Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved

(Paperback)

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Drawing on a recently discovered long-lost radio message, Elgin and Maria Long re-create the events inside the cockpit of the doomed Electra flown by Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan. The authors debunk the myths that Earhart and Noonan were captured by Japanese soldiers or cannibalistic island tribespeople. Instead, they offer overwhelming evidence that the plane ran out of fuel short of its Howland Island destination. Letting the facts speak for themselves, the authors go well beyond simply solving the long-standing mystery of Earhart's disappearance and vividly brings to life the primitive conditions under which Earhart flew, in an era before radar, with unreliable communication, grass landing strips, and poorly mapped islands. InAmelia Earhart, the authors remind us how daring early aviators were as they pushed the technology of the day to its limits, and beyond, to the point of risking their lives.

Reviews

Mary S. Lovell author of The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart This book will be indispensable to Earhart scholars and anyone interested in her story. It is based on solid research...the best study -- by far -- on this subject...In my own Earhart biography, I stated that if the Earhart mystery was ever to be cleared up, the Longs were the people most likely to do the clearing. Clive Cussler At last, an in-depth account that finally lays the Amelia Earhart mystery to rest. Elgen and Marie Long lead us through the final flight and prove conclusively that Earhart and Noonan simply missed Howland Island, ran out of fuel, and set down in the sea. A must-read of a rock-solid verdict. Reeve Lindbergh author of Under a Wing The quiet expertise and painstaking intelligence of this book are a tribute to all aviators and a real gift to aviation history. Walter Boyne former director, National Air and Space Museum Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved is a turner. With compelling evidence in hand, Elgen and Marie Long demonstrate their mastery of the Earhart story, navigational technique, and pure logic to show the tragic reason for her loss and to offer the hope that her plane can be found. An utterly fascinating account of one of modern aviation's most famous mysteries.

Author Bio

Elgen M. Long is a retired Boeing 747 captain with more than 40,000 hours of worldwide airline flying spanning 50 years as a radioman and navigator, including over 100 U.S. Navy combat missions during World War II, and patrols over Howland Island, where Amelia Earhart disappeared. He is the holder of 15 world records and/or firsts, most notably as the first person to fly around the world solo, touching down on seven continents and flying over both the North and South Poles, in 1971. Mr. Long lives in Reno, Nevada. Marie K. Long, a former public relations consultant with the Western Aerospace Museum (now the Oakland Aviation Museum) in Oakland, CA., and wife of Elgen Long, passed away in 2003.