I find it amazing that apart from the article in The Australian which appeared recently , media sources do not seem interested in doing anything on David Billings work on the Earhart case.. Whatever is found in PNG is going to be an interesting story of the search .
You would think his extensive and detailed website would spark some interest and curiosity.

Amelia Earhart discovery? Researchers eye Papua New Guinea ‘wreck site’

https://sputniknews.com/society/2019...ua-new-guinea/

Looks like things are starting to move also on David Billings efforts - both based upon turning around and heading back

The problem is that David is not bashing the Govt or playing identity politics.

Bashing Guvmint & Identity Politics...
 

...Er, indeed "Yes", . I stay well away from those.....

The BUKA Island find has existed since 2005 and I recall an article in the PNG Post-Guria circa 2008 which described the wreck and its' box of gold protected by a very large sea snake.

I also seem to recall one photobraph of a mainwheel and tyre assembly off of the wreck which was not a small diameter hub and a balloon type tyre. U.S. Researchers into losses of WWII aircraft in that area concliuded that the wreck was a missing Lockheed Ventura known to have gone down somewhere near to the BUKA Passage. There was a USN Squadron of the type further down to the south pf Bougainville Island that were radar equipped.

It is interesting that the US Group have had divers down there but have not brought up one piece of the wreck that would identify it. If it was the Earhart Electra just one of the fuselage LHS refuelling panels with two QR fasteners would raise my unterest .

Crowd funding not blowing the target budget away ???

Shouldn't the people involved be able to ascertain fairly quickly whether it is that Ventura that went missing? It would save a lot of mucking about and unnecessary fund raising.
Surely local divers could bring up a few items to clarify the aircraft type.

The Project Angel GoFundMe may be a very very long wait to reach the target $200k.

I smell boondoggle - forget a piece of airplane- find an engine- if its NOT a WASP, it is NOT hers

a thin piece of aluminum may corrode - doubtful an engine will corrode down to zip - nor will tides move it very far

David Billings funding efforts seem to have had the same afflictions.Some recent sad failed funding posts seem to have disappeared from his Web site after all the recent publicity in the Australian Media.It is a pity that David cannot resolve the funding issues as it appears to be the most convincing of all the theories presented to date.

Funding afflictions ?
 

1splitpin says:
"David Billings funding efforts seem to have had the same afflictions.Some recent sad failed funding posts seem to have disappeared from his Web site after all the recent publicity in the Australian Media.It is a pity that David cannot resolve the funding issues as it appears to be the most convincing of all the theories presented to date."

One of the funding afflictions is that when rich people do approach me with ideas about funding the Project one of the problems is that they never, ever, want to use their own money. They always say they have "connections" or "know" people who will fund it so the search for funding then develops into a search for OPM - Other Peoples Money, never their own.
Another problem is when they have "Dollar SIgns" for eyes and Greed gets in the way.
"Control" also raises its' ugly head and control of the project becomes the aim.

I have had "all of the above".

Lastly , although I have been in Aviation in one form or another for nearly 70 years, "What would I know, Me, an old geezer living in Queensland " ?

Yr pretty much spot on there David.
…..sadly the few chosen words I have highlighted say it all about Aviation especially when it comes to history of same.
I fear the mystery will remain so for sometime yet:-(

The public has been flogged to death with donations for starving children, refugees, adopt a child, homeless people, foreign aid to corrupt Pacific nations and on and on etc., so what hope has of any very risky AA venture got of raising sufficient public funds.

Money
 

At some point David might just get lucky with a wealthy backer or TV production company taking an interest. It just seems odd that with all his detailed website information that somebody somewhere with the money cannot see the potential , especially when other organisations seem to raise money without too much difficulty for all kinds of things. That he has battled on for a long while now is great credit to him and his colleagues.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/e...af4032101e0cad

Could? 13 years to identify an aircraft type??? :ooh:

Guys, That is a B24 under the water in the news Video note the wheel well between the engines. The wing has two engines on each side with Hamilton Standard prop and cowl rings. If you google B24 Landing gear you will see the wheel well in the wing between the 3/4 engine nacelles...... 13 second not 13 years to figure that one out.

The wrong image ?? B-24 bomber nicknamed the 'Tulsamerican' see the projectblueangel.com/images for the correct ones.