Amelia Earhart

by W. C. Jameson

  While at Assab, Noonan wrote a letter to his wife. Among other things, he informed her that the maps and charts they had been supplied with were misleading and incomplete. The next morning, June 15, the Electra lifted off at 3:15 a.m. During the flight, Earhart was having trouble with the fuel flow meter again. In addition, she had problems with the exhaust analyzer, which assisted with fuel mixture and economy. After thirteen hours and twenty-two minutes, the Electra touched down at the Drigh Road Civil Aerodrome in Karachi. While Earhart and Noonan were spending the night in Karachi, the Itasca had reached Honolulu and was setting out for Howland Island.

  In the airport hangar, the plane was serviced, the oil changed, and new spark plugs installed. There were technicians available to examine and test the communications systems on board the Electra, but they got no instructions from Earhart. The Cambridge exhaust analyzer was not functioning, and there were no spare parts available for repair. Earhart sent a telegram to Putnam explaining the problem and requested he have a replacement shipped to their next destination. She did not want to attempt crossing the Pacific Ocean without being able to accurately predict how much fuel they were burning. The next morning, June 17, at 7:25 a.m., they departed for Calcutta, India. Following another uneventful flight, they landed in Calcutta at 4:45 p.m. Shortly after landing, Earhart learned that the KLM Dutch affiliate would be able to repair the Cambridge fuel analyzer, which would be waiting for her at Bandoeng, Java (now Bandung, Indonesia).

  The next morning, following a night of heavy rain, Earhart rose early to examine the airfield. She found it saturated with moisture and too soft for an efficient takeoff. She also considered that it was the beginning of the monsoon season, and the field would likely not get any better for a long time. She lifted off without incident at 7:05 a.m., June 18, barely clearing the edge of the forest at the end of the runway. She landed at the Akyab, Burma, airport at 10:00 a.m. After refueling, she took off just after noon. Immediately, Earhart and Noonan encountered heavy rains and were forced to return. They would be forced to wait to see what the next day’s conditions were like before attempting another takeoff. The battling with the bad weather was taking a toll on both Earhart and Noonan.

  The following morning, June 19, they managed to depart at 6:30 a.m. Once in the air, however, they realized the rain had not diminished from the day before. They were forced to return once again, landing at 7:37 a.m. After examining the charts, Earhart and Noonan decided they could climb to an altitude higher than the coastal mountains and fly over them to Rangoon, their next stop. They took off again at 8:42 a.m. They managed to climb through the heavy rain and turbulence to 8,000 feet, turned to cross the mountains, and made their way to Rangoon, landing during a storm.

  After spending the night, Earhart and Noonan returned to the airfield and lifted off at 6:30 a.m., June 20, and landed at Bangkok two hours and forty minutes later. After refueling and subjecting to a quick customs check, they were back in the air by 10:27 a.m. bound for Singapore, nine hundred miles away. During this part of the journey, the fuel flow meters failed again.

  Six and one-half hours after leaving Bangkok, the Electra touched down at the Kallang Airport in Singapore. Following a stay with the U.S. consul general in Singapore, Monnet B. Davis, Earhart and Noonan got an early start for Bandoeng on the island of Java. They landed four hours and twenty minutes later. Mechanics went straight to work on the faulty fuel flow instrument and servicing the plane. Earhart explained that she wanted all of the work completed so that she could take off early the next day for Port Darwin, Australia. Later, the mechanics informed Earhart that the work would not be completed in time for her to take off in the morning.

  As the mechanics were working on the Electra, the U.S. Navy seaplane tender Swan departed Honolulu to establish a position between there and Howland Island to serve as a guard station for Earhart.

  Tuesday morning, June 22, Earhart and Noonan arrived at the hangar to check on the progress with the Electra. The mechanics told her that they were certain the plane would be ready for flight on Wednesday morning. However, the next day when Earhart and Noonan arrived early, the mechanics were still working on the engine exhaust stack where the exhaust analyzer had broken. Work was going slowly, so Earhart decided to plan on taking off on Thursday morning.

  Noonan was having difficulty bearing up under Earhart’s aggressive schedule and sought more relief in alcohol. Earhart placed a call to Putnam. Putnam had no sooner answered his telephone than Earhart blurted out, “He’s hitting the bottle again and I don’t even know where he’s getting it!” She said her patience with her navigator was “wearing thin.”

  As the plane was being worked on, the Itasca arrived at a point just off the eastern side of Howland Island.

  At 3:45 a.m. on Thursday morning, Earhart and Noonan climbed into the airplane and started the engines. She tested the exhaust analyzer and the fuel flow meters and discovered that one of the meters was still not working. She summoned the mechanics, and they went back to work on it. By the time they got finished with the repairs, it was too late to undertake the flight to their next scheduled destination, Koepang (Kupang) on the island of Timor, so she decided instead to fly to Surabaya, a Javanese city 360 miles to the west.

  Earhart and Noonan arrived at Surabaya at 4:35 p.m. Java time. The next morning as Earhart was preparing for a predawn takeoff, she discovered the oft-repaired fuel flow meter was still not working properly. Earhart placed a call to F. O. Furman, the field engineer at Bandoeng, asking him for advice. Furman recommended she return to Bandoeng, as it was the only place within thousands of miles that was capable of making the necessary repairs. She flew back to Bandoeng, where, some believe, the mechanics found the wiring in the fuel flow meter system had broken. Furman assured Earhart that the instrument could be repaired but that the job could not be completed in time for her to take off that day.

  Max Clements was the editor of Runway 26, an aviation-oriented magazine. An intrepid Earhart researcher, Clements found documentation that suggested the time spent at Bandoeng was not entirely what most perceived it to be. Clements discovered that “a group of people was awaiting Earhart’s arrival at Surabaya. She flew them to Bandoeng where, under the supervision of F. O. Furman, they installed superchargers on the Electra’s engines.”

  The Navy seaplane tender Swan arrived at the assigned guard station in the Pacific. The U.S. Navy tug Ontario arrived at a point halfway between Lae, New Guinea, and Howland Island the previous evening. This now made three U.S. military vessels stationed in the Pacific awaiting word on the progress of Earhart’s flight.

  Earhart and Noonan took off just before noon from Bandoeng, Saturday, June 26. They were five days behind schedule. As the Electra approached the airport at Surabaya, Earhart checked to make certain all of the instruments were working properly. They were. They landed at 2:30 p.m. and made plans to depart early in the morning.

  Around dawn of the next day, Sunday, June 27, they took off and headed for Koepang, on the western end of the island of Timor. They touched down at 1:30 p.m. local time. Their flight had been slowed because of strong headwinds. At Koepang, she informed airport officials that she would be there only long enough to refuel and wanted to depart as soon as possible for Darwin, Australia. As a result of a forecast of even stronger headwinds, Earhart and Noonan decided to remain in Koepang for the night. The following morning they lifted off at 6:30 a.m.

  At 11:26 a.m. Darwin time, they landed and parked near the entrance to the administration building. There, the public health inspector found Earhart’s vaccination certification was not in order. Since the Electra had recently traveled through and landed at locations where diphtheria, cholera, malaria, smallpox, and yellow fever were major problems, the inspector was concerned. He provided permission for Earhart and Noonan to proceed to the Hotel Victoria, where they had plans to stay the night, but insisted that they report to him any symptoms that might occur. In the meantime, he said, he would contact the Australian dir
ector general of health regarding the improper certification related to Earhart’s vaccinations and inform them later of the decision.

  Later, Earhart reported that her receiver had not worked properly since she left the United States and that the left landing gear shock absorber strut was low. When a technician examined the Bendix receiver, he discovered a burned-out fuse that he replaced. A short time later, the public health inspector contacted Earhart and Noonan at their hotel and informed them that exemptions had been granted for their vaccination certifications.

  The following morning, June 29, Earhart lifted off at 6:49 a.m. The next destination was Lae, on the eastern end of the island of New Guinea. From Lae, Earhart and Noonan would commence their journey across a portion of the Pacific Ocean to Howland Island, by far the longest leg of the trip.

  During the flight, Earhart noted that the Cambridge exhaust analyzer was inoperative once again. In addition, the carburetor air temperature gauges were not working, and the Sperry gyro horizon instrument relating to keeping the plane level was not functioning properly. During the flight, either Earhart did not make a significant number of transmissions, or her transmissions were not received by most of the stations. She and Noonan landed after flying for seven hours and forty-three minutes, at 3:02 p.m. Lae time.

  At Lae, Earhart provided the mechanics with a list of five Electra malfunctions that needed fixing in addition to the exhaust analyzer. Since Earhart and Noonan were now facing the longest flight of their journey—a portion of the western Pacific Ocean over open water—it was imperative that all of the Electra’s instruments and mechanical apparatuses be functioning properly.

  • 17 •Final Preparations

  Shortly after arriving at Lae and clearing customs and health inspectors, Earhart met with Harry Balfour, who operated the airport radio station. Balfour handed Earhart a number of messages that had been waiting for her. Among them was one from the Itasca that was a review of the communication specifications. Earhart informed Balfour that her transmitter operated only on 3,105 and 6,210 kilocycles.

  Earhart and Noonan went to the Hotel Cecil a short distance from the airport and checked in. Earhart was invited to dinner at the home of Eric H. Chater, the general manager of the airport. After she departed, Noonan went to the hotel bar and had a drink with James Collopy and Bertie Heath. Collopy was the district superintendent of the Australian civil aviation agency. Heath was a pilot. The three men regaled each other with their flying adventures as they drank. It was reported that Noonan became quite drunk.

  It was around midnight when Noonan decided it was time to go to bed. Because he was staggering, Collopy assisted him to his room. Once there, Noonan got tangled up in the bed’s mosquito netting and thrashed around, making a good deal of noise. Earhart, who was sleeping in an adjacent room, was awakened. She tried to communicate with Noonan through the thin walls, but he was too inebriated to understand anything.

  On Wednesday morning, June 30, Earhart went to the radio station to check for messages and review the weather forecast. She told Balfour she would like to depart around noon. Forecasts had not yet arrived. Earhart proceeded to the hangar where the Electra was being worked on to determine whether it would be ready by noon. A mechanic informed her that an air scoop between two cylinders on the port engine required repair and that a takeoff would be unlikely until the next day.

  Earhart sent a telegram to Putnam in Oakland. It read in part, “Radio misunderstanding and personnel unfitness probably will hold one day.” This somewhat cryptic message has puzzled Earhart researchers over the decades. Some suggest her mention of “personnel unfitness” was a reference to Noonan and his drinking problem. Her reference to “radio misunderstanding” is not clear. Was she referring to a misunderstanding between her and the Itasca? Or did she mean she was having trouble understanding the radio operations procedure? No one knows.

  By now Earhart and Noonan had been in Lae for eighteen hours and had received no flight forecasts. During another visit with Balfour, Earhart mentioned she was getting a lot of static on her radio receiver. Balfour went to inspect the system. He found that everything checked out properly. The likelihood is great that Earhart did not know how to operate the unit properly.

  That evening, the mechanics had finished working on the Electra and deemed it ready. The plane was pushed out onto the field. Earhart started the engines and ran through the preflight routine. She discovered that the fuel pressure in the right engine was too low. The mechanics removed the fuel pump, a brand new one they had just installed. They rebuilt the old fuel pump and reinstalled it, and Earhart determined that it was working.

  As Earhart was making plans to depart Lae in the morning, Noonan was attempting to calibrate his chronometer but having difficulties. The two undertook preparations for a 9:30 a.m. liftoff the next day. Earhart made arrangements for a thorough refueling.

  Earhart returned to the hotel to await messages and the weather forecast. Noonan went to the hotel restaurant where he encountered Collopy, who invited him to have a drink. He informed Collopy that he had had enough the previous night to last him for a while. A few minutes later, Earhart came into the restaurant and joined the two men. She asked Collopy about wind conditions in the morning relative to her liftoff, and he explained the pattern. Noonan commented that he had been unable to manage a calibration on his chronometer. Earhart informed Noonan that they would make a test flight in the morning.

  According to author Vincent Loomis, Earhart and Noonan agreed to retire early since they had an early morning takeoff. Noonan, however, decided to spend the night with his new friends, making it back to his hotel room only forty-five minutes before Earhart was knocking on his door to alert him that they would be leaving in two hours. Loomis referred to statements by Noonan’s drinking partners that the navigator complained about Earhart’s “strenuous pace.”

  At 6:00 a.m. on July 1, Earhart and Noonan went to the radio station. Balfour was already there and handed her several messages. One of them was a flight forecast that had emanated from Hawaii. According to the information, they would be facing headwinds of less than twelve miles per hour.

  Noonan looked tired and peaked, and researchers claim he was feeling the effects of a hangover. At least one eyewitness maintained that Noonan was sober prior to takeoff, but the same eyewitness also confessed to having at least one drink with Noonan the previous evening. It was reported that when Noonan showed up that morning he told Earhart that he had a bit of a hangover. She was reputed to have called her navigator a “naughty boy.” Collopy later stated that Noonan got only one hour of sleep before taking off from Lae.

  At 6:35 a.m. on Thursday morning, July 1, Earhart started up the Electra for a test flight. She checked the radio transmitter, called the Lae station on 6,210 kilocycles, and satisfied with the results of the tests, lifted off at 7:05. She noted that the exhaust analyzer was functioning, as was the Sperry gyro. All of the other problems had apparently been taken care of.

  After landing, the Electra was fueled to the maximum for the 2,556-mile flight to Howland Island. Earhart and Noonan expected to be in the air for eighteen hours. Because of the full complement of fuel they were carrying, Earhart deemed it necessary to reduce the weight of the Electra by removing all nonessential items to lighten the load. These included smoke bombs, flares, tools, spare parts, books, clothes, suitcases, and a number of personal belongings. They gave most of the items to several Lae residents.

  Earhart went to the radio station and gave Balfour a number of charts and other items she did not feel were important enough to keep. A more recent forecast informed her of headwinds now predicted at a bit less than fifteen miles per hour. Noonan was finally able to get an accurate time check from a nearby station and found that his chronometer was three seconds slow.

  Later, Balfour commented that he found it hard to believe that a flight such as this was to be undertaken “with so little regard for proper use of the radio and with an incapacitated navigator.”
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  • 18 •From New Guinea to the Rising Sun

  A few minutes before 10:00 a.m., Lae, New Guinea, time on July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart, accompanied by Fred Noonan in his specially constructed compartment located several feet behind the cockpit of the Electra, taxied from the hangar toward the relatively short runway, only 3,000 feet long. The aircraft’s carrying capacity was stressed with 1,100 gallons of fuel that should see them through the nineteen-hour flight to Howland Island, the next scheduled stop. It was the Electra’s heaviest load since the beginning of the trip. Earhart researchers and experienced flyers have commented that the Electra was nearly 50 percent overloaded at the time of takeoff. At Howland, Earhart would refuel from tanks of gasoline that had been stored there for that purpose by the U.S. Navy.

  Prior to boarding the Electra, Earhart cabled the U.S. Navy’s auxiliary tug Ontario to send a series of Morse code N’s at ten minutes past each hour on 400 kilocycles so that she could take radio bearings on the ship with her radio direction finder when she was in the area. She never received a signal, but it remains unclear whether or not she listened in on the Bendix at all.

  The Electra assumed a position in the northwest corner of the grass field. Earhart pointed the nose of the plane toward the southwest and the far end of the strip in order to take advantage of a light wind blowing from the ocean. The strip terminated at the edge of a bluff that rose nearly vertically from the shoreline. Beyond lay the shark-filled waters of the Pacific Ocean.

  Earhart checked the instrument panel and revved up each engine. Satisfied that everything was in working order, she levered the engine throttles full forward and released the brakes. The Electra accelerated down the runway. A smoke bomb had been placed at the halfway point for reference. The Electra was moving at just over sixty miles per hour as it passed. From this point on there was no backing off; the plane needed to lift off the runway or suffer the potential consequences of falling to the rocky shore at the bottom of the bluff.