Delayed in Lae
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Lae is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is 2,556 statute miles from Lae to Howland. Earhart and Noonan arrived at Lae at 3 p.m. on June 29, and left at or near 10 a.m. on July 2.
Time and Weather
"The main cause of her delay at Lae was because they awaited a satisfactory weather report and an accurate check on time signals for setting the chronometer."[1]
July 1: Failed Direction finding test
- Excerpts from the Chater Report
- "At 6.35 a.m., July 1st, Miss Earhart carried out a 30 minute air test of the machine when two way telephone communication was established between the ground station at Lae and the plane. The Operator was requested to send a long dash while Miss Earhart endeavoured to get a minimum on her direction finder. On landing Miss Earhart informed us that she had been unable to obtain a minimum and that she considered this was because the Lae station was too powerful and too close. ...
- During the rest of the day constant watch was kept for the reception of time signals with no result until 9 p.m. when the Sydney signal was heard though with considerable interference. Meanwhile the Lae Operator had advised Rabaul of our lack of success in picking up a time signal owing to local interference. At 10.20 p.m. a message was heard from all Australian coastal stations requesting all shipping to keep silence for a period of ten minutes during the transmission of the Adelaide time signal which was being awaited by Miss Earhart. Complete silence prevailed during this period and a perfect time signal was received by Captain Noonan, and the machine chronometer was found to be three seconds slow.
- On July 2nd a further time signal was received from Saigon at 8 a.m. when the chronometer checked the same as the previous night.
- Both Captain Noonan and Miss Earhart expressed their complete satisfaction and decided to leave at ten o’clock.
- On July 1st all weather reports received were dated June 30th. Several radios received on July 1st were taken away by accident by Miss Earhart (both original and copy) and consequently we have no copies available.
- Miss Earhart did not receive any weather reports on July 2nd prior to her departure.
telegrams, phone calls, questions about Fred and Amelia's condition ...
chronometer, DF flight