Amelia Earhart Project in PNG
Torres:
Sorry Torres, I didn't answer your query about Earhart's statement "fuel is running low" and therefore how would she have enough to get back to ENB.... (?)
That statement was made by AE while she was searching for Howland and I interpret that as being "fuel is running low to be able to keep on searching". In other words she had to stop looking at a certain level of fuel which she required to use to get back to the Gilbert's, ie "Contingency Fuel" and I firmly believe that figure was a level of 300 USG
From a previous post I made you will have read that she always stipulated "The Gilberts" as her backdoor contingency and she had said that to Gene Vidal whose voice tapes "saying that very thing" are in the University of Wisconsin where they were found by researcher Ron Bright.
So, she had "trip fuel" to get to Howland, plus she had "search fuel" to look for Howland plus she had "contingency fuel" to get to the Gilberts all rolled into the 1100USG she carried out of Lae. Remember that amount is supposed to give, at CRUISE power mind you, at least 3165 miles. I am saying at turnback she had covered around 2256 to 2306 miles from Lae or she was at about 1890 to 1940 miles from Rabaul.
She had to have enough for 600 miles back to the Gilberts and then some, in order to be able to find the best place to put the thing down so in a worst case down low she would gulp 60 USG per hour, so four hours at Cruise to give 150 mph G/S needs 240 USG and then another hour to have a good look for the best place is 300 USG and that's how I arrive at that.
I discussed earlier the return for one and three-quarter hours at Cruise and climbing up again to say 8,000 and using 38 USGPH then by the time she sees (as I say) Nonouti Atoll she has used 65 USG leaving approx 235 USG. She is now 1590 miles from Rabaul.
At this stage, I would have liked to have been a fly on the cockpit wall because she has a BIG decision to make.... put it down on Tabiteuea or Nonouti and possibly wait weeks for someone to come and get her. Keep going to Ocean Island but she knows there is nowhere to put it down there. What about Nauru, no airstrip there either. Nukumanu, well, we can get there but we may have to ditch in the lagoon.
Economise, get high, use the power setting for the OAK-HNL flight when they slowed the Electra down, it will take time but they will get there, and be closer to civilisation and they may even get to Rabaul, they have at least 11 hours endurance.
If I have 150 G/S at the low power setting and I use 20 USGPH at 10,000 feet or slightly less at 12,000 feet and I have 235 USG left and 15 is unusable fuel, I can run for 11 hours and cover 1575 miles. Planning to fuel exhaustion is not everyone's cup of tea but as you can see from those figures she could just about make it.
What would you do ?
Regards,
Dave Billings
Last edited by David Billings; 25th Feb 2018 at 11:32.