Plane in the lagoon at Orona

[Tom Maxwell]

Interested readers should create their own image version of Amelia’s L10e in the Orona lagoon. If you don’t have Google Earth you can download the software from the Google Earth website. It’s free. After opening the application Use the search function at the upper left by typing in the exacting location of the aircraft. Latitude South 4.4986 and Longitude West 172.1575. After typing in the location, hit the search button and GE will automatically fly to the exacting location and will hover above the location. At the top tool bar, choose the “history function”, and select the 2006 image. There are other years but only the 2006 image contains the visible airframe. The smooth surface, clear water, and reflection of spectral light from the airframe directly into the satellite camera lens makes the airframe visible in this December 2006 Quick Bird image. Use the “eye altitude” control to hover down to 120 feet above the surface. Because the raft must be included, 120 feet is good. Copy the screen to your clipboard. You can clip the GE controls away later. Or with Mac OS use Grab utility. Later, use photo on the PC or Preview mark-uo tool bar on Mac to edit the color saturation, contrast, etc to get the best image for you. For me, enhancing the blue while suppressing green and red worked best. Different people see colors differently. The natural image at Google Earth contains all three major colors that together make camouflage more effective in concealing the aircraft.. Many people have some degree of color blindness which can make the airframe difficult to see. By enhancing some colors while suppressing others you will find the airframe easier to see. Your image can be oriented as you like while comparing closely with this image below.

[Tom Maxwell]

Many readers are already aware that the Purdue University (Purdue Research Foundation- PRF) and Dr. Pettigrew have announced the 2026 schedule for their planned expedition to the Phoenix Islands Kiribati Nikumaroro. The expedition will search for more information about something called the "Tarira Object" that appears in satellite images of the Nikumaroro Island lagoon. Dr. Pettigrew believes this object is Amelia Earhart's missing L10E aircraft. Long story short, the expedition will leave Majuro in the Marshalle Islands 28 July for a two week expedition to the island. In my opinion, the chances are low-non existent that it is the plane because the plane in the lagoon at Orona measures exactly like the Electra aircraft. I have lobbied by e-mail and text message to the Purdue expedition related the information about Orona being the obvious back-up if efforts at Nikumaroro turn out negative. I have made a positive effort to let them know that full credit for discovery would belong to the expedition. Hopefully some advancement of the mystery solution will come of this project by Purdue PRF and Dr. Pettigrew.