old iron wrote:
I assume that the radio operator would have been in the front next to Earhart. Noone was in the back because he was using a skylight for navigation.
They really needed that radio operator. Others have covered that Earhart was not as good a flyer as people assume, but her radio skills were much worse. She had no idea on standard operating procedures, a comment made by several of the people who were hearing her messages (what few of them that were heard) live. One interpretation (by Elgen M. Long) on the reason for the failure was that Howland was in a time zone 1/2 hour from the normal. She did not know this; Amelia's routine was to sent on the hour and receive on the half hour (if I have this right), but because she and her destination were operating on a half-hour difference, both were sending at the same time, and then both listening a half hour later. They were essentially stepping on each others signals. I think this interpretation rings true. A trained radio operator would have done the homework to know this ahead of time.
Amelia was also "changing channels" frequently, and some of the frequencies she was using were not working at all. Her last words in her last message were that she changing to another frequency. Elgen Long's interpretation was that in those few moments where she was changing the frequency, the fuel ran out, and she was certainly then too busy to fly and do radio work at the time.
As I said, she really needed that radio operator.
A lot of this last leg smells badly of poor planning, and I suspect that this was a recurring theme during the whole flight. I’m not saying that as a criticism (not entirely, anyway) but so many things were not standardized in those days. Something as simple as everyone using GMT or Zulu time (Yes, I’m old) weren’t done. Earhart having an apparently thin knowledge of how her radios worked and what their capabilities were. Itasca not being able to take a bearing on her because she couldn’t transmit in the necessary frequency range. The battery powered, portable NDB for Howland that apparently got switched on about the time the Electra left Lae and was dead as a doornail by the time it was needed. It just makes you want to ask “Who the h-ll was in charge of this sh-t show?!?” But then, this was likely something of a first for everyone involved. I’ll bet there were many arguments on the ground whenever they stopped about “And who’s paying for this fuel? Who’s paying for the landing charges? Who’s paying for the hotel rooms?” I can hear it now.
If her airplane is found and if it is raised eventually it’ll be very interesting to see what all was installed in it for radio gear and what it actually was capable of.
I caught this last night. Fascinating stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrk7kDETyxs
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