Today in Aviation History: Has Amelia’s Plane been Found?
Contributor: Barry Fetzer
Sources: Wikipedia.com
I have mentioned before in these historical aviation vignettes when writing about Amelia Earhart that my mom, like many girls of her age (mom was born in 1928 and is now gone), was a big fan of “America’s Sweetheart” as Amelia was known back then. Not only does my mom’s interest in her spark my own interest in Amelia, but Amelia’s life story, her aviation exploits, and the mystery of her disappearance also spark my interest.
Plus, as I’ve also mentioned before, I work as a line technician at Moore County Airport in Southern Pines (officially its address is in “Carthage” but, according to Wikipedia, the airport lies within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Whispering Pines, NC and is named “officially” “Pinehurst Regional”).
To add to the confusion, mixed with those pilots flying here who call “Moore County Traffic” on Unicom, many pilots transmitting on the airport’s Unicom frequency call it “Southern Pines” or “Pinehurst”, but they never call it “Carthage” or “Whispering Pines”. And Moore County’s airport identifier is KSOP, logically one might assume, is formed from the letters “SOuthern Pines or SOuthern Pines/Pinehurst”).
Anyway, I digress. My point is that, working at SOP, every duty day I’m honored to be walking in Amelia’s footsteps, impressed as they were on her arrival here in 1931, another reason for my interest in her. Here’s a couple of photos of Amelia at Knollwood Field (now Moore County Airport), walking on what is presently a blacktop and concrete ramp, but was then a dirt and grass field, plus a modern photo of the same hangar pictured in the historic photos. This hangar is planned to be relocated across the street and restored, a lasting legacy to the history of SOP and to Amelia Earhart.
Come visit us here if you care to soak up a little of Amelia’s “aura” and walk in her footsteps.
Courtesy of Moore County Airport (photo taken from a framed photograph in the FBO lobby by Barry Fetzer)
John Hemmer photo courtesy of Tufts Archives from a newspaper article. Lloyd Yost was the airfield manager when this photo was taken.
Photo of the historic hangar at Moore County Airport taken by Barry Fetzer
And now, one of America’s greatest mysteries—that of Amelia’s and her navigator Fred Noonan’s disappearance—may be solved.
In the ongoing quest to unravel the mystery surrounding Amelia Earhart’s disappearance over the central Pacific Ocean 87 years ago, a deep-sea exploration team claims to have potentially detected her long-lost plane using sonar technology. The team, known as Deep Sea Vision based in Charleston, South Carolina, disclosed that it captured a sonar image in the Pacific Ocean suggesting the presence of Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra aircraft. Their exploration, covering over 5,200 square miles of the ocean floor since September, employed a state-of-the-art underwater drone, with sonar images shared on social media displaying a plane-shaped object at the ocean’s bottom.
Deep Sea Vision said that it had captured a sonar image in the Pacific Ocean that “appears to be Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra” aircraft. Courtesy of Deep Sea Vision
Deep Sea Vision, comprised of 16 members, including underwater archaeologists and marine robotics experts, released a video showcasing the expedition and the team reviewing images taken by a submersible. Tony Romeo, a pilot and former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, funded the $11 million search by selling off his commercial real estate properties. Romeo expressed his excitement, likening the endeavor to a treasure hunt.
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished on July 2, 1937, during Earhart’s attempt to become the first female aviator to circumnavigate the globe. The disappearance sparked an extensive search and rescue effort by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, ultimately declaring Earhart and Noonan dead two years later. Despite multiple high-tech deep-sea searches over the years, Earhart’s plane remained elusive.
Romeo’s team, utilizing the “Hugin” submersible, captured the sonar image about 16,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean’s surface, near Howland Island, the intended stop for Earhart and Noonan before their disappearance. While some experts caution that only a closer examination can provide definitive proof, Romeo intends to return for a more detailed investigation.
Various theories about Earhart’s fate exist, with one suggesting she crash-landed on Gardner Island, about 350 nautical miles from Howland Island. Ric Gillespie, who has researched Earhart’s flight extensively, claimed evidence of her transmissions and potential forensic findings on the island. Despite these claims, the mystery persists, and Romeo’s team believes their sonar image might finally reveal the long-lost aircraft.
