Research needed - August-September 1936

[Monty Fowler]

Terrible thing to be unhinged, eh, Andrew?

I know, my bad. I will go back to my sock drawer now.

LTM,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 EC

[Andrew M McKenna]

Indeed...

[Daniel R. Brown]

I don't see any hatch cover at all in the view from aft (TIGHAR Research Bulletin 11/1/11). This is an interesting series of photos in the Purdue collection because it's obviously the same girls (faces, clothes, hair, etc.) in each of the different views, and AE wears the same plaid shirt.

Dan Brown, #2408

[Ric Gillespie]

I don't see any hatch cover at all in the view from aft (TIGHAR Research Bulletin 11/1/11). This is an interesting series of photos in the Purdue collection because it's obviously the same girls (faces, clothes, hair, etc.) in each of the different views, and AE wears the same plaid shirt.

Wow!  That is strange.

[Matt Revington]

The hatch might have been "in the shop" on that day getting the hinges moved.  Are there maintenance records that survive from Purdue airport?

[Jerry Germann]

I believe the many times the Electra was featured in photo shoots, before the hatch was rotated 180 degrees, was that they merely drove the pin out of the hinge and removed the hatch....just better photos and posing positions without it.
I believe the hinge halves are still above the Port window in these Purdue students/Amelia poses.

[Matt Revington]

In this picture at Purdue the hatch still opens outward, it's easy to see how the hatch makes it difficult to climb in/out using the wing

http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/epurdue/id/350/rec/17

[Ric Gillespie]

I believe the many times the Electra was featured in photo shoots, before the hatch was rotated 180 degrees, was that they merely drove the pin out of the hinge and removed the hatch....just better photos and posing positions without it.
I believe the hinge halves are still above the Port window in these Purdue students/Amelia poses.

Jerry, the photo you showed a detail from was taken while the plane was still under construction.  You may be right that the hatch was removed for the Purdue photo shoot but I'm not aware of any other occasion when that was done.

[Ric Gillespie]

In this picture at Purdue the hatch still opens outward, it's easy to see how the hatch makes it difficult to climb in/out using the wing

http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/epurdue/id/350/rec/17

That photo was taken at Purdue so the hatch still opened outward, at least when she arrived at Purdue in September.  Matt may be right.  The hatch may be missing in the other Purdue photos because it was in the shop having the hinges changed.

[Jerry Germann]

Attachment; I believe this image and several others of Earhart with members of the Purdue football team, may be around the same time frame involving photo shoots with the female Purdue students, ( although different clothing is worn by Earhart and the plane is in a hanger)... post Bendix race. I am still looking for a dated photo that shows a new piece above the window,( Sept-Oct 1936), whereby the hatch gasket would attach.( unless the hinge half above the port window was merely covered with gasket material).....I can't tell, but the gasket shows some signs of unevenness along the length but are probably just impressions left by the rivets on the hatch.
It doesn't seem mechanically correct to have left the hinge piece in place....am looking for better photos, such as this one and dated just after the hatch change.
http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/earhart/id/811/rec/1012

[Jerry Germann]

I believe the many times the Electra was featured in photo shoots, before the hatch was rotated 180 degrees, was that they merely drove the pin out of the hinge and removed the hatch....just better photos and posing positions without it.
I believe the hinge halves are still above the Port window in these Purdue students/Amelia poses.

Jerry, the photo you showed a detail from was taken while the plane was still under construction.  You may be right that the hatch was removed for the Purdue photo shoot but I'm not aware of any other occasion when that was done.

The hatch in my opinion would be a very easy removal.....pull the rod pin out and off it comes...five minutes.
However; I haven't come across a post hatch rotation image, where the hatch is removed.....or one where the hatch is removed pre Bendix race as well. As you mention it may be telling.

[Jerry Germann]

In this picture at Purdue the hatch still opens outward, it's easy to see how the hatch makes it difficult to climb in/out using the wing

http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/epurdue/id/350/rec/17

That photo was taken at Purdue so the hatch still opened outward, at least when she arrived at Purdue in September.  Matt may be right.  The hatch may be missing in the other Purdue photos because it was in the shop having the hinges changed.

A new hinge half strip would have to be attached to the center line, ...I don't know that the hatch would need any modifications, rotate 180 degrees and attach at new center-line hinge half strip via hinge rod,.... construct new port window header piece to accommodate the latches to secure.
Research on potential latch design changes may give clues,to verify if any modification was done to the hatch, or other details may indicate that at some point an entire new hatch was created.....small details like rivet positions, latches, inner liner, may help determine that.

[Jerry Germann]

I found this image, in which it appears that the hinge is on the starboard side ( unless it is a reverse image)...hatch looks to have latches at the top and is open a bit at the centerline. Is this the Electra or another plane?

[Ric Gillespie]

I found this image, in which it appears that the hinge is on the starboard side ( unless it is a reverse image)...hatch looks to have latches at the top and is open a bit at the centerline. Is this the Electra or another plane?

The photo is reversed.  It's one of the publicity shots from July 21, 1936.

[Andrew M McKenna]

just to make sure everyone understands the change in how the hatch worked, and how it was modified, I found these images which show the before (opening from the left to the left as looking aircraft forward) and after (opening to the right from the right as looking aircraft forward) configurations of the hatch.

These are screen shots snipped out of this Elgen Long / Nauticos crashed and sank video on YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPrBgNXpV7w

Hatch to the left with AE at time 5:28 minutes
Hatch to the right at 18:28
Hatch to the right at 28;48

It is not clear when or where these movies of the Electra were taken.

Andrew