to all you Kickstarters for kicking in.  45 hours to go. Hmm. Do I land? Do I turn back? What to do?

In Amelia's case, imagine how frustrating that must have been.  Harry Manning had been aboard the ship originally as her radio man - he'd organized the radio transmissions with the Coast Guard to all be in Morse Code.  Then she crashed in Hawaii, and he left the mission. Why? No one's sure.  Some say he didn't get along with her. Either way, no one notified the Coast Guard that he wasn't on the plane.

Cut to a year later. She's at one of her stops and is talking to some Thai air pilots.  They get around to the subject of Morse code.  She admits she never learned it.  She writes about it to her husband George, and when the book is published it's in "Last Flight."  Neither she nor Fred Noonan were conversant in Morse Code.  (Elgen Long details this in his book - however Elgen didn't know that she'd mentioned it in her book. I pointed that out for him.)

The Coast Guard sends 90% of the messages in Morse Code - except for one. Through voice they say "Broadcast the letter A."  Dot Dash.  Everyone knows that. She sends "Dot Dash" instead of saying "I DON"T KNOW MORSE CODE!"  once she sends dot dash, the letter A, they go back to transmitting in Morse Code.  She can't understand them. They hear her, but can't figure out why she doesn't respond to their calls.

According to the new "Dateline Theory" by Liz Smith, who's actually been to Howland to search for the Electra - she was off course.  I revisited her theory yesterday - it looks like it's about 60 miles NW of Howland.  According to maps I can find, Mili Atoll, the place that everyone says they saw her plane come down - it's about 400 miles NW of Howland.

Could she have continued on that path, trying to find the nearest atoll?  Could she have made it 200 miles on a whiff of gas left in her tanks? There are reports that there was a Pacific Storm that blew in at the time - could the winds have carried her that far?  All I know for certain is - there's dozens of eyewitnesses who saw her come down, who saw her plane on board the Koshu Maru, and who either saw her or Fred after 1937.  So - simple logic tells us that she came down in a place where she could be picked up.  I have at least 6 folks who claim they saw (or heard it from someone else) that she landed on Barre Island in Mili.  In a South African journalist's Knagg research, he went there and interviewed on camera islanders who claim they saw her come down there.  One even claimed she "buried a metal box" near the plane.  I'm still tracking down that footage for the doc.

So let's not give up hope entirely.  I admit - it was a risk to suggest the full amount to finish the documentary the way that I wanted to finish it.  I've fallen short of that goal.  But you see, I'm haunted by this project.  These US Marines who told me there story - they're eager for me to get it into the world. They're tired of being laughed at, tired of being told they're delusional, tired of being the only ones on the planet who saw her Electra on Aslito airfield in June of 1944.

They speak to me, even from beyond the grave - and let me know they're still counting on me to tell their story.  And come hell or high water (he said, as his plane plows through the surf and winds up on a sandy shore), I will finish the doc.  But thanks for the shove (or kick) in the right direction.

Some final thoughts on the next and final update. Thank you!!!

Rich

Here we are at the finish line.. and I can't thank my Kickstarters enough to help me visualize this process.  I'm speaking to a couple of people about how to finance the whole shebang,  as well as considering revisiting the structure of financing - one piece at a time!!!

On July 3rd, 1937, Amelia left Lae, New Guinea - she flew in the dark, through the night to get to Howland. According to Liz Smith, Earhart fan and filmmaker, her new DATE LINE THEORY 

put the Electra 200 miles NW of where she was supposed to be.  For those of you who are tighar.com fans, please refer to the notebook published on their site by the young Ham Radio operator who heard Amelia's voice over the radio - it's not in the transcript - but it's clearly on the page.  She's written in a margin "225 NW" - if she was 225 NW of where Liz Smith's new theory put her - that would be on MILI ATOLL.  

As revealed in Elgen Long's book "The Mystery Solved" and spoken of by Amelia herself in "The Last Flight" she didn't speak Morse Code. According to Elgen, 90% of the communications to her where in Morse Code - in fact the only time they communicated is when they asked her to transmit the letter A.  Even Amelia could do that. But little else.

So Liz Smith's theory, which makes sense to me, puts her 200 miles closer to Mili Atoll, where numerous Islanders saw the Electra crash.  That means she'd have to fly that final 200 miles on whatever gas she had left, and probably a lot of fumes.  All I know is, I have tracked down NUMEROUS EYEWITNESSES who saw the plane transported to Majuro, to Jaluit aboard the Koshu Maru, and to Saipan where it was housed until it was found on June 19th 1944 by US MARINES. 

Some people have suggested that these Marines are lying.  I mean really.  WWII veterans trying to gain a little spotlight time for what reason?  and I dare anyone to tell a Marine he's lying.  Kind of a stupid suggestion, if you ask me.  They were told WE HAVE FOUND AMELIA EARHART'S AIRPLANE (even via a decoded message which I have the man who decoded that message) and later WE ARE GOING TO DESTROY AMELIA EARHART'S PLANE - and more than one Marine watched it torched by US soldiers.  I didn't ask why.  Because that would be conjecture. It's up to me to find out why.  All I asked was "What did you see?"  One of my interviewees said "I'll never forget it. I remember it like it was yesterday."  That's what Marines do. Fight like hell, and live to tell the truth.

So where is the plane?  I've gotten these Marines to pinpoint where they saw the plane destroyed - and where on the runway it was pushed to, and buried under dirt.  JPAC could find it in a heartbeat - made out of aluminum, you can burn the material, but you can't make it disappear.  And there weren't many aluminum planes that landed on Aslito airfield.

So again, thanks to all you Kickstarters for pushing me in the right direction, and I will bug you at a future date when I figure out how to break this process into manageable bites.  all the best, your intrepid explorer, Rich

EEK!

a very knowledgeable pal of mine, who has filmed in the outer reaches of the planet, from Sudan to Godknowswhere, suggested that I rethink this process, and do the film in 3 stages. I've shot most of the footage so far, the interviews part - I have 3 or four I'd still like to do, but they're in far flung spots.

His idea, phase one, head to Saipan and dig up what I can.  The publicity from that part of it will help fund phase two - finishing up the interviews and the edit.

Phase three would be post - and of course Phase four is getting the tuxedo out to walk the red carpet.  Hopefully not the one my mom has in her back yard that leads from the garage. A fancier carpet, one would hope.

What does everyone think?  Good idea?  I'm not sure if I can reboot my project - it's all or nothing.  Do I go down in flames at the end of the week?  Is it like the end of Bozo's Circus (circa 1965 Chicago, where the grand prize game has flashing arrows that cross over little boys faces until it winds up on one stunned one?) (passing me over completely).

I'm open for any suggestions.. my backers are all pals of mine, and I"m proud to say I know who you are who would step up and take a swing at the plate on my behalf.  Very cool, and I won't forget it. You're all stand up peeps.

Okay, just an update to say thanks to all of you - my first and my last kickstarters who are closing their eyes and throwing a dart in my direction - and hopefully it'll hit the balloon!!!

Thanks again.. 7 days to go.. and Mt. Kailash to climb. xxx Rich

Yes, I know.  I've taken the big gamble, the rough road, hoping that people outside of my close pals would be curious as to what happened to Amelia Earhart.  So, just ten days to go - and my deadline is looming large.. either way I can't thank you supporters enough! You know I'm a crazed individual, but the rest of the planet.. well not yet anyways.  

I have garnered some interest from a distributor, so that's good news.  I'm just going to plow ahead... and all you backers,no matter what, I will keep you appraised of each step of the process.. I feel glad to say that you won't have to spend a dime if we don't make the goal - as weird as that sounds.  It's the same way with working on a big feature - there's a studio tapping their watches and crossing their arms and wondering how the heck you're going to spend their money.  In this case.. I'll be glad if my friends don't have to spend their money.

Some stats for you: Google "Amelia Earhart" and you get About 4,730,000 results (0.22 seconds) 

"Amelia Earhart Saipan" About 37,300 results (0.30 seconds) 

Some results from my stuff - Part of this mission is to stir up the pot, get people interested and involved, and if I get the kind of backing I need to finish this film properly - great - if not,those who know me well, know that come hell or high water (Irene notwithstanding) I'll finish the film one way or another!!!  Thanks again for all your support... 

1. The Martini Shot

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   The Martini Shot. Writer/Director/Raconteur Rich Martini's blog ... Well, I've finally posted a link to my Amelia Earhart Doc - through Kickstarter. If you have a ...
   
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2. Earhart's Electra: Eyewitnesses To What Really Happened by Rich ...

   www.kickstarter.com/.../earharts-electra-eyewitnesses-to-what-really... - Cached

   Jul 28, 2011 – Rich Martini is raising funds for Earhart's Electra: Eyewitnesses To What Really Happened on Kickstarter! Amelia Earhart disappeared over the ...
   
3. What Happened to Amelia Earhart's Electra - YouTube

   

   www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS3p6KQyKhE6 min - May 26, 2011 - Uploaded by MartiniProds
   What Happened to Amelia Earhart's Electra. MartiniProds 49 videos. Subscribe Alert icon Subscribed. Sign In or Sign Up now! Loading. ...
   
4. What Happened to Amelia Earhart - YouTube

   

   www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tDEsTQwBVk7 min - Oct 18, 2010 - Uploaded by MartiniProds
   Uploaded by MartiniProds on Oct 18, 2010. I've interviewed three veterans who ... Tags: Amelia Earhart · Richard Martini ... Uploader ...
   
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5. The Martini Shot: My Kickstarter Campaign

   richmartini.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-kickstarter-campaign.html - Cached

   Well, I've finally posted a link to my Amelia Earhart Doc - through Kickstarter. ... Posted by Rich Martini at Tuesday, August 23, 2011. Labels: Amelia ...