Warbird Information Exchange

Also, I forgot to add. My understanding of the P-38 is that TIGHAR has only filed the paperwork for the permits to allow recovery of the aircraft only. I believe it is open to anyone and TIGHAR does not have exclusive rights to the aircraft or recovery. My understanding is it is open to whoever does the paperwork and is first to dig it out. There is NO exclusive arrangement with anybody or any organization in relation to the P-38. Perhaps some of our English members can clarify this or add more detail. I believe TIGHAR was just opportunistic to jump on the P-38 bandwagon to capitalize on free publicity since the P-38 was making headlines around the world at that time.

I watched the show and enjoyed it (was on Discovery). But we all know he's full of it. I've known it since he first opened his mouth 20 years ago. And I have one question. Gardner is 1000 miles from Howland, right? . She say's shes low on fuel and by all accounts right in the vicinity of Howland. How the hell does she find five hours of fuel to get to Gardner Island ?

Gardner Island is roughly 350nm from Howland Island, not saying that I believe TIGHAR just saying its not 1000nm

I stand corrected. Thanks. I guess it is possible then. I was surprised on the show to see Gillespie admit he was totally wrong with the box found in 91 and the shoe, when back then he said case solved. Even he admits without smoking gun evidence, nothing's gonna fly with the public the way it did at that stupid press conference in the early 90's.

another source says her airspeed was 130 k indicated or 110 ground( or sea) speed, and estimates that she might have reached Howland area with about 4 hours fuel left.

I don't have it now, but thought Gillespie said Gardner was about 240 miles from Howland, still she would have needed more like 2 hours of fuel not the half hour she may have had left.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

I understand that to be the case. You need a licence to recover the aircraft but anybody can apply for one, a previous issue to a third party does not prevent a subsequent issue. However, all parties concerned, MOD, landowners etc have to be in agreement.

Just imagining how they must have felt... Flying out by dead reckoning, getting near time and then beyond for where they THOUGHT their destination should be, looking about and seeing naught but more sea.

The USN taught carrier pilots to fly square circles when looking for a missing boat to land on. Fine if you have the fuel and a reasonable expectation of finding something.

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Support Your Local Warbirds! KBO!
The only reasons the airplanes matter is what the veterans did with them... and why.

Details of the Ted Waitt funded underwater search off Howland island in 2009 make for interesting reading.
http://searchforamelia.org/intro

This one and the Nauticos search (2006?) have both come up empty but its difficult to imagine the aircraft would still be in one large recognizable piece just sitting on the ocean floor

This was on Fox yesterday.
http://www.comcast.net/video/amelia-ear ... 700554897/
You'll notice that it doesn't say WHO found this stuff. I'm sure, if it was TIGHAR that found it, they be blowing their horn about it.

Mudge the suspicious

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Land of the free because of the brave

Fox News had the story last night about the things that TIGHAR claims to have found on Gardner; the small piece of bone, a piece of a pocket knife blade, and woman's makeup powder.
The didn't go into the story in much depth, but did say that it is one theory about what happened to Amelia and Fred, and said it was a plausible one.
Who could doubt Tighar, especially now with Fox on their side?

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

The Fox clip is coming up as unavailable here, maybe it has something to do with my being in a different country. Anyways, is it of the announcement they made of some bone fragments, "Either from a human finger or a turtle?" Now I'm no bone-ologist, but I don't imagine I have any parts in common with a turtle other than some very basic DNA structure or something. Shouldn't this sort of thing be determined for sure before running off to the press? Do they not realize that they have been down this road before and it damages their own credibility?

-Tim

P.S. I found a quarter on the floor at work today, do you think any news programs will pick up the story if I insist it was likely dropped there by Noonan himself? Your donations will help solve this mystery once and for all...

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Keep 'em Flying.

Not much info in that short video clip. Here is an article with the same info, but more detailed:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101218/ap_ ... for_amelia

Just about the first thing you learn in forensic anthropology is that the small bones of the extremities are the first to disappear from exposed remains. The first thing you learn is not to jump to conclusions--or bend your evidence to fit your conclusions.

"A bad detective only looks for evidence under the street light."

So as I've said before, not a fan of TIGHAR at all simply because of the exploitation they use in their fundraising, etc.

However, I did see on the news the other day that it was determined to be a finger bone (as opposed to a turtle bone) and that they are now performing DNA tests on it.

Wouldn't it be amazing, though, if it DID turn out to be a match with Emelia? It would certainly re-write a lot of 'accepted' history, and it would validate a lot of the circumstantial evidence that they highlighted on the Discovery show.

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Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives, and I decline......