrected many myths about Earhart and the world flight and brought to light a library of previously unknown historical documents that clarify and expand our understanding of what happened.

Exactly right, Mr. Gillespie, sir. The body of knowledge that TIGHAR has unearthed and accumulated regarding Earhart and Noonan is enormous, and continues to grow to this very day. If all of it were printed out and bound into books, that alone would fill a fair-sized room! The recent combing through the Pan Am archives in Miami did not yield any smoking guns, but that in and of itself adds to the overall body of knowledge about Earhart and Noonan's fate.

The problem with public perception is ... A stack of papers is a yawner for most people. Something they can physically see, touch, smell, whatever, is much, much more credible in their minds. That's just human nature, no matter how much we may rail against it at times.

So yes, I'm hoping that we can make a valid, scientific case that 2-V-1-1 was on our favorite Electra, and could only have come from there. I am willing to trust whatever TIGHAR finds, because I trust TIGHAR and its methods. Whether the public at large will feel the same is out of TIGHAR's control.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP

P.S. - In today's Internet age where everyone can be an instant expert on anything and everything, the problem of finding "independent experts with impeccable credentials" is more and more difficult. Anyone with a computer and Photoshop can claim to be a photo analysis expert, at least to the extent that their proof and argument, no matter how ridiculous on its face, will make sense to a certain segment of the population at large.

I, for example, and the world's leading expert on gnomons. If you don't believe me, check out my extensive listing of web publications, Wikipedia entries and PowerPoint presentations, all on-line and free for the taking by anyone who has a mind to. *cough*

[Tim Gard]

TIGHAR proved its case to me the first time I saw Finding Amelia.

Everything else is the revealing of the finer detail.

[Krystal McGinty-Carter]

If I may add my humble opinion.

I started following TIGHAR since 1991. I was 9 years old and it was my school counselor who noticed that I was insatiable in wanting to learn about Earhart. She was the one that first told me that there was a group who was searching for her.  Back then, the scope of my "research" was limited to periodicals, books, and microfilm. The age of internet and "instant experts" has made getting the true facts difficult but it has definately opened up an new medium for research.

That said, I have followed TIGHAR for over 20 years. Ive read plenty of other theories, and taken each of them with due consideration. However, I have not seen anyone come forward with a much compelling evidence and facts as Mr. Gillespie and his team. I am more willing to believe the Niku theory because TIGHAR has taken the time, energy, and resources to REALLY prove their theory, rather than declaring every scrap, fiber, and "he said, she said, they said" account as "proof."  They have approached this theory as a true scientist would...with a healthy amount of skepticism.  They have never come out and said "This little widget we found under a palm frond is DEFINATELY Earharts."  They have invested the time to research said widget, meet with experts, run tests and gather facts before they have come out and said "This little widget COULD be Earharts, lets keep looking."   

I have the utmost respect for Mr. Gillespie and his team for the TIME they have spent on this project. They have never tried to rush the process, as others have. Too many people, nowadays more than ever, expect to stumble across a gleaming, intact vintage airplane (after 77 years) by happenstance, and too many people are quick to believe everything they see and hear. I wanted this expedition to happen this year just as much as anyone. (Heck, I told facebook that I would go for a swim in the Mississippi river dressed as a mermaid if the money could be raised in time!)  Though it is deeply disappointing that it wont happen this year, all anyone can do is be patient. Ive waited 23 years and the world has been waiting since 1937. Whats one more year?  If Earhart is there to be found, then I am fully confident that TIGHAR will find her.

[Gus Rubio]

I too will add a humble lurker's brief opinion.

I feel that the amount of circumstantial evidence toward Niku being Amelia and Fred's final resting place is overwhelming.  There is simply too much evidence that points to this conclusion to be ignored or easily explained away.  On top of that, TIGHAR's scientific approach, transparency, and dedication give the effort a solid foundation and are there for anyone to see. 

One of these days TIGHAR will find a solid, smoking-gun piece of proof- a serialized engine part off Niku would do nicely, since those big beautiful engines took Amelia and Fred to Niku, and such a discovery would bring them back. 

Go get'em, TIGHARs.

[manjeet aujla]

This seemed to be the most appropriate thread for this, so here goes...

I think there is some DNA from the 7-site, which has been tested for a link to AE; the results were inconclusive, and the rest of the sample was saved instead of more testing, which is destructive. If that is so, this new non-destructive technique which has been used to nail Jacktheripper, could be worth keeping in mind...

I followed JacktheRipper story in a cursory way about 10 years ago, and so came upon this news article, which has the description of the DNA analysis. Note that similarities to AE...1) The Jack DNA is very old (126 years), and they were still able to extract some M-Dna using some new techniques, in a non-destructive way... 2) Since the Jack DNA was m-dna, a female relative of AE, could provide a sample to match for the 7-site DNA. The doctor who did the testing also specializes in solving old mysteries.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2746321/Jack-Ripper-unmasked-How-amateur-sleuth-used-DNA-breakthrough-identify-Britains-notorious-criminal-126-years-string-terrible-murders.html
 

[Ric Gillespie]

The "vacuuming" technique used to extract mtDNA from the cloak won't work on the bone.

[Monty Fowler]

And some experts in the field are calling for the research to be peer-reviewed before it is accepted at face value. I know we've gone around, and around, and around about peer review in these forums, but science does things the way it does for a reason. A pretty good reason, actually: If another random scientist can't duplicate whatever it was I said I did, using the same methods, but getting radically different results, then how good, really, was my science to begin with?

LTM, who hesitates to vacuum much of anything,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP

[Bruce Thomas]

I wonder if poor old Aaron Kosminski might just have been one of Catherine Eddowes' customers, leaving his "marker" on her shawl at some time prior to her having met her fate at the hands of the real Jack the Ripper.

[Ric Gillespie]

I wonder if poor old Aaron Kosminski might just have been one of Catherine Eddowes' customers, leaving his "marker" on her shawl at some time prior to her having met her fate at the hands of the real Jack the Ripper.

Spoil sport. There are holes in this "proof" that you could taxi an Electra through.  Let's hope we do a better job of solving a famous mystery.

[manjeet aujla]

DNA identity techniques are likely to keep improving, so they are worth keeping an eye on; if the bone fragment (?) tighar has, is shown by dna to be linked to AE, even the Smithsonian will have a tough time denying AE presence. And that will be in addition to the other things...every piece adds a brick to the edifice.

[Matt Revington]

Since this has turned to a discussion of solving old mysteries, they think they have located one of the ships from the Franklin Expedition using ROV's

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/one-of-the-lost-ships-from-sir-john-franklin-s-expedition-found-1.1998353

[Friend Weller]

Extremely cool.....can AE and FN be far behind?