Originally Posted by
greg47
Theory and calculations using Excel are fine but Erhart and Noonan didnt have this. An FMS with the standard software shows min fuel is maximun for TO max available climb power to optimun then LRC which is not best lift drag which is endurance to stay in the air longest not to cover the best distance with least fuel( ie LRC) and step climb as weight reduces to the new optimun. i stand by 900 gallons to Howland minimun
But it seems probable to this SLF after looking at Kelly J data ( AnalysisRange
Prepared byC.L. Johnson
DateJune 4, 1936
LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT CORP.
Page0
Model10E
Report No487 ) that at some point BEFORE reaching to NEAR howland, that realizing they were " off course" and not likely to find a flyspeck island in the ocean, they turned around ( plan B ) and headed back to a much larger land mass - ' wide' enough re their assumed course to compensate for drift and course errors-. So IMHO what is needed is to find the max point in a loop course they could have reached- and still had enough fuel to reach "somewhere" along NB. Based on IF the wasp engines found did belong to earhart-plane they either ran out of gas and or had to fly low enough to cfit into terrain due to clouds and weather. So in simple terms, is there a ' loop ' course and time location hacks that fit.