Observations

[Bob Smith]

In pouring through the immense record of accomplishments and discovery and the techniques used on a remote deserted island, I have observed some instances where some methods might be improved for more efficient use of time and your (my) money. As you may or may not know, my expertise is in mechanical engineering ( design of engine and aircraft parts) and during my semi-retirement, in landscape methods and technology (mowing grass). You may find these suggestions helpful:
   1. From some of the pictures showing clearing and setup methods, I can see it might be a good idea to take a good heavy duty chain saw for the underbrush-- a weeny air powered weed wacker won't do it. And a knowledgeable person to operate, with an eye for safety.
   2. Wear denim jeans or similar pants and heavy boots - gloves, etc.as well as eye shielding and a construction helmet while cutting. It may be hot but if you are injured it won't matter. After living in Arizona desert for 17 years with 120 deg, I know its just better.
   3. Take a heavy hammer and chicken wire fencing to put up around your main camp, may help get a better sleep and lunch.
   4. Athough Ric appears fairly good shape, others may need a strict diet and exercise before they leave in June.
   5. Take an extra large ice cooler and tub size plastic box for emergency dips in the middle of the day. Thanks for listening, Bob

[Ric Gillespie]

   1. From some of the pictures showing clearing and setup methods, I can see it might be a good idea to take a good heavy duty chain saw for the underbrush-- an air powered weed wacker won't do it. And a knowledgeable person to operate, with an eye for safety.

The air-powered loppers (they're not weed whackers) work well for fine, selective cutting.  For mass clearing, chain saws can't be beat.  We use them extensively courtesy of STIHL.

   2. Wear denim jeans or similar pants and heavy boots - gloves, etc.as well as eye shielding and a construction helmet while cutting. It may be hot but if you are injured it won't matter. After living in Arizona for 17 years with 120 deg, I know its just better.

Good advice.

   3. Take a heavy hammer and chicken wire fencing to put up around your main camp, may help get a better sleep and lunch.

We don't sleep on the island and we don't mind the crabs joining us for lunch.

   4. Athough Ric appears fairly good shape, others may need a strict diet and exercise before they leave in June.

I'm in better shape than I was in 2010 (maintaining an 11 acre farm and training horses will do that) and our team for this expedition is generally in better shape than the 2010 crew. Physical fitness wasn't an issue in 2012.  We just sat on the boat the whole time except for one tourist day ashore.

   5. Take an extra large ice cooler and tub size plastic box for emergency dips in the middle of the day.

LOL!  And who is going to lug this extra large ice cooler around? 

[Bob Smith]

I was under the impression the cooler gets lighter the more beverage is stached in it...
The real reason I was going through the archives was to see if I could find any more info on the engine and airplane that somebody wanted to believe was from the island. I didn't find an ending or solution to that riddle.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

The real reason I was going through the archives was to see if I could find any more info on the engine and airplane that somebody wanted to believe was from the island. I didn't find an ending or solution to that riddle.

   
• If you would learn how to insert links into your posts, that would help with understanding what you are asking.  People can click on the link and see exactly what part of "the archives" piqued your interest.
• One such story is "the Canton engine."
• A second is "the wreck photo."

[Bruce Thomas]

I was under the impression the cooler gets lighter the more beverage is stached in it...
The real reason I was going through the archives was to see if I could find any more info on the engine and airplane that somebody wanted to believe was from the island. I didn't find an ending or solution to that riddle.

To chase the ending of the saga of the search for that engine, check the entry on Ameliapedia for Kanton Island. It refers you to an article in TIGHAR Tracks about 8 years ago.

[Bob Smith]

Thanks Bruce and Marty for your suggestions and advice. As you know I am learning the ropes. I spent too much time on the first reply and got bumped off before I could post it but basically I was saying that the items 2 and 3 inMarty's post are the articles that I read that made me ask the question. I read them again and I still have the question: " what happened to the engine and the airplane"? Ric makes the point that of course we don't have the time or money to chase all over the islands, but it becomes almost as much a mystery as Amelia and her whereabouts. We should concentrate where we believe the most progress can be made in the most efficent manner. Some day though I hope we can check Kanton or other places more thoroughly. I don't believe floating bottles can be that acurate, and other notions are simply just wrong even if more romantic! There are artifacts and unidentified junk in the debri field  that could possibly have come from other places. Maybe things from Niku have gone to other places..
By the way it sounds like the Fiji Princess cruise ship is full and overbooked. Maybe some of the passengers would rather go to Kanton Island with a couple of shovels.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

"what happened to the engine and the airplane"?

The Canton engine was dumped and buried by the runway.

TIGHAR searched for it before the 2003 paper which demonstrated that it could not have been helicoptered in from Niku.

The plane in the wreck photo is a Japanese military aircraft.  None of us knows what island it was on.

[Monty Fowler]

The plane in the wreck photo is a Japanese military aircraft.  None of us knows what island it was on.

Agrihan Island? http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/Bulletins/55_WreckPhotoResolved/55_WreckPhotoResolved.htm

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 ECSP

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Agrihan Island? http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Research/Bulletins/55_WreckPhotoResolved/55_WreckPhotoResolved.htm

Thanks, Monty!  I had missed that.   :)

[Bob Smith]

OK! That makes it better to understand about the plane. Maybe I'll go to China someday to visit the stored version. And the engine will probably still be on Kanton when I drive by with my backhoe. You guys are very patient! I' m going to practice hyperlinking..

[Bob Smith]

An interesting article and set of photos came to my attention as I was looking for information on other aircraft that had been rescued from the ocean. This one was a WWII German bomber raised from the English Channel that probably others here have seen. But the amount of corrosion and crust on the skin struck me as being interesting. Though aluminum obviously corrodes or oxidizes similar to iron and steel, but with a different chemical composition, I had not seen a large piece of aluminum that had been in salt sea water for 70 years and didn't really know how much corrosion would be attached or what it would look like. Given, the English Channel has a different environment of temperature, currents, salinity, or whatever, there is certainly not any shiny surfaces that reflect in the sunlight! I don't know if this plane was painted and the Electra was not, so the Electra probably, if anything, would be more corroded than the airplane in this picture.

[JNev]

Great pix.  Sobering to consider how badly decomposed Earhart's Electra may be after all this time in sea water.

[Andrew M McKenna]

<<<<<<<<<<
Quote from: Bob Smith on March 25, 2015, 05:26:39 PM
   3. Take a heavy hammer and chicken wire fencing to put up around your main camp, may help get a better sleep and lunch.

Ric's reply:
We don't sleep on the island and we don't mind the crabs joining us for lunch.
>>>>>>>>>>>

Some of us have slept on the island, and while it usually isn't the best night's sleep, it can be enjoyable.  Sleeping on the ground is certainly an invitation for entanglement with crabs and other critters - the centipedes may be worse than the crabs.

The answer is to get off the ground and into a hammock where the critters can't get to you.  The crabs sit around in a big circle where they can smell you, and climb up some of the tree trunks trying to find you, but navigating the hammock attachment straps is pretty tough for a crab. 

It is the combined noise of lots of crabs all scuttling about looking for fresh meat that keeps you awake.... clickity clickity clickity all night long.  :-)

I'm hoping to stay ashore at least one night during Niku VIII as for me it is worth dealing with the crabs to enjoy a night on Nikumaroro.

Andrew

[JNev]

I shall think of you enjoying that night in the hammock as all those crabs sit about in a circle sharpening their claws...  ;)

[Krystal McGinty-Carter]

So I guess a tent is out of the question? A hammock sounds lovely but the idea of circling crabs gives me the heebie jeebies.

Krystal "Not-so-Crabby" McGinty