Only in the sense that dealing with the lawsuit and the technical challenges of underwater searches has left little time for other projects. The Devastator Project has been essentially in a holding pattern for the past fews years due to procedural and diplomatic complications and delays involving the U.S. Navy, Texas A&M University, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. If recovering a TBD-1 from Jaluit lagoon was just an engineering problem we would have had the airplane out of there long ago.. The Maid of Harlech has not been recovered primarily because nobody wants it.
TIGHAR's oldest project, the search for l'Oiseau Blanc (the White Bird) of Charles Nungesser and Francois Coli, has been dormant for several years but is about to reawaken. Watch for the next issue of TIGHAR Tracks.
For sure, the last three years have been difficult.
Ric,
There is no question that there have been challenges, but you show amazing resiliency.
A former member has raised questions that have also actually occurred to me about other projects, especially the Devastaters. You mentioned 'holding pattern' above, but evidently some effort has gone into that behind the scenes -
TIGHAR's IRS 990 forms reveal the following expenditures on that project:
2011 $22,337
2012 42,906
2013 90,148
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Total $155,391
Because the expenditures have been substantial and grown, can you elaborate on "holding pattern"? You mention some substantial other fingers in that pie - was there a great deal of off-board effort invested as the filing suggests? I don't recall discussion of that in the forum, but do recall an announcement of a couple of years ago that there was some new prospect coming.
Thanks for sharing what you can on this, I'm sure it would be appreciated by those who contribute and share your hopes.