Amelia Earhart

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 08:57:12 -0500, "Martin X. Moleski, SJ"
wrote in
::

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:15:57 GMT, James Robinson
wrote:
[...]
Mantz is quoted as saying that Earhart was in such a rush to start her
journey that she was inadequately trained on the new radio equipment ...

1. She and Fred Noonan, her navigator, refused to learn Morse Code.
They planned to rely on voice. This became a fatal flaw when they
needed to communicate with the Coast Guard crew waiting for
them at Howland Island.

Mantz also indicated, that at Putnum's instance AE left the long wire
antenna in Florida to lighten the load.*

* Hollywood pilot;: The biography of Paul Mantz
by Don Dwiggins:
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac...67 8660_2:3:3



[...]
1928: First woman to fly across the Atlantic
(acted as “logkeeper”).

http://www.acepilots.com/earhart.html
She became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic on June
18-19, 1928. The flight was the brainchild of Amy Guest, a
wealthy, aristocratic American expatriate living in London. Aware
of the huge publicity that would accrue to the first woman to fly
the Atlantic, the 55 year old Mrs. Guest had purchased a Fokker F7
trimotor from Commander Richard Byrd, to make the flight herself.
Her family objected, and she relented, as long as the "right sort"
of woman could make the flight. The "right sort" would take a good
picture, be well-educated, and not be a publicity-seeking
gold-digger. The Guest family hired George Putnam, a New York
publicist who had promoted Lindbergh's book We, to look for a
suitable women pilot. He selected the little-known Amelia Earhart,
and introduced her as "Lady Lindy".

While the flight instantly made her world-famous, she was little
more than a passenger in the Fokker tri-motor "Friendship." They
took off from Trepassy, Newfoundland, and after a 20 hour and 40
minute flight, landed in Burry Port, Wales. When they went on to
London, another huge mob welcomed them. The pilots, Wilmer Stutz
and Louis Gordon, were all but forgotten in the media frenzy
surrounding the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 15:32:26 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

1. She and Fred Noonan, her navigator, refused to learn Morse Code.
They planned to rely on voice. This became a fatal flaw when they
needed to communicate with the Coast Guard crew waiting for
them at Howland Island.

Mantz also indicated, that at Putnum's instance AE left the long wire
antenna in Florida to lighten the load ...

RIght. The 250' trailing antenna was exclusively for 500 Hz (aka
as "kcs" in the old sources), which, in turn, was exclusively
for Morse Code (aka as "CW", continuous wave).

Since neither AE nor FN knew CW, there was no point in
carrying an antenna dedicated to an all-CW frequency.

... George Putnam ... selected the little-known Amelia Earhart,
and introduced her as "Lady Lindy".

I think both AE and Lindbergh hated that nickname.

Marty

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 15:04:19 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

... like many of her
fellow aviatrix' of the time, her bravado exceeded here piloting
skills.

I'd nominate Jean Batten of NZ for top honors in courage,
skill, and luck:

http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/jean_batten_bio.html

She wasn't all there psychologically, but neither am I. ;o)

... their successes captured the world's attention and undeniably
demonstrated female equality with men at a time when it was needed to
publicly advance that movement.

It was also a way to earn a living. There's good money in
show business.

Marty

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 18:31:55 -0500, "Martin X. Moleski, SJ"
wrote:

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 15:32:26 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

1. She and Fred Noonan, her navigator, refused to learn Morse Code.
They planned to rely on voice. This became a fatal flaw when they
needed to communicate with the Coast Guard crew waiting for
them at Howland Island.

Mantz also indicated, that at Putnum's instance AE left the long wire
antenna in Florida to lighten the load ...

RIght. The 250' trailing antenna was exclusively for 500 Hz (aka
as "kcs" in the old sources), which, in turn, was exclusively
for Morse Code (aka as "CW", continuous wave).

Since neither AE nor FN knew CW, there was no point in
carrying an antenna dedicated to an all-CW frequency.

I'm coming in late; maybe this was already covered.

Until a few years ago, 500 kHz was the one frequency marine radio
operators were REQUIRED to monitor continually, day and night, for
emergency traffic.

Also, If I remember _North to the Orient_ CW was one of the things
Anne Morrow Lindbergh made it a point to master before that flight,
and that was six years before AE and FN disappeared.

I'm surprised they'd throw away a lifeline like that.

Don

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 01:54:10 GMT, Don Tuite
wrote:

Mantz also indicated, that at Putnum's instance AE left the long wire
antenna in Florida to lighten the load ...

RIght. The 250' trailing antenna was exclusively for 500 Hz (aka
as "kcs" in the old sources), which, in turn, was exclusively
for Morse Code (aka as "CW", continuous wave).

Since neither AE nor FN knew CW, there was no point in
carrying an antenna dedicated to an all-CW frequency.

I'm coming in late; maybe this was already covered.

Nope.

Until a few years ago, 500 kHz was the one frequency marine radio
operators were REQUIRED to monitor continually, day and night, for
emergency traffic.

That is correct. I think that rule came in after the Titanic sank
(1912).

Um, thanks for quietly correcting my mistake: kHz vs Hz.

Also, If I remember _North to the Orient_ CW was one of the things
Anne Morrow Lindbergh made it a point to master before that flight,
and that was six years before AE and FN disappeared.

I think both she and Charles could do celestial navigation, too.
I don't know whether they checked each other's calculations,
but "two heads are better than one."

I'm surprised they'd throw away a lifeline like that.

Yes. I think (especially in 1937) that long wave is better for
DF than shorter waves. Even if she couldn't do anything but
tap out "A" on 500 kHz, it might have helped the Coast Guard
and Navy to search more intelligently for the downed aircraft.

Marty

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 18:31:55 -0500, "Martin X. Moleski, SJ"
wrote:

Since neither AE nor FN knew CW, there was no point in
carrying an antenna dedicated to an all-CW frequency.

Well, it doesn't take very long to learn dit-dit-dit dah-dah-dah
dit-dit-dit, and that would have been of some use in the event.

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 18:35:22 -0500, "Martin X. Moleski, SJ"
wrote:

... their successes captured the world's attention and undeniably
demonstrated female equality with men at a time when it was needed to
publicly advance that movement.

It was also a way to earn a living. There's good money in
show business.

There was also that gorgeous gal in the tailor-made purple jumpsuit.
Alas, she didn't have a seatbelt, and she fell out of her aircraft
during a show over Boston.

Far from giving her the Darwin award, however, the world has seen her
face on a U.S. postal stamp. Oh, what was her name? She was so pretty
too in that purple jumpsuit. I want to call her Gloria but I don't
think that's right.

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:22:37 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote:

Since neither AE nor FN knew CW, there was no point in
carrying an antenna dedicated to an all-CW frequency.

Well, it doesn't take very long to learn dit-dit-dit dah-dah-dah
dit-dit-dit, and that would have been of some use in the event.

Agreed 100%. It probably would have saved their
lives to get up to speed with CW. They could have
gotten straightened out by using CW on 7500 kHz,
the only frequency on which AE heard any transmissions
from the Itasca (a Coast Guard cutter).

AE and FN talked their way out of meeting the 15 wpm
CW requirement. Then they took the 500 kHz antenna
out of the plane. Rumor has it that they also left the
key behind in Miami--more dead weight.

Marty

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:26:21 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote:

It was also a way to earn a living. There's good money in
show business.

There was also that gorgeous gal in the tailor-made purple jumpsuit.
Alas, she didn't have a seatbelt, and she fell out of her aircraft
during a show over Boston.

Far from giving her the Darwin award, however, the world has seen her
face on a U.S. postal stamp. Oh, what was her name? She was so pretty
too in that purple jumpsuit. I want to call her Gloria but I don't
think that's right.

Harriet Quimby. Purple satin. Her plane landed safely after
she and her passenger fell out of the cockpit.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flygirls/peopleevents/pandeAMEX05.html

Marty

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:26:21 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote in
::

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 18:35:22 -0500, "Martin X. Moleski, SJ"
wrote:

... their successes captured the world's attention and undeniably
demonstrated female equality with men at a time when it was needed to
publicly advance that movement.

It was also a way to earn a living. There's good money in
show business.

There was also that gorgeous gal in the tailor-made purple jumpsuit.
Alas, she didn't have a seatbelt, and she fell out of her aircraft
during a show over Boston.

Far from giving her the Darwin award, however, the world has seen her
face on a U.S. postal stamp. Oh, what was her name? She was so pretty
too in that purple jumpsuit. I want to call her Gloria but I don't
think that's right.


Her name was Harriet Quimby, the first US woman to hold an airman's
certificate in 1910, just two years after the Wrights sold their first
aircraft.

Actually, IIRC she was giving a ride to a gentleman in her Bleriot
monoplane, and they hit some turbulence, and as a result, he was
ejected from the aircraft. This caused the aircraft CG to change to
the extent that the aircraft was no longer controllable and she fell
tragically into knee deep water off the coast. Here's a cite:

http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/quimby.htm
When Harriet arrived on July 1, 1912, William Willard, the event
organizer, and his son, Charles, tossed a coin to see who would
win the privilege of a flight with Harriet. Willard Senior won the
toss and climbed into the passenger seat, casually appointing
Earle Ovington as Manger of the meet in case he met with an
accident. After a routine flight out to the Boston Light, Harriet
circled over the Neponset River and Dorchester Bay as thousands of
spectators watched.

While at an altitude of approximately 1500 feet, the plane
suddenly pitched forward and Willard was thrown from his seat.
Harriet appeared to temporarily gain control of the monoplane, but
was thrown out seconds later. Both Harriet and Willard fell to
their deaths in the tidal mud flats of the Bay. Just why the plane
pitched forward continues to be analyzed and debated to this day.
The 1912 Boston Globe suggested lack of seat belts, while Earle
Ovington claimed cables from the aircraft tangled the steering
mechanisms. Others speculated that Willard, a heavy and excitable
man, suddenly leaned forward to speak with Harriet, and was tossed
out. Once he was ejected, the empty passenger seat made it
impossible for Harriet to regain balance of her machine. When
flying her two-seater aircraft alone, Harriet "balanced" the
weight with sand bags in the passenger's seat. Although her
Bleriot was now empty, it glided downward, until it was overturned
in the shallow muddy water. Reports that her plane landed unbroken
have been exaggerated through the years, and in fact it was badly
damaged.

From that account, I don't feel that she deserved a nomination for a
Darwin Award. Her last flight demonstrated the necessity for aircraft
to be equipped with seatbelts.

There's a photograph of Miss Quimby he
http://www.womeninaviation.com/harriet.html .

Another he http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1696.htm