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> *From: *Paul Hirose
> *Date: *2024 Sep 9, 14:40 -0700
>
> Regarding that "unfitness," Long says, "it was near twelve when Noonan
> and Collopy [Australian aviation district superintendent] decided to
> call it a night. When Fred got up to leave the bar, the scotches
> affected his equilibrium. He staggered as he made his way across the
> lobby toward the stairs. Collopy steadied him as they climbed the stairs

Fred's condition made no difference since the Guinea Airways mechanics
needed time to rectify several faults in the Electra. Amelia hoped to
depart June 30 (day after she arrived) but it was soon obvious that was
impossible.

The next day Fred was unable to get a time check at the Guinea Airways
radio station. "At eight different times each day, Australian stations
VIS Sydney, VIP Perth, VIM Melbourne, and VAI Adelaide would alternate
sending a time signal on the low frequency band of 500 kilocycles."
However, that frequency didn't propagate well to Lae during daylight
hours. In addition, 500 was the maritime calling frequency, so there was
heavy interference.

That evening Collopy was having a beer at the bar and invited Fred to
join him. Fred said the previous night had been enough.

On July 1 the Dutch station at Malabar in Java put in a strong signal at
11440 kc. It sent a message to stand by for the daily time signal at
1100. But when the time came there was silence, then a message saying
there was a fault on the line from the observatory!

Finally, at 2230 local time the Adelaide station came through without
interference on 500 kc, thanks to an Australian wireless inspector who
arranged a broadcast requesting radio silence for the time tick.

But that didn't delay their departure. The Electra wasn't ready on June
30, and the wind was from the wrong direction on July 1. The normal
pattern at Lae was wind from the northwest in the early morning. Then,
as the land warmed up, the direction reversed. Amelia needed to take off
SE, since in that direction the Electra could run off a 20 foot bluff,
then descend to the sea and accelerate in ground effect.

The were conflicting factors at work. Best aircraft performance would be
attained in the cool air near dawn. But they would arrive too early at
Howland if they left before 0930. And they needed that morning wind
shift. On July 1 the wind wasn't cooperating, and Fred had not yet
gotten a time check, so Amelia delayed departure until the 2nd.

After scrubbing the flight for that day, Amelia and Fred stripped the
Electra of everything not essential. Takeoff performance was so marginal
they could not afford any excess weight. Everything removed was either
given to people at Lae or set aside to be shipped home. The operator at
the Guinea Airways radio station got their chart of radio facilities.
When Amelia and Fred said goodbye the next day, he said he had not known
there were so many time sources in the Pacific. To demonstrate, he tuned
in a Saigon station and Fred got another chronometer check.

If the radio man had gotten that chart a day earlier and the wind had
not been so late to change direction, they could have left on July 1.

--
Paul Hirose
sofajpl.com

   

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