Chasing Earhart: Recent Episodes
Chasing Earhart
LINKS:* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Nauticos' Official Website * About David Jourdan @ Nauticos LLC * Nauticos Expedition Portal * How To Find Amelia Earhart Podcast YouTube * Amelia Rose Earhart YouTube * Nauticos Reveals Breakthrough Data and Announces New Expedition to Locate Amelia Earhart's Plane @ PR Newswire * Deep-sea explorers to launch new search for Amelia Earhart* @ UPI
LINKS: Our Website * Rabbit Hole: The Vanishing of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan* @ Amazon * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
LINKS:* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: She Was Never Lost: The Amelia Earhart Saga* @ Amazon * Rich Martini's Blog: Earhart on Saipan * Rich Martini's Youtube Channel: Hacking the Afterlife * Bob Wallack & Julious Nabers Testimony * Amelia Earhart's Airplane Found on June 19th 1944
“I don’t think there is any closure. I think every generation if going to investigate her again.”There are names in the Amelia Earhart story that echo. Explorers. Historians. Theorists. Voices that rise, fall, and fade as the decades pass.
And then… there are the ones that don’t. The ones that stay. The ones that shape the conversation. The ones that—whether you agree with them or not—you have to reckon with.
My guest tonight……. is one of those names.
She didn’t just step into the Earhart case. She dug in.Through archives, through personal correspondence, through the kind of painstaking research that most people wouldn’t have the patience—or frankly—the stomach to see through.The book she released in 1993, didn’t just tell Amelia Earhart’s story…It reframed it. It stripped away the myth.The headlines. The almost cartoon-like legend that’s been built up over nearly a century……and replaced it with something far more complicated. Far more human. And for a lot of people? Far more uncomfortable.
Because she doesn’t deal in easy answers. She doesn’t deal in tidy narratives. And she’s never been afraid to challenge the status quo—even when it means pushing back against the loudest voices in the room… or the most popular theories in the field. Including some that you—and I—know very well. And that’s what makes this conversation… different. Because today isn’t just about revisiting Amelia Earhart.
It’s about interrogating the story. It’s about asking what we think we know… and whether it actually holds up under pressure. It’s about legacy. Memory. Myth-making.
And the fine line between history… and storytelling. So whether you’ve read her work cover to cover…Or whether you’ve disagreed with her for years…There’s one thing that’s undeniable: When she speaks on Amelia Earhart—People listen. And tonight…
We’re going there.
The Final Boss Has Arrived. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Lake Whales, Florida this…is Susan Butler.LINKS:
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SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING:
* East to the Dawnat Amazon
* Susan's Blog
There’s something strange that happens when a person disappears. First, there are facts. Timelines, coordinates and in this case, fuel calculations. But as years past, facts begin to loosen and memory steps in. Speculation fills the gaps. And slowly — almost invisibly — a life turns into a legend.
Amelia Earhart didn’t just vanish in 1937. She multiplied. She became a castaway,
a spy, a prisoner, a martyr, a survivor living under an assumed name. A symbol pulled in every direction history could stretch her. And somewhere inside all of that, there was still a real woman. A pilot, a daughter a partner. A public figure navigating a world that both celebrated and constrained her.
Tonight, I’m joined by someone who’s spent years examining not just what happened to Amelia Earhart…But what happened to her story. Her new book, does something bold. It doesn’t just chase a single ending. It explores the multiple “deaths” Amelia’s experienced — culturally, narratively, and symbolically.
Because in truth…Amelia has been lost more than once. Lost in the Pacific, in wartime rumor, in conspiracy, and sometimes, lost beneath her own myth.
In an era where newly released files are reigniting debates - where social media theories can spread faster than peer-reviewed research - where every satellite image becomes potential proof, it feels important — maybe now more than ever — to pause. To ask, "how did we get here?"
How did Amelia Earhart become a canvas onto which generations project their anxieties, hopes, and suspicions? And what does it mean to reclaim the woman from the noise?
Tonight’s guest doesn’t approach this story with sensationalism. She approaches it with cultural curiosity. With narrative awareness. With a recognition that mystery doesn’t just live in oceans - it lives in memory. In the stories we tell. In the way each era reshapes history to fit its own reflection.
Tonight, we’re going to talk about those reflections. We’re going to examine how Amelia’s story has been retold, repackaged, and sometimes misunderstood. We’ll talk about the tension between evidence and imagination. Between scholarship and spectacle. Between closure, and the human need for one.
And maybe most importantly, we’ll talk about why this story refuses to settle. Why 88 years later, Amelia Earhart still occupies space in our collective imagination. Why we’re still here - still searching, still asking.
Because sometimes the mystery isn’t just about what happened on July 2, 1937. Sometimes the mystery is about us. What we need from her story. What we fear about it. What we hope it says about risk, ambition, and disappearance.
This episode isn’t about solving the case. It’s about understanding how the case lives.
How it evolves. How it survives. And how, in many ways, Amelia Earhart has had more than one ending.
Let’s get Lost. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart.From Washington D.C. by way of National Geographic, This is Rachel Hartigan.
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SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Rachel's Official Website * Get Lost: Amelia Earhart's Three Mysterious Deaths & One Extraordinary Life @ Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or anywhere you get your books. * What Really Happened to Amelia Earhart? @ WBUR * Amelia Earhart's Life Is Way More Interesting Than Her Mysterious Death @* National Geographic * TIGHAR's Official Website * Nauticos' Official Website
I think I wanna start tonight by telling you all a quick story.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart completed the first solo transatlantic flight by a woman and became only the second person to make the flight period. She did it in NR7952 her beautiful Lockheed Vega.
Now, I love all of Earhart’s famous planes and even though it may not be the most famous one, it’s my personal favorite and has been since I was a kid. During our visit to the Smithsonian a few years ago, I remember standing under it while my wife snapped a picture. “Now look at me and smile!” she said - as she snapped a picture that continues to hang in my office to this day.
We stood under it together after the picture and just enjoyed being in the same space as something Amelia loved so much. It was real, we could touch it. “Can you believe we made it here?” she asked? I couldn’t. We were never supposed to make it past the first few episodes of the show and now we were standing in Air & Space in Washington D.C. and we’d already shot several guests for the documentary across the country before that point. I looked up, standing under that wing thinking that it was the most beautiful piece of winged machinery I’d ever laid eyes on.
For nearly a century, Amelia Earhart’s name has lived in two worlds at once.
One is made of headlines and legend…the kind of stuff that turns a woman into a symbol, then turns that symbol into a battleground. The other world is quieter. Heavier. More honest. It lives in archives. In carefully preserved artifacts. In labels written by steady hands. In collections protected not for what we want to believe—but for what we can actually prove. Because if there’s one thing this case has taught me… it’s that the mystery doesn’t survive on a lack of answers.
It survives on noise. On certainty sold too quickly. On the comforting illusion that the truth must be simple… or cinematic… or just one big discovery away.
But Amelia wasn’t simple. And the story she left behind isn’t either.
Tonight, we’re sitting down with someone who has spent a lifetime living in the space between myth and material… between the public story and the private record. She’s one of the most trusted voices in American aviation history— a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator whose work has helped preserve and interpret the artifacts that define how the world remembers flight. And when it comes to Amelia Earhart specifically, she’s not approaching this from the outside looking in. She’s spent decades stewarding the very things people argue about—general aviation history, flight materiel, aerial cameras… and the story of women in aviation as a living, breathing timeline—not a highlight reel.
In other words…when she speaks, the room gets quieter.
Because she’s not here to sell us a theory. She’s here to bring us back to the only thing that has ever deserved the steering wheel in this case: the woman and the record.
And that matters—because right now, the Amelia Earhart conversation is loud again.
New expeditions - new claims - new “finally solved” declarations are running laps around the internet, right now.
But before we sprint toward whatever comes next… we need to do something most people skip: We need to slow down. We need to ask what the evidence can actually carry. We need to separate story from story-telling. And we need somebody who knows the difference.
She’s devoted more than forty years to collecting and preserving aviation artifacts—not just to keep them safe, but to make sure the stories behind them are told responsibly… in a way that educates and inspires, instead of misleads and inflames. That kind of work doesn’t make you famous in the way the internet understands fame. It makes you foundational. It makes you the person future historians cite.
The person documentaries call when they want to get it right. The person you bring in when the legend gets so big, that the truth struggles to breathe.
Oh and, something really cool. You’ve heard me talk about my original 25 - the list I made when I sat down to begin this project so long ago.
Not only was she on my original 25 - but she was number 1. How bout that?
So…….if you’ve ever wanted to hear what this case sounds like when the noise lowers and the facts step forward— This is your night. And we have one helluva instructor. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Washington, D.C by way of the Smithsonian Air & Space, this is Dorothy Cochrane.
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SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Dorothy Cochrane @ Smithsonian Air & Space * Amelia Earhart Project Recordings @ Smithsonian Air & Space * Opinion: Amelia Earhart and the continuing search for her Lockheed Electra @ CNN * Amelia Earhart’s Trailblazing Life in Aviation @ Smithsonian Magazine * Amelia Earhart Pioneer of Flight: A Conversation with Dorothy Cochrane & Tom Crouch @ Chasing Earhart * Aviation Expert Reexamines Amelia Earhart’s disappearance with Bold Claim* @ Fox News
For nearly a century, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart has lived in the space between history and legend — a story told and retold, debated and dissected, yet never fully resolved. But every so often, the mystery shifts. Not because of rumor. Not because of speculation. But because of evidence.
Tonight’s conversation centers on the physical remnants left behind — fragments of a story buried in coral, sand, and time. Artifacts recovered from the remote island of Nikumaroro have forced us to ask an uncomfortable question:
What if we really have been looking in the right place all along?
Tonight we hear an update from a man that’s very much been at the center of the Earhart/Noonan search as of late — an archaeologist whose work has focused on the scientific analysis of this material evidence. His research doesn’t promise answers wrapped in certainty, but it does something far more important: it challenges assumptions, tests long-held beliefs, and brings the conversation back to what the evidence actually shows and why it matters.
Just a few months ago, the highly publicized trip out to Nikumaroro was postponed. Now, it’s time to find out why. It’s time to slow the story down, examine what’s been discovered, how it’s been studied, and why these discoveries continue to reshape one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.
This isn’t about closing the case. It’s about following the evidence — wherever it leads.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Eugene Oregon, this is the return of Dr. Richard Pettigrew.
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SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: The Taraia Object @ The Archeology Channel * Taraia Object Deciphered @ TIGHAR Boards * Expedition to locate Amelia Earhart's plane delayed by permit approval process, weather @ CBS News * 1 month out: Countdown to the search for Amelia Earhart’s plane begins @ Purdue.edu * Purdue Research Foundation and Archaeological Legacy Institute to embark on expedition to identify Amelia Earhart’s missing plane* @ Purdue Research Foundation
For more than nine decades, Amelia Earhart’s name has been spoken with reverence and wonder—a flight path etched deep into the world’s imagination, and a disappearance that keeps us chasing echoes of her last sunrise over the Pacific.
When I first started out on this journey so long ago, I was filled with optimism. Early in the project, I reached out to a woman who wrote one of my favorite Earhart books ever written. I never thought she’d say yes. But I was surprised a lot in those early days. She’s an award-winning historian whose work has helped broaden our understanding of women’s history, power, and the stories we tell about those who defy gravity—literal and figurative.
But what happens when we step off the edge of the known and begin to look at the woman behind the myth? Not just the aviator who vanished, but the human being whose choices, context, and legacy ripple through gender, memory, and cultural terrain that often resists simplification?
In her writing, tonight’s guest doesn’t just recount events. She situates them in the emotional landscape of their time, inviting us to confront not only what we remember, but why we remember it at all.
In December of 2017, she made her Chasing Earhart debut. Nine years later, she’s back to discuss the latest developments in the Amelia Earhart case, for which there are many, and to remind us all what this story has always been about. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Hoptiken, New Hampshire, this, is Susan Ware
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SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Susan Ware's Official Website * Susan Ware @ Wikipedia * Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism @ Amazon * Amelia Earhart: Pioneering Feminist* @ The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum's YouTube * Records Relating to Amelia Earhart @ The National Archives
It’s been 86 days since we last released an episode for this show.
I thought I could take some time off. You'd think I’d know by now.
Back in May of this year, Amelia Rose Earhart made her Chasing Earhart debut as part of this reboot and we covered a lot of ground. What I didn’t know then, but am privy to know now, is that Amelia Rose, had a trick up her sleeve. At the time of our recording, she was being courted by several groups in the case, asking for her assistance in spring-boarding their searches, and the chase for her participation was very, very real. Since that episode, the search for Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan has, let’s just say, taken a turn and we’re now in the middle of a race to the answer for a mystery that is now as white hot as it’s ever been.
Amelia Rose has made her decision since that time, and it’s indeed given a boost to a team that’s been conducting one of the longest investigations this case has ever seen.
Toward the end of August, it was announced that Amelia would join deep ocean exploration company Nauticos in its forthcoming trip out to the Pacific to pick up the search and bring Amelia Mary Earhart home. For good.
But…..theirs isn’t the only search going on at the moment. Perhaps Amelia’s strongest professional connection at the time of her disappearance, Purdue University, has now also thrown their hat into the ring by pledging their support to Dr. Rick Pettigrew, and the Archeology Channels’ investigation in the lagoon of Nikumaroro Island - a locale that anyone listening will be very familiar with. I couldn’t write this if I tried.
Oh, and one more thing. In the middle of all of this, our sitting president just called for the United States Government to immediately release the Earhart files.
Tonight, I’m joined by two men that are making their Chasing Earhart podcast debuts. One is part of my original 25. And the other is at the center of everything Nauticos is doing for their next trip. We couldn’t ask for a better duo to open up all they can, in their efforts to finally finish this story - perhaps once and for all.
Let's get to work. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Jeff Morris and Rod Blocksome of Nauticos.
LINKS:* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Nauticos Official Website * Amelia Rose Earhart's Official Website * Amelia Rose Earhart on Youtube * "Nauticos Reveals Breakthrough Data and Announces New Expedition to Locate Amelia Earhart's Plane" @ PR Wire * "Trump orders declassification and release of Amelia Earhart files nearly 90 years after aviator’s disappearance"* @ The NY Post * Amelia Mary Earhart @ The FBI Vault
So much of Amelia Earhart’s story lives in the spaces between facts—the hours unaccounted for, the voices never heard again, the enigmatic whispers of survival. Those unanswered questions keep us chasing, keep us listening for what might still be found.
Over this rebrand, we’ve traced radio logs, scoured sonar scans off remote atolls, sat with the families who watched the world collectively hold its breath in July of 1937. We’ve pushed beyond accepted timelines, challenged the orthodox accounts. Each step has carried us further from the airport in Oakland and closer to the moment when time itself seemed to slip through her fingers.
Today, we shift our focus—not to new sonar anomalies or grid searches—but to the power of storytelling itself, and the women who champion it. We welcome a guest whose entire career has orbited around truth-telling.
She’s a journalist, writer, and documentarian - someone who has long been fascinated by how stories shape us—and how we shape them in turn. Her work spans genres, subjects, decades. Whether she’s exploring women's inner lives or investigating hidden histories, her lens is always clear, and always curious.
In her new book, she turns her attention to reckoning with the unknown—not in search of wreckage or coordinates, but to dig into the emotional fallout, the cultural aftershocks that reverberate long after an airplane ever disappears. She’s been asking questions like, "How do we grieve someone we never knew?" "How does a myth persist when facts remain elusive?"
Over the last season, we’ve heard from explorers, navigators, and forensic experts all alike. We’ve tracked timelines, re‑evaluated eyewitness accounts, and examined cryptic newspaper clippings reeking of both desperation and hope. All the while, we’ve felt the pull of Earhart’s silhouette—her strength, her ambition, her solitude, and the void she left behind.
Tonight, we step back. We step into the stories left untold: letters never sent home, journals never written, and the echo of words like ‘we’re running low’ drifting in static. We’ll talk about mortality, myth-making, and memory. About how the flight of one aviatrix became a collective heartbeat for generations. Tonight's guest journey into that runway of remembrance might just teach us more about our own need to chase—to connect, to understand, to grieve.
It’s part reflection, part excavation. But we’re not chasing debris this time. We’re chasing meaning.
So, whether you’ve been with us since the very first broadcast, or this is your first descent into Earhart’s world, stay with me. Because these are the stories that don’t end in a disappearance. They begin to live anew—in the telling.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From New York City, this is Laurie Gwen Shapiro.
LINKS:* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Laurie's Official Website * The Aviator & the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon @ Amazon * Laurie on Instagram * Laurie on Twitter * Laurie on Facebook * 'Amelia Earhart’s Complicated Legacy and Horrible Husband' @ The NY TImes * ‘The Aviator and the Showman’ Review: A Marriage in the Clouds'* @ WSJ
When I say the Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan case is a monster, you know I’m telling the truth. In 2017, I began my journey into this case publicly. And if there’s one thing I discovered right away, it’s that this case? The one we’ve been covering for well over a hundred episodes now? It’s full of misinformation. It’s gotten so bad that it becomes overwhelming when you start to look at it. And if you choose to answer the why to that question, you might find that maybe we’re all partially to blame for where this case currently stands.
So how do we shift the narrative? Where in the world do we begin to dismantle even one of these theories? As it turns out the answer came a couple of months ago, when one of our listeners Becky Ott, posted a photo in our Facebook discussion group for Vanished. The photo was taken outside the St. Charles Missouri County Library and it was of a sign that read Discover the Past Amelia Earhart: Myth & Memory.
The presenter that night is also tonight's guest.
I’ve believed in synergy all my life, but I can’t explain how it works. It just does - and it almost always occurs at just the right moment, doesn’t it? Thanks to Becky’s post and her follow up with more information, I was able to connect with a guest that’s making her Chasing Earhart debut right now. And she’s about to pull the linchpin on everything you thought you knew about the Amelia Earhart case. You’re not ready for this, but we’re gonna give it to ya anyway. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. By way of St. Louis Missouri, This is Amy Lutz.
LINKS: * Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING: Amelia Earhart Myth & Memory by Amy Lutz @ UMSL.edu * Amy Lutz on X * Amelia Earhart Lives @ Amazon * The Search for Amelia Earhart @ Amazon * Amelia Earhart: Does Photo Show she Died a Japanese Prisoner? @ BBC * Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence @ Wikipedia * The Japanese Government’s Offer of Assistance to Help Find Amelia Earhart, July 1937 @ The National Archives * Flight for Freedom @ Wikipedia * 'Flight for Freedom,' a Film Speculation on Fate of Woman Flier, With Rosalind Russell in Lead, at the Music Hall @ The NY Times * Facts and Fiction in the Search for Amelia Earhart* @ Air & Space
We’re 27 episodes into my little experiment with this rebrand now - I never thought we’d still be going. It continues to baffle me. One of the things I really wanted to do when I decided to bring the show back was to make sure I brought new voices into the ongoing conversation that we’ve been having for decades. If you follow the pattern closely though, these last 27 episodes tell a bigger story. And if you’re really keen, you might notice that I like to do my best to manifest guests on this show. My manifesting must have been working overtime, because tonight’s guest has been a long time coming. You might have heard of his blog - It’s called the Ghost of Gardner Island. And there are an awful lot of people that will tell you that the work that’s featured there is nothing short of a master-class in research.
Tonight, we run through the details of an investigation that began with little more than a follow up question and ended with a reversal in direction for one of Castaway's marquee artifacts - one thought to have belonged to navigator Fred Noonan.
Some might call him a disrupter of sorts - a man whose own work has rattled the cages of one of this case's biggest summations. Others refer to him as one of the brightest Earhart researchers to come along in decades. And I tend to side with those guys. If we’ve done our best to showcase why castaway makes sense for the ultimate explanation of Earhart and Noonan’s demise, consider tonight a rebuttal of sorts and then, you tell me.
Say his name, and he shall appear. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From New York City, this is John Kada.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING John's The Ghost of Gardner Island Blog * The 1940's Sextant Box Identified? @ Tom King's Blog * Bushnell Sextant Box @ TIGHAR's Official Website * Luke Field Inventory @ TIGAHR's Official Website * BVARC Dec 2020 Tom NY0V An HF Systems Engineering Approach in the Search for Amelia Earhart’s L10E @ YouTube * Richard Blackburn Black, USNR @ USAS1939 * Amelia Didn’t Know Radio* byCaptain Almon A. Gray, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired)@ The U.S. Naval Institute's Official Website
Several years ago, I started hearing about a man making his way through the Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan disappearance case. What caught my attention wasn’t just his research—it was the way his name kept coming up.
From the moment I became involved in this story, I’ve been drawn to the lesser-known nuances that make up the towering mystery of Amelia Earhart. As I got to know people in the field, one name surfaced repeatedly. No matter the theory, no matter the angle, everyone seemed to be talking about the same guy. He’s written books, published papers, and contributed to nearly every version of this story—including his appearance on Vanished: Amelia Earhart, where he explored a well-known collection of bones discovered on Nikumaroro. That discovery, made by British colonial officer Gerald Gallagher, remains one of the most hotly debated pieces of evidence in this case. Were those bones the final remains of Amelia and Fred, stranded castaways on a remote Pacific island? Or is the truth something else entirely?
When I looked into his work, I immediately understood why he was so widely respected. He doesn’t care about being right. He thinks bigger. His neutrality has allowed him to move freely across this story, collaborating with some of the most prominent figures in the investigation—people who sit in opposing camps, defending starkly different theories.
How does someone do that? How do you keep an open mind in a case that seems determined to pull you down an endless rabbit hole? Tonight, we find out. It’s time to open your ears and your mind. We’re making stops on Nikumaroro, Orona, and Buka—by way of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Kenton Spading.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING A Lost Sailor or Amelia Earhart? Lost Norwich City Crewmen: Potential Sources of the Human Remains Discovered on Gardner Island (now Nikumaroro Island) in 1940 @ Academia.edu * St. Paul employee part of team searching for Amelia Earhart @ US Army Corps of Engineers * Null Hypothesis @ Wikipedia * Amelia Earhart's Shoes: Is the Mystery Solved? @ Amazon * Vanished: Amelia Earhart "Left for Dead" (Part Two) @ Spotify * The Chater Report* @ TIGHAR's Official Website
If you’ve ever heard me guest on other podcasts or in media of any kind, you’ve heard the story of how this podcast all started for me. But just in case you haven’t, here it is. The Chasing Earhart project (which this podcast is a part of) officially launched in 2017. But nine years before that, I started what I often refer to as the pre-research phase - a part of the project that lasted a little bit longer than the time we’ve been public. During that time, I made a list of 25 original guests that I felt I needed to convince to come on board and help me tell the most robust version of this story that, at that time, I felt I could. When we decided to go public, I began sending out emails, making cold calls and trying to pull strings as a nobody with no experience and no recognizability in relation to the case.
I contacted everyone on my list with basically the same request. Come on my show, talk to me about your research and give me an opportunity to give you a platform that I felt would end up being unique once we gained some traction. Of all the people I reached out to, perhaps one man stood out more than most when it came to his approach and his notoriety in the case. He’s a decorated archaeologist with one of the most impressive resumes that I’ve ever seen. And we had a connection through the University of California Riverside, from which he earned his PhD in anthropology in 1976. In his teens, he organized the Society for California Archaeology and he’s the former senior Archaeologist for the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, better known to this audience by its famous acronym TIGHAR.
He’s authored countless papers, written a pair of books - both fiction and non fiction and is perhaps the most well versed authority on the island of Nikumaroro. He was also the very first guest I ever featured on this podcast, over seven years ago. When I reached out to him initially, I remember telling my wife that we’d likely never hear back. After all, what business did someone like me have, in having a conversation with a man of his stature for a case I was so fascinated by? To my surprise, he said yes and we went on to have what is still the most listened to episode of this entire podcast.
Since then, he’s gone on to guest on the show a couple more times, and he was also the first guest I asked to appear on our Chasing Earhart Discussion panel in Atchison, Kansas in 2018. When I came calling again for Vanished, he was in, and he gave some of the most important testimony that, that series has ever seen. I owe a lot to him. And tonight, after six years away from the show, he’s returned to catch up with me in what I’m referring to as a career retrospective when it comes to his involvement in the Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan disappearance case. I didn’t know it when I started this rebrand 25 episodes ago, but coming full circle has become a dominating theme throughout. Tonight, in perhaps one of the most special conversations I’ve had on this show, I welcome him back into the fold to discuss his thoughts on castaway, and gain some surprising insight into his feelings on the case to be made for Nikumaroro. He’s one of the most highly respected people in his industry and his name will forever be synonymous with Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. Listen to the following conversation closely - you’re all about to learn something valuable. And I hope you take it to heart. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Silver Spring, Maryland, this is Dr. Tom King.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Dr. Tom King's CRM Plug Blog * "The Continuing Search for Amelia Earhart: An Interview with Tom King" @ The Archaeology Channel * Dr. Thomas KingLecture on Amelia Earhart Recorded November 11, 2009 @ Texas State University * Amelia Earhart Unrescued @ Amazon * Amelia Earhart's Shoes: Is the Mystery Solved? @ Amazon * Thirteen Bones @ Amazon * Amelia Earhart on Nikumaroro: A Summary of the Evidence @ Academia.org * Chasing Earhart: The Discussion Panel @ Chasing Earhart on YouTube * Castaway: A Conversation with Dr. Tom King @ Chasing Earhart * Niku IX Recap: A Conversation with Dr. Tom King & Andrew McKenna @ Chasing Earhart * Amelia Earhart Unrescued: A Conversation with Dr. Tom King* @ Chasing Earhart
In 2021, I had a conversation with brothers Mike and Robert Ashmore regarding a highly curious satellite image they’d discovered in a lagoon on an island that’s gotten a lot of play in this Earhart investigation over the years. It’s been some time since that interview and the wheels of this case turn slowly……but they do turn.
Tonight, in a follow up to that episode, I welcome a man that has been on my radar for years, and over those years, we’ve talked off and on about him being a project guest but we wanted to wait until just the right moment for him to make his debut. Fortunately, now is that moment, and we owe it to that conversation with the Ashmore brothers from over 3 years ago. That satellite image they stumbled across? Now has a name and a true blue expedition out to Nikumaroro to investigate it. It’s called the Taraia object.
He’s been named dropped for years by multiple guests. Tonight, one of the most decorated archeologists we've ever had on the show makes his Chasing Earhart debut to discuss a brand new expedition out to a very familiar place with an entirely new goal.
This case has a way of bringing things full circle, and boy are we completing one of those tonight.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Eugene Oregon by way of the Archeology Channel, this is Dr. Richard Pettigrew.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING The Taraia Object: Amelia Earhart’s Aircraft? Official Expedition Website * The Archaeology Channel's Official Website * "New Expedition Hopes to Find Amelia Earhart's Plane" @ Inside Edition on YouTube * "Oregon archaeologist to embark on expedition to find Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane" @ The NY Post * Heritage Broadcasting's Official Website * "The Last Flight: Local Organization Searching for Amelia Earhart" @ KLCC * "The Continuing Search for Amelia Earhart: An Interview with Tom King" @ The Archaeology Channel * "The Road to Amelia: A Conversation with Mike & Robert Ashmore"* @ Chasing Earhart * RECON Offshore's Official Website * Aerial Tour of Nikumaroro @ TIGHAR's YouTube Channel * Lost & Found - 1938 Nikumaroro New Zealand Images @ TIGHAR's Official Website
If you’ve ever attended the annual Amelia Earhart festival in Atchison Kansas, then you're familiar with an event that’s been a staple of that weekend every year since its inception. It’s called Breakfast with the Books. An event that brings Amelia Earhart authors to the town where the legend began to present their stories and discuss AE’s enduring legacy. A couple of years ago, while I was holding my event for Rabbit Hole, my next guest was there as a featured author for Breakfast with the Books in presentation of a story that we’ll be discussing tonight.
She’s crafted one of the most clever ideas for a work of fiction that I’ve ever read and if you’re an Amelia Earhart fan, you’ll be absolutely thrilled at the way it’s presented and the attention she’s paid to all the little details that have helped make Earhart’s legend grow for almost 90 years.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like for Amelia Earhart to meet Nancy Drew or Clue, get ready, because this is a mystery within a mystery, and it’s set in one of the most iconic Earhart landmarks in the entire world. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Kristin Gray and The Amelia Six.LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Kristin Gray's Official Website * The Amelia Six @ Amazon * The Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum's Official Website * Discover Amelia Earhart's Goggles* @ Google Arts & Culture * Kristin on Facebook * Kristin on X * Kristin on Instagram * Kristin on Goodreads
In August of 2017, I helped introduce the world to a man that had been quietly working on an idea that could blow the wheels off the Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan story. He’d recently put out a book via the Paragon Agency called Tracking Amelia Earhart: Her Flightpath to the End. I happened to know the publisher of that book, Doug Westfall, who I’d met just a few months earlier and it was at that meeting that I first learned of tonight’s guest.
Once I got his number, I gave him a call, and then I read that book. There aren’t too many moments in this whole thing that I can remember my exact thoughts at an exact point in time. But this one? I know because I wrote it down. A singular question. And here it is. “Why doesn’t everybody know about this?!”
At the end of tonight, you’ll know two things. One - we have an aircraft off the coast of Buka, sitting a little over 100 feet down with a remarkable set of similarities to the holy grail of aviation. That’s a fact. And it’s inescapable now. And two - we’re gonna go get it. And in doing so, we’re going to mount the most incredible cross theory expedition this case has ever seen. They do say it takes a village.
You’ve heard from everyone around him, some of the key names involved in Buka III, and you’ve even heard from some detractors who’ve certainly shared their skepticism on what’s become a very curious wreck site in an area of the world that nobody had ever looked in, until he started looking over 15 years ago.
We have a plane to catch.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Salisbury, Maryland, this is Bill Snavely.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Project Blue Angel's Official Website (Updating Soon!) * Tracking Amelia Earhart: Her Flightpath to the End @ Specialbooks.com * Lost in Flight: Amelia Earhart Giving Cover as a Decoy for a Spy Plane @ Specialbooks.com * Tracking Amelia Earhart: Her Flightpath to the End @ Chasing Earhart * Buka III: Bill Snavely, Chris Williamson & the Dependable Engines Association* @ Chasing Earhart * The BEA Official Website
Nearly a year ago, the Amelia Earhart story was rocked by a mysterious and compelling sonar image produced by ocean exploration company Deep Sea Vision. The suspiciously plane-shaped image taken in an area out in the Pacific near Howland Island, rattled the case to its core, and forced a full investigative stop while the world anxiously awaited a confirmation.
As history was potentially unfolding, I welcomed Deep Sea Vision’s CEO, Tony Romeo to the podcast in his Chasing Earhart debut - and we discussed the possibility of his find being the beginning of the end for the Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan disappearance case.
Well, you know how that goes.
Tonight, 10 months after that episode was recorded, Tony returns to look back in retrospect on that conversation, and discuss the most recent developments in the deep ocean search for the holy grail of aviation. You know, people say this case is cursed. You think there’s something to that?
Just when you think the investigation may be over, it throws us yet another curve ball and puts us all right back where we were before.
The plot thickens, indeed. Let’s get to work. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. Fresh back from deep in the Pacific Ocean, this is Tony Romeo.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Is This Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane? @ The Wall Street Journal * Deep Sea Vison's Official Website * Ocean exploration company's possible proof of Amelia Earhart's wrecked plane nearly vanished: report @ Fox News * Researchers Thought They Found Amelia Earhart’s Missing Plane. It Turned Out to Be a Plane-Shaped Pile of Rocks @ Smithsonian Magazine * The Beginning of the End: A Conversation with Tony Romeo* @ Chasing Earhart
We’ve all been on a pretty incredible run lately. This little rebrand idea for the show I had about a year ago, was only supposed to be a couple of new episodes. Never in a million years did I think we’d still be going with more debuts, returning guests and new revelations. The last year has been one of the most tumultuous years in the history of this Earhart game and I’ve learned that in this story, the twists and turns are never over.
There are very few people whom I consider to be giants in this case. And tonight’s guest is certainly no exception. He’s got dual master’s degrees in marine science and ocean engineering with a year of his education coming courtesy of Purdue University, interestingly enough and he’s used those degrees to go on to create perhaps the most impressive resume ocean exploration has ever seen.
He worked with Jacque Cousteau on the search for the world famous Calypso, and was the operations manager for Bob Ballard’s historic Titanic discovery. And in 1999, he was also instrumental in the discovery of the Dakar - an Israeli submarine that had been missing without explanation for decades. Incidentally, that was the same year that Dana Timmer led the first deep ocean expedition in an attempt to locate Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan’s lost Electra which at that time, had been missing for 62 years. When they say it can’t be done - when they say it’s impossible, Tom Dettweiler says, “well, we’ll just see about that.”
6 years after his debut on the show, he returns to us now to discuss the status of the white hot deep ocean search for Earhart & Noonan, the state of the case as a whole and to give us all a much needed dose of his legendary eternal optimism. And we could all use some of that right now. Fresh back from the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, this….is Tom Dettweiler.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING* Tom Dettweiler at the Official Website for the film, DAKAR * Tom Dettweiler on LinkedIn * Nauticos Official Website
The longer this rebrand goes, the more I continue to be surprised. Years ago, I reached out to a man that was a part of my original 25. He’s perhaps the most well known name in the entire Earhart case. Some people also consider him to be a bit of a polarizing figure. When I reached out, I was a nobody - I had no contacts, no experience except my own handful of years in pre-research and I had no expectations about receiving a response. To my surprise, he reached right back out and we began a dialogue.
We’ve had our differences over the years, but to his credit, and my surprise, he’s now returned to the show after a 6 year hiatus to discuss the case for the castaway hypothesis, and his new book that is being discussed as his swan song to the Amelia Earhart story. This is a sentence I thought I’d never utter on this show again.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From TIGHAR HQ in Oxford PA, this is Ric Gillespie.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING One More Good Flight: The Amelia Earhart Tragedy @ Amazon * Finding Amelia: The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance @ Amazon * TIGHAR's Official Website * The Post - Loss Radio Signals @ TIGHAR's Official Website * The Radio Logs of the USCG Itasca @ TIGHAR's Official Website * Have We Really Found Amelia Earhart's Bones? @ The Guardian * Did Amelia Earhart land on Gardner Island? TIGHAR explains hypothesis in-depth | LiveNOW from FOX @ YouTube * Finding Amelia with Hard Facts and Sound Science - Ric Gillespie at NEAM @ YouTube * Post Loss Radio: A Conversation with Ric Gillespie* @ Chasing Earhart
Over 15 years ago now, I sat down to make a list of dream participants for what would become the Chasing Earhart project. I came up with a list of 25 names and on that list was a man who’s been associated with the search for Amelia Earhart since the first deep ocean expedition for her took place in 1999. In fact, he’s the man who led that search almost 25 years ago. In that time, every search that's included the pacific ocean near Howland, has come calling - requesting consultation on their efforts in the potential discovery of the holy grail of aviation. He’s a pilot, navigator, sailor and adventurer. And he’s a giant in the story of the search for two missing aviators, lost to history.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. From Mission Bay San Diego, this is Dana Timmer.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING This man is asking for $2 million on Kickstarter to Find Amelia Earhart’s Plane @ The Verge * An Exploration Team Believes They Found Amelia Earhart’s Missing Plane. Here’s Why @ Amelia Earhart's Official Website * Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea* @ Amazon
In 2014, as this project was in pre-research, the world was fixated on an around the world flight that dominated the media and much of the aviation related conversation that year. Chief among the many reasons why was the pilot - a woman who shares a namesake with the biggest aviation icon to ever fly the skies.
On July 11th, 2014 Amelia Rose Earhart completed her world flight without incident and touched down on the same runway in Oakland, Ca where her namesake departed 77 years earlier.
In many ways, Amelia Mary Earhart got her second chance and returned home that day. It’s been 10 years since that historic world flight, and tonight an absolute force for aviation enters the conversation with a literal one in a million perspective. A woman that shares so many parallels, you’ll swear you’re hearing from a modern day counterpart for the biggest aviation icon of all time.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Amelia Rose Earhart.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Amelia Rose's Official Website * Learn to Love the Turbulence: “Flight lessons” on Becoming the Pilot in Command of Your Own Journey @ Amazon Signed Copies Here * 2024 Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award Revealed @ Atchison Globe * Amelia Rose Earhart’s Flight Around the World and Into History* @Observer.com
One of my very favorite parts of the rebrand for this show has been the flood of new voices that we’ve been able to bring into the ongoing conversation regarding the life, legacy and disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Over the years, a lot of attention has been paid to AE’s upbringing in Atchison, Kansas - and for good reason. Every year, thousands and thousands of visitors flock to the beautiful Earhart home positioned on the Missouri River that served as home base during Amelia’s early years.
If Atchison helped form Amelia, the girl, then 76 Brooks Street in West Medford Massachusetts, helped form Amelia the legend. And that is where tonight’s guest enters the chase.
For over 15 years now, Margie Arnold has been studying the life and legacy of Amelia Earhart with a recent particular interest in the home AE was living in, when her life and aviation history changed forever. Tonight, we shine the spotlight on a period of Amelia’s life that will shape how you’ll see her, in more ways than one.
You’re all about to take part in a master class on the legacy of Amelia Earhart in one of the most passionate debuts this show has ever seen.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Margie Arnold.LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Amelia Earhart & the Denison House @ The Social Welfare History Project * Amelia Earhart got her flying start in Medford @ ItemLive * Amelia Earhart and the mayor of Medford @ Universal Hub * Trophy, City of Medford, Amelia Earhart@ Air & Space * The Amelia Earhart Murial @ Medford Arts Council * Around Quincy, aviator Amelia Earhart was just 'Miss Amelia'* @ The State Journal Register
“It is interesting to note that because of Earhart and Noonan’s particular course, they did cross local midnight on their flight path causing the local date to move forward one day and, for several hours, the pair was alive on July 3rd – one day after they officially disappeared.”Over the last few months of recording this show, I’ve started hearing from dozens of people either by email or by phone that have all been asking me to check out a blog that’s flown under the radar of constant Earhart sites I scour on a regular basis. Old school pilots, navigators, HAM radio operators, people with extensive military and government backgrounds have all emailed, called, and praised her work and her approach. Now tonight, she’s finally arrived. Her name is Liz Smith. Remember that name. Because after tonight, you’ll never forget it. Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Liz Smith.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Liz Smith's Date Line Theory Blog * Liz Smith @ LinkedIn * Liz Smith @ Nautilus Live * Marine Robotics Company Hopes It Has Solved Amelia Earhart Mystery @ AirOnline * Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved* by Elgen & Marie Long @ Amazon
You know, anytime I get the chance to sit down and record another conversation for this show, I consider it an honor. I try to never forget why I’m doing this. The reasons are very important to me.
In all the conversations we’ve had for this show, we’ve only ever had one of Amelia’s family members as a guest - that was back in 2018 when Amy Kleppner - daughter of Muriel Earhart Morrissey and the niece of Amelia Earhart appeared on the show to talk about the incredible lives of both Amelia and her sister Muriel. Tonight, I’m proud to say that another of Amelia’s family has finally arrived.
Bram Kleppner is Amelia Earhart’s great nephew and he’s also become the spokesperson for the Earhart family’s position when it comes to everything from Amelia’s legacy to the many disappearance theories that often crop up in the news - most recently, the potential discovery of the world’s most famous missing aircraft by Tony Romeo and Deep Sea Vision.
One of the most asked questions I get is for me to speculate on how AE’s family might feel about a given story, idea or piece of information.
Well, why hear it from me? I’ve got a better idea. This is Bram Kleppner.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING "Amelia Earhart's relative says new sonar images could be aviator's vanished plane" @ Business Insider * Episode 8: Amelia Earhart Part II: The Lady’s Legacy* @ Nat Geo
About 2 years ago, my book Rabbit Hole: The Vanishing of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan was released, and I could only think of one place to launch it - Atchison Kansas, during the Amelia Earhart festival. It remains as one of my very favorite moments of this entire crazy ride. I knew then, that a deep ocean search was about to take place somewhere off the coast of Howland island - a destination that has now become both ground zero for crash and sink, and this investigation as a whole. While we were there, we met tonight’s guest.
Two weeks ago, Deep Sea Vision, and its CEO Tony Romeo produced a sonar image of what appears to be a mysterious object 16,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific - and that image has the entire planet talking.
Tonight, in a conversation that will rattle this story to its core, Tony makes his Chasing Earhart debut to discuss crash and sink, the legacy of Amelia Earhart and a piece of evidence that could spell the beginning of the end for this story and stop the chase, forever.
The wait is over. The time is now. Welcome back to the Chasing Earhart podcast. This is Tony Romeo.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Is This Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane? @ The Wall Street Journal * Deep Sea Vison's Official Website * Ocean exploration company's possible proof of Amelia Earhart's wrecked plane nearly vanished: report* @ Fox News
Of all the people I’ve met during my experience running the Chasing Earhart project, there is one person that you may be surprised to know has never been on this show, despite how close we’ve become over the years. We’re about to right that wrong, right now.
In 2019, when I reached out to her, she had no iron in this fire, and very little knowledge on just how big this story had become. But she dove head first into it anyway, working alongside me on a project that would become the foundational season for our show, Vanished. Listeners of that show will be very familiar with who’s about to enter the chat. And if you’ve never heard her before, get ready. Because Jennifer Taylor is about to hit you - HARD.
Welcome back to Chasing Earhart. This is Jen Taylor.
LINKS* Our Website * Vanished on Twitter * Vanished on Instagram * Vanished on TikTok * Vanished on Facebook * Vanished Facebook Discussion Group * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Is This Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane? @ The Wall Street Journal * Liz Smith’s Dateline Theory Blog * Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance @ History * Expedition Amelia* @ Disney Plus
Several years ago, during the first season of Vanished, I met a historian and researcher out of the UK that immediately caught my interest. Tonight, you’ll see why. We’ve got a very kindred fascination and love for the Earhart story, and some of the behind the scenes work he’s been quietly doing is the exact representation of what historical research should look like.
Chris Hare is a digger. And tonight, we’re all about to get a lesson on how a modern day researcher investigates a monster of a case. Here’s a little tease. It begins, like all things with, how you see it.
Tonight, we’re across the pond in the UK. And we’re bringing the bombshells. This is Chris Hare.LINKS * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Letter from P. V. H. Weems to Amelia Earhart Offering Navigational Instruction @ The Smithsonian * The Chater Report @ TIGHAR's Website * Kelly Johnson @ Linda Hall Library * Professor Dame Sue Black @ St. John's College Oxford * The Cross/Wright Report: The Nikumaroro bones identification controversy: First-hand examination versus evaluation by proxy — Amelia Earhart found or still missing? * The Jantz Report: Amelia Earhart and the Nikumaroro Bones: A 1941 Analysis versus Modern Quantitative Techniques * Earhart and the French Connection*@ Mike Campbell's Blog
Jill Meyers is a public speaker, mentor, aerospace engineer and so much more. You can learn more about her and tonight's conversation at:
LINKS & SHOW NOTES* Her Official Website * Jill Meyers on LinkedIn * Jill Meyers on Instagram
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING 'Katharine Wright Trophy Honors Jill Meyers, Aeronautical Engineer and Pilot' @ Flying Magazine's Official Website * 'AeroTime names latest Aviation Achievement Award recipient as Jill Meyers'@ AeroTime's Official Website * Project Blue Angel Trailer @ YouTube * Jill's First Appearance on Chasing Earhart from 09/15/18 * Jill's Appearance on 'Rooted & Unwavering' from 12/08/23 * Vivaldi: The Four Seasons* by Nadja Salerno @ Spotify
For years, I’ve been discussing a dream expedition that would bring some of this case's brightest minds together in a collaboration that could rewrite history forever.
Sometimes, when you’re investigating a scene like the one unfolding in Buka, you get lucky enough to pull an ace. And boy have we ever got one for you tonight.
Dick Spink is one of my very favorite people in all the Earhart story. He’s a real life Indiana Jones - a now retired high school teacher that has spent his time out of the classroom, running investigative trips all over the Marshall Islands. He’s one of the most connected people in this entire story, the face of History’s Lost Evidence, among many others, and one of the loudest voices in the room when it comes to the Japanese Capture Hypothesis.
But what you don’t know is, since they originally met in 2018, Dick Spink and Bill Snavely have been talking.
We’ve been name dropping his involvement for months. Now, tonight, he makes it Official.
This, is Dick Spink.
LINKS * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Vanished Facebook Group * Indies Trader's Official Website
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Amelia Earhart Mystery May Have New Clue In Never-Before-Seen Photo* @ YouTube
If you know me, you know how much I adore the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison Kansas. It’s a place that’s special to me for many reasons.
Back in 2017, my wife and I brought our production for the Chasing Earhart documentary there, and we were welcomed with open arms. So much so, that we were allowed to shoot over 20 interview segments there over the course of that year’s Amelia Earhart Festival.
At the time, the museum was in the shadow of its recently retired director and caretaker Lousie Foudary, for whom tonight’s conversation is lovingly dedicated.
Six years later, I have the honor of sitting down with Executive Director for the museum Heather Roesch, who in my opinion, is doing a wonderful job of carrying the legacies of not one woman, but two.
Tonight is a conversation 6 years in the making. This is Heather Roesch of the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum.
LINKS* The AEBM Official Website * The AEBM on Facebook * The AEBM on TikTok * The AEBM on Instagram * Amelia Earhart Stories Podcast @ Spotify
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING Could Earhart be Interred in her Birthplace’s Cellar?* @ Mike Campbell's Blog
You know what’s really wild?
You never know when to stop pursuing something. When it seems hopeless - sometimes, you get a hand from a source you never dreamed possible. The following audio is only possible because of the folks over at Pratt & Whitney’s Dependable Engines Association who were kind enough to invite project guest Bill Snavely to discuss the latest discoveries out at Buka - and a mysterious crash site that’s become the center of the Amelia Earhart Investigation.
You’ve been asking me for years. Now, in a very special episode of the show, all that was discovered during Buka 2 is finally revealed.
This is myself and Bill Snavely in a conversation with Pratt & Whitney’s Dependable Engines Association.
LINKS* Pratt & Whitney's Official Website
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING * Lost In Flight: Amelia Earhart, Giving Cover as a Decoy for a Spy Plane @ Special Books * Tracking Amelia Earhart: Her Flightpath to the End @ Special Books * Rabbit Hole: The Vanishing of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan @ Amazon * Chasing Earhart: The Discussion Panel @ YouTube * Project Blue Angel Trailer @ YouTube
For over 100 episodes of this show, I’ve sat behind my microphone and asked some of the biggest names in the Earhart world for answers to the questions that have been burning in my mind all my life.
Never in a million years did I ever think the show could flip the format and pull off what we’re about to do. Tonight, in a very different approach to our show, my good friends Sean Keatts and Bri Kupfer turn the tables and interview me.I said nothing was off limits.
What you’re about to hear is something I never imagined would happen on this show. This is me - uncensored. For the most part. Enjoy.
About five years ago, we visited Atchison, Kansas to film segments of our documentary during the Amelia Earhart festival. While we were there, we met two women that would become an integral part of Chasing Earhart project, working with us on events and helping us gain a sense of credibility in the Earhart historical record.
While they both prefer to be behind the camera, current events have now pushed them out in front of everyone as the faces for Amelia’s legacy in Atchison and in aviation. On the eve of the grand opening for the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, they finally sit down with me in a conversation that for this show, is over five years in the making.
This is Karen Seaberg and Jacque Pregont.
LINKS* Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Chasing Earhart on Instagram
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING The Official Website for The Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum * AEHM on Facebook * AEHM on Instagram * AEHM on Twitter * City commission looks ahead to Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum Grand Opening @ Atchison Globe * Inside the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Kansas* @ Runway Girl * The International Forrest of Friendship Official Website * The Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum Official Website * The Amelia Earhart Festival Official Website * Muriel @ the AEHM Official Website
One of the reasons I wanted to record these new conversations for the show, is because I’d finally have the chance to speak to some guests that I’d always been a very big fan of. And tonight is certainly no exception.
Mike Harris has been investigating the Amelia Earhart case for decades, and his research has laid the foundation for others to further their own. For that reason alone, I’m a big fan and you should be too.
After years of doing the show, finally, one of the most celebrated and iconic researchers in the entirety of this case sits down with me to discuss his lifelong desire to prove that Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan, were indeed captured by the Japanese. This is Mike Harris.
LINKS
- Chasing Earhart on Facebook
- Chasing Earhart on Twitter
- Chasing Earhart on Instagram
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING
- Amelia Earhart: The Lost Star @ Amazon
- Amelia Earhart's Final Flight @ Bookshop
- Brennan’s “Earhart blindfold”: Real or imaginary? @ Mike Campbell's Blog
- Witness to the Execution: The Odyssey of Amelia Earhart@ Amazon
- Rich Martini's YouTube Channel
LINKS * Chasing Earhart on Facebook * Chasing Earhart on Twitter * Chasing Earhart on Instagram * The Lost Clipper Official Website * The Lost Clipper on Facebook * The Lost Clipper on Twitter * The Lost Clipper on YouTube * The Lost Clipper on Instagram
SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING * The Mystery of the Lost Clipper @ Smithsonian Magazine * The Hawaii Clipper @ Wikipedia * Investigation of Aircraft Accident: PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS: BETWEEN GUAM AND MANILA: 1938-07-29 @ ROSA
Several months ago, we returned to the Amelia Earhart festival in Atchison Kansas to celebrate the release of my first book Rabbit Hole: The Vanishing of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan. While I was there, I discovered that Mandy Horvath was also there receiving the Amelia Earhart Pioneer achievement award.
We didn’t get to cross paths then; but we have since as part of the rebranding for this show. Lucky for all of you listening, we were able to record it.
Get a box of tissues ready. Because what you’re about to hear, is one of the most powerful stories you’ll ever experience. This…..is Mandy Horvath.
Show Notes
- Chasing Earhart on Facebook
- Chasing Earhart on Twitter
- Chasing Earhart on Instagram
- Mandy Horvath on TikTok
- Mandy Horvath on Facebook
- Mandy Horvath on Instagram
- Mandy Horvath's Official Website (Under Construction)
- Mandy Horvath on Wikipedia
- If you'd like to donate to Mandy, you can do so via PayPal here.
- Large donations should go to Cars4Heroes here.
Hey folks - I bet you never thought you’d hear this show again.
It’s been a while since the podcast ended, but in the last few months, I’ve quietly been working on what I consider to be the next chapter in the evolution of this show. Earlier this year, I began hearing from people that wanted the podcast to continue. At first, I really didn’t feel it. I had walked away and moved onto covering other cases for Vanished alongside my cohost for that show, Jennifer Taylor.
But something strange started happening.
The itch started to return.
At the same time, I started researching new theories in this now 85 year old case…and I soon discovered that if we were going to do this, now would be the perfect time.
The podcast has returned in a limited series to once again take up the chase with new theories, new guests and shocking revelations. We’ve also taken the legacy of Amelia Earhart to a whole new level.
Tonight, it all begins again.
Welcome back to the world’s only dedicated podcast on the life, legacy and disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
Show Notes
- Chasing Earhart on Facebook
- Chasing Earhart on Twitter
- Chasing Earhart on Instagram
- Amelia Earhart Betrayed by Robert Wheeler & Harold Nicely
A little over a year ago we stepped away from the Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan disappearance case forever; having nothing further to add to a project that spanned almost 15 years at the time. But it turns out, we couldn’t stay away for long. Just like you’ll hear time and time again in this case, we got pulled back in as new developments in multiple theories have come to the surface and are ready to be discussed. Tonight, we’re back in a limited engagement with a first for us at Chasing Earhart as our returning show brings us brothers Mike & Robert Ashmore to discuss an alternate version of one of the cornerstone hypotheses’ in this ever-changing case. We’ve been away for a while now, but now we’re back as promised with new developments and interesting turns.
Our journey is over. We created something that I didn’t know that we could. And we did it together. And now as I look back on everything that we accomplished, I can finally move forward into an exciting future. One of hope. One of faith. And one where the skies are the limit. I think Amelia would appreciate that.
So, goodbye Amelia & Fred. Wherever you are...
We’ve reached the final time that we’ll be discussing theory on this podcast. It’s been a long road, but we wanted to wrap with fresh faces, new ideas and a twist on this story that you’ll never see coming. If you’re familiar with this podcast or with Vanished Amelia Earhart, you’ve likely heard of the Hawaii Clipper, but you might know its fate. And no one listening would ever know that its fate is tied in with the woman we’ve been discussing for 79 episodes of our show. Tonight, we go out on a bang on this, the “go home” episode of Chasing Earhart, we’re joined by Guy Noffsinger, Jeff Reigel, and Jim Janicki of Expedition 5 to discuss the Lost Clipper and the search to find its 15-member passengers and crew and why that flight was in fact on a rescue mission to bring back none other than Amelia Earhart.
Within the Congressional Armed Services Committee, the Intelligence Community retains a non-itemized appropriation referred to simply as “the black hole”. For over two decades, part of the funding of that program went toward analyzing whether or not the human mind could be used to gather reliable information. What you are about to hear is the report that the US Intelligence Community would have received had they targeted the Amelia Earhart mystery in the interest of the people of the United States of America. Tonight, with just 3 more episodes of the podcast to go, author and investigator Scott Seeds joins us via Zoom to discuss operation stargate, the world flight mystery and how remote viewing may hold the answer to the greatest mystery of all time.
On this 82nd anniversary of the vanishing of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan, we bring you a special message from Chris Williamson & the Chasing Earhart Project.
"So many young readers are focused today on looking for heroes; looking for people who they can look up to; looking for people they can be inspired by. Amelia is a natural fit for that."
Jim Buckley is a prolific author of nonfiction for young readers, with more than 150 books to his credit (and still typing!). He is the author of more than a dozen titles in The New York Times' best-selling "Who Was...?" biography series, including the Wright Brothers, Milton Hershey, Betsy Ross, Jules Verne, and Blackbeard. Buckley has written more than thirty DK Readers on a wide variety of topics, plus two recent long-form bios of Adolf Hitler and Bonnie and Clyde for Aladdin Books. For Spring 2019, he created the first book in a new series for Aladdin—a bio of astronaut Michael Collins. Buckley is the co-author of Time Inc./Liberty Street's "X-Why-Z" series and wrote and produced the Animal Planet Animal Atlas for Liberty Street. A former editor at Sports Illustrated and the National Football League, he lives in Santa Barbara, California, where he runs a successful book producing company.
Tonight on the 77th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Jim joins us via Zoom to discuss his groundbreaking book "Amelia Earhart: Pioneer of the Sky" a part of the "Show Me History" series. Jim gives us his thoughts on the books creation and unique format, his ideas of making Amelia relatable to the next generation of young readers and why he believes Amelia's legacy should live on for continued generations to come.
I have always known that Amelia Earhart’s reach in legacy and inspiration loomed large over modern day aviation, aerospace and STEM. However, when we started this project many years ago, even I didn’t understand just how deep that reach stretched. Tonight, we’re all gonna find out. Amelia Earhart’s legacy and inspiration touches us all. And what she set out to achieve so long ago, is showing today if we look hard enough. A lot of people might argue that AE’s reach extends only to certain people, demographics or fields. However tonight, you’re all gonna find out, that AE’s legacy is alive and thriving in ways that will blow your mind. At just 15 years old, Julie Seven Sage is a living breathing example of what Amelia Earhart wanted to inspire in the 1930’s. If tonight’s episode tells you anything, it’s that Julie and young men and women like her are taking a legacy set so long ago to heights that would impress even Amelia Earhart herself.
"It’s interesting when I watch people watch the documentary. When her face comes up on the screen, people just light up. I think she’s one of those people that is sort of an iconic figure for all the best reasons."
"Fly Like A Girl" is more than just a film. It’s a movement of young girls and women relentlessly pursuing their passion for aviation. A field currently dominated by men. Hearing first-hand stories from girls and women who dared to aim higher. From a lego-loving young girl who includes female pilots in her toy airplanes, to a courageous woman who helped lead shuttle missions to space, "Fly Like A Girl" shows us that women are in charge of their own destiny.
As part of the Indie Atlantic Films team, for over twelve years, filmmaker Katie Wiatt has produced, edited, and directed films for both broadcast and web. And now, Katie has made her feature-length directorial debut with the extraordinary documentary "Fly Like a Girl." Tonight, as season two of the Chasing Earhart podcasts winds down and before we fly off into the sunset Katie joins us to discuss this groundbreaking film, her thoughts on women in aviation and why she felt that Amelia Earhart deserves a place in “Fly Like a Girl"
Dr. Lois Frankel is a guest that when you look at her bio or research her career, you would never in a million years think she’d pop up as a project guest for Chasing Earhart. But oh, how little do you know…. Dr. Frankel is the president of corporate coaching international and she literally wrote the book on coaching people to succeed in businesses both large and small around the globe. Some of her best-selling books include “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office” “Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich” and “Nice Girls Just Don’t Get it”. But as you can probably imagine, those aren’t the books she's here to talk about tonight. She's here to talk about another book she Dr. Frankel recently released, and that book is called “Alternate Flight Plan: The Lost Diary of Amelia Earhart”.
Yes, Dr. Frankel is an Earhart author and tonight she joins us on episode 74 of the Chasing Earhart podcast to discuss her book, Amelia's impact, and legacy and why so many people around the world still believe in Amelia Earhart.
In part, it’s the way that we identify with these individuals; the notion of getting lost at sea; the horror of that and how deeply in our core as individuals we fear something like that happening. That reaches into something that’s very personal for everybody.
Forensic image processing and analyzation is one of the most crucial areas of expertise in the entire Amelia Earhart/Fred Noonan disappearance case. Used by multiple hypothesis’ in the case, it’s become a combination or art and science that has been responsible for much of the advancement in the investigation. Tonight, season two of the Chasing Earhart podcast continues with a project guest that has been highly involved both in that field and in this case. Tonight, we discuss both the science and the process of forensic image processing via Zoom with Jeff Glickman of PHOTEK. Jeff gives us his thoughts on his work on the castaway hypothesis, the anomaly in the now famous “Bevington Image” and how he arrived at his declaration on that image and why he believes that the Amelia Earhart case continues to capture and enthrall the entire world.
"As years go on, it’s not just the flight but it’s about a woman, it’s about encouraging people to be in aviation. It’s about the era."
Perhaps no other institution on the planet is more recognizable than the Smithsonian. The air and space museum on Washington DC houses some of the most iconic aviation exhibits on the planet. And the museum staff are some of the most knowledgeable experts that can be found. One of the most well-known exhibits there is Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega. The plane that she set the transatlantic record in, now stands proudly in the “Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight” Gallery. Could it be possible that one day Amelia’s Lockheed Electra; the holy grail of aviation may find its way into the same gallery?
Tonight, season two continues with the 72nd episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast. We’re joined by project guests Dorothy Cochrane & Tom Crouch of Air & Space to discuss the ongoing role that the Smithsonian plays in the investigation of the disappearance, Amelia Earhart’s impact and legacy and why they believe that Amelia Earhart stood for much more than flying “for the fun of it”.
“This 50th anniversary, I’m doing it for my crew. They’re all gone now; they were about ten years older than I was. Of course, I miss them, but I can think of them. All my animals, my crew, my family; they’re all close to my heart and they’ll always be there. But this was the beginning of sharing this will people like you and people all over the world.”
In 2017, on the 50th anniversary of her world flight, aviation icon and project guest Ann Holtgren Pellegreno gave a special reflective presentation in Atchison Kansas at the Atchison Public Library during the Amelia Earhart Festival. We caught it on film.
Tonight, episode 71 continues our ICON series with both a regular audio release of the podcast AND for the first time ever, this very special audio/video version of the podcast presented exclusively on our YouTube channel.
This film is dedicated to the crew of the The 1967 Earhart Commemorative Flight: pilot, Ann Holtgren Pellegreno, copilot Bill Payne, navigator Bill Polhemus, and owner and restorer Lee Koepke.
All material contained in this presentation is owned by Ann HoltgrenPellegreno.
A ChrisEvan Films production.
“I truly believe that this was a woman who was an adventurer and who wanted to break barriers in many, many ways.”
Tonight, you’ll hear from an author that takes a different approach to her writing and her thoughts on Amelia Earhart’s relevance. Project guest Patricia Lakin has written multiple children’s books including the well received and long lasting “Amelia Earhart: More Than a Flyer”. Tonight, we continue our children’s series on the landmark 70th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, as Patty joins us via Zoom from her home in New York to discuss Amelia Earhart’s childhood and how it shaped her destiny to become “more than a flyer”.
“This wasn’t about a flight. This really was about what Amelia worked so hard to teach. Amelia didn’t fly and do these things to say ‘look what I can do’. She did it to say ‘look what you can do’.”
The moments you hear at the opening of tonight's episode, took place 21 years ago on what was the 60th anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s circumnavigation attempt around the world.
Project guest Linda Finch arriving in Oakland, in the same manner in which Amelia would have arrived, to crowds of adoring fans, admires and media is not only inspiring but bittersweet.
21 years later, on the 69th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast and the continuation of our ICON series, Linda joins us via Zoom to reflect on her world flight, Amelia’s impact and legacy, and the message that Amelia stood for that Linda so strongly believes in.
“I think Amelia is more well known than possibly even Lindberg. Amelia is just part of the psyche of the public. She was a really positive role model doing some amazing things; certainly laying it all out there on the line. The mystery of the disappearance adds to her story."
Considered by many to be a purist when it comes to locating Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E, Dana Timmer has been an advocate for the "Ditch & Sink" hypothesis since he started investigating the events that occurred on the morning of July the 2nd 1937.
Working with and earning the professional respect of many of the world's premier experts in nautical exploration, Dana led the very first deep water search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Noonan and their Lockheed Electra 10E in 1999 and he's been feverishly working this case ever since.
Working with the team of Michael Williamson and Arthur Wright at Williamson & Associates, Dana believes that it's just a matter of "when" for the location and retrieval of the holy grail of aviation.
Tonight, on the 68th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast Dana joins us via Zoom from Vienna Austria along with Mike Williamson and Arthur Wright joining us from Seattle Washington to discuss "Expedition Amelia" and why they collectively believe that the interest, in this case, is high, the technology is there and the time to end Amelia's story is now.
"A lot of it was just imagining myself in Earhart’s shoes on Nikumaroro and thinking about what she’d do."
Our first three-peat on the podcast, Dr. Tom King formally of TIGHAR returns for a different kind of discussion on his third sit down with us. Dr. King's latest novel, "Amelia Earhart Unrescued" is a prequel to his earlier novel "13 Bones" and takes a unique approach in telling the story of the final days of Amelia Earhart's life as she battled the elements, and herself on Nikumaroro Island. Combining his thirty years of research on the "castaway hypothesis" with some creative liberty and elements of fiction, Dr. King provides an interesting look at what Amelia Earhart must have endured if she ended up on Nikumaroro on the morning of July the 2nd 1937.
Tonight, as season two of the Chasing Earhart podcast continues, Dr. King joins us via Zoom to discuss his new novel, his thoughts on what might have happened to Amelia Earhart had she successfully returned from her world flight and recent events regarding his career and professional future in Archaeology.
"I think her story resonates with anybody who’s ever been told no they can’t do something and maybe have been frustrated with that answer. There’s this little girl who really pushed her boundaries and whether or not she was courageous or foolhardy I think at the end of the day the courageousness is what we focus on. Her story inspires readers to say “Maybe I can try something”.
Project guest Dr. Mona Kerby is a lifelong educator and librarian. Writing for children in a way that has been praised by critics, educators and fans alike Dr. Kerby has a unique way of relating larger than life icons as everyday people.
Tonight on the 66th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Dr. Kerby joins us via Zoom from her home in Maryland to breakdown and discuss her book "Amelia Earhart Courage in the Sky, the process of relating Amelia Earhart to children and why she believes that Amelia's story resonates with anyone that has ever struggled to accomplish their dreams.
Following the disappearance of aviation icons Amelia Earhart, Fred Noonan and their Lockheed Electra 10E in 1937, the world speculates on their fate; creating multiple theories to explain their vanishing over the Pacific Ocean. In 2018, documentarian Chris Williamson begins an investigation over a decade in the making. Shortly after his investigation begins, he soon finds there’s much more to this story than anyone ever thought possible.
The first scripted podcast from ChrisEvan Films, Inc. “Vanished: Amelia Earhart” brings together a full audio drama production from the team that brings you the “Chasing Earhart Podcast”.
Look out for the first episode of "Vansihed: Amelia Earhart" on January 5th 2019 on all major podcast platforms.
“Amelia Earhart was an explorer and an adventurer who took risks and someone who was doing so in a time where it may not have been attractive or easy to do something like that as a woman. I kind of see somebody who doesn’t really care what the status quo is and is doing whatever the hell she wants anyway.”
Emily Calandrelli is a lot of things. A speaker, an author a STEM advocate and a scientist. For us though she is yet another living embodiment of what Amelia Earhart stood for all those years ago. Using her powerful platform to motivate and empower young women to act, Emily is recognized all around the world as her alter ego "The Space Gal" in her rousing Ted Talks and discussions that stir emotion and action.
Tonight on the 65th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Emily joins us via Zoom to discuss the current state of STEM, what needs to be done to improve the numbers of women in STEM and why she believes that the adventures of Amelia Earhart send shockwaves through STEM and aviation that still last to this day.
“The defiant human spirit is something that we all have the potential to tap into and that’s what Amelia had; she had this defiant spirit and the defiant spirit is saying “ I’m not gonna let life beat me; I’m gonna go out and live fully and fearlessly”. It’s about getting out there and doing the things that ignite you.”
Janine Shepherd is a living, breathing miracle. A former cross-country ski champion, Janine was on her way to the Winter Olympics when tragedy struck in the form of an accident that left her body broken. Fighting for her very life, Janine brought herself back from the brink of death to become one of the world's most recognizable motivational speakers. Finding a second life in aviation as well as motivational speaking, Janine has shaped the hearts and hopes of millions of people all over the world.
Tonight, season two of the Chasing Earhart podcast continues our icon series by welcoming Janine via Zoom to talk about her near life-ending accident, life's second chances and why she believes that Amelia Earhart demonstrated grit and tenacity by living a life filled with the "defiant human spirit".
“I think for women she was a symbol of freedom and independence and her fame made her larger than life. Her story and her disappearance live on as the ultimate historical mystery. That idea keeps her alive in people’s minds in a way that a lot of figures from history aren’t.”
Of all the missing persons cases in history, perhaps no other has captured the world like that of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan. Continuing to captivate the planet now for over eight decades, their disappearance over the Pacific Ocean on the morning of July the 2nd 1937 made worldwide headlines then as well as now. Headline after headline were featured newspapers and radio all over the world as the general public waited on the edge of their seats for any news regarding the iconic pair’s vanishing. In 2018, the headlines continue to haunt us with new and often polarizing information making its way forward to fuel the fire with of the world’s obsession with finding a resolution to this iconic mystery.
Tonight, season two of the Chasing Earhart podcast continues with episode 63 and project guest Sarah Pruitt joining us via Zoom to discuss her book Breaking History Vanished. Sarah gives us her thoughts on the creation of this special book, why the Amelia Earhart case was a natural fit to feature and why she believes that any information regarding the Amelia Earhart case continues to be “Breaking History”.
“She was one of those first women to push through those mail dominate field barriers; she inspired women to go into these male-dominated fields, go into aviation. She was a big start in this whole idea; getting into schools and telling her story. She continues to have that impact on girls. This is something that you can do if you really want it”.
Back in the 1930’s when women were breaking through the clouds and into aviation history, the world marveled at their ability to do the things that men could do with poise, professionalism, and grace. It’s only natural that aviation would become the gateway to aerospace for a group of remarkable people that would be forever known as the Mars Generation.
Alyssa Carson carries within her the fire, spirit, and determination that made Amelia Earhart an icon over 80 years ago. Breaking through barriers and pre-conceived notions, Alyssa has set her soul on a place that she calls…home.
Tonight, on the 62nd episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Alyssa joins us via Zoom from Baton Rouge Louisiana to discuss the Mars Generation, her journey and preparation for being the first person to travel to the red planet and why she believes that a woman from Atchison, Kansas paved the way for women to set their sights on goals that are not of this world.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that because of the status that Earhart had in her lifetime; she opened people’s minds. People that probably had never had anyone encourage them to have a career outside of the home. She was able to do that for women. People still pick up on that love she had for empowering other women. This is why we get two-year-old girls in the archives with pilot’s outfits who already have Amelia Earhart as their hero.”
Of all the aspects of her storied career, perhaps the one that Amelia Earhart coveted most was her relationship with Purdue University. Lasting only a precious short time, Amelia saw her role with Purdue as the second chapter in her already historic aviation career. Poised to make a monumental impact on women in the early days of what would become the STEM movement, Amelia built relationships and made an impact that still resonates through the halls of Purdue to this very day.
Known as the largest Amelia Earhart archival collection on the planet, the Purdue archives has been visited by everyone who is anyone in the Earhart community. The most cited resource in the over 400 Amelia Earhart books that currently sit on the market, authors, educators, researchers and fans continue to visit the archive every day to get a sneak peek into the life of one of America’s biggest icons.
Tonight, on the 61st episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we are joined by project guest and professor Sammie Morris of Purdue University via Zoom to break down and discuss the Amelia Earhart Collection, Amelia’s relationship with Purdue and why Amelia’s prescience and influence can still be felt throughout the campus, and all who attend there.
“I think the fact that she along with the other women had the foresight to put together a group of women that would let the world know that women fly and let them know what women can do. I think she’ll go down in history forever for having done that.”
I can’t stress this enough. Bee Haydu is a legend. Over ten years ago when doing pre-research for what would become Chasing Earhart, Bee’s story came to my attention and I haven’t been able to shake it sense. At 97 years old, Bee continues to inspire women all over the world with the WASP story and she does it with a sense of humor, humility, and poise that we at the project have never seen before. Knocking down barrier after barrier, Bee and the other women of the WASP program faced trials, criticism and doubt along their journey. But that never deterred them from fighting for their right to serve their country by flying.
Tonight, on the landmark 60th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, and in season 2’s first episode of its “ICON” series, Bee joins us via Zoom from Florida to discuss Women Airforce Service Pilots, her role as a beacon of aviation and why she believes that Amelia Earhart and the Ninety-Nines laid the foundation for women to become empowered and rightfully cement themselves into aviation history.
“Sally Ride once said, “you can’t be what you can’t see”. Amelia and women of that era got up in an airplane and flew and landed and got out and people went “wow that’s a girl!” It’s the same with Shaesta stepping out of the airplane and people asking, “where’s the pilot?” You just need to make it known that you really can be anything you want to be if you work hard.”
Jill Meyers has made a career out of passion. Through her work with Dreams Soar and Shaesta Waiz, Jill has been pushing the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math by mentoring young women and extending all of herself for a cause she so passionately believes in.
Tonight, on the 59th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Jill joins us via Zoom to give us her thoughts on a multitude of topics including the importance of STEM in the 21st century, keeping the STEM movement alive, her work with Dreams Soar and why Amelia Earhart may have inadvertently started a revolution for women in STEM over 80 years ago.
"You’re not gonna be happy when you know what really happened to her. It’s not going to feel better; knowing she crashed in the ocean or got captured and tortured by the Japanese. I know it feels bad now that it’s a mystery but half the solutions this mystery has are terrible. Be prepared for a sad, sad ending to this story. "
David Avallone is never shy about expressing his feelings. Considered by all that know him as a passionate thinker, David has a unique way of expression that cause his readers to think about their own feelings in a brand-new way. Tonight, on the 58th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, David joins us via Zoom to break down and discuss his story “Doc Savage: Ring of Fire” why he chose Amelia Earhart to star opposite Doc in that adventure and why Amelia’s actions in the 1930’s continues to make a stand for women in the 21st century.
“That’s where I first had that connection where I had read about Amelia Earhart; that moment was when I realized the opportunity she gave to a lot of women and the empowerment that she was able to give a lot of women to follow their dreams in STEM.”
A member of Forbes prestigious “30 under 30” Paige Kasselen has spent her career in uncharted waters. At 22 years old, Paige made worldwide headlines as the youngest American on the ground crew for the historic record breaking solar impulse flight; a feat that would thrust her into the spotlight and make her the poster woman for STEM; shining the spotlight on the field of electrical engineering. Paige has parlayed that notoriety into a formative speaking career, always being mindful of her responsibility to young women wherever she’s featured.
Tonight, on the 57th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Paige joins us via Zoom do discuss her role on Solar Impulse, the responsibility that comes with being a rock star of STEM and why the memory and legacy of Amelia Earhart inspires her and all of those in the STEM community.
“When you find the airplane; no matter where it is. You now have an obligation to explain what happened. How did it get there and to explain the last moments of Amelia Earhart; her story is unfinished at this point, and we need to finish it.”
Part of our original 25, project guest Tom Dettweiler has lived a life on the ocean. Taking part in some of the biggest nautical finds in history, including the discovery of the Titanic, Tom has built a career out of becoming a historical biographer for those cases that have no ending; often finding himself on the other side of history in the modern era.
Tonight, on the 56th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Tom makes his podcast debut via Zoom to discuss the crash and sink hypothesis, excavating the Electra in a variety of nautical environments, and his personal thoughts on why the case of Amelia Earhart Fred Noonan and their Lockheed Electra 10E may in fact be, the holy grail of aviation.
"It seems that Japan would never admit to their role in the capture of Amelia Earhart. The records are gone; you're not gonna find them"
Les Kinney has been researching the Amelia Earhart case for over a decade. Part of what is now known as our original twenty-five, Les has been on the Chasing Earhart radar equally as long. After finding what is now known in the public as the Jaluiet dock photo in the National Archives, Les has become the go-to investigator and is at the center of the whirlwind that is known as the Japanese capture hypothesis.
Tonight, on the 55th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Les makes his debut as a project guest via Zoom from Seattle to break down and discuss Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan in the Marshall Islands, his personal thoughts on the Nikumaroro Bones and Post Loss Radio messages, his investigative work on one of the most important missing person’s cases of all time, and why the United States Government may know much more about the fate of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan than anyone ever thought possible.
In 1926, there were countless ways to die in an airplane. Propeller blades snapped and broke, and planes went down. Wings failed, folding backward or tearing away completely. Control sticks got stuck, sending airships hurtling toward crowds or hangars. And all too often, engines just stopped in mid-flight, forcing pilots to scan the ground below for a farmer’s field or a cow pasture—anyplace where they might land in a hurry. “In such a crisis, there is no time to think,” said one early pilot. “You either automatically do the right thing or you die.”
Tonight, on a special midweek release for the 54th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast and on the night of his book’s release, author and project guest Keith O’Brien joins us via Zoom right before the kick off of his tour to talk the lives and careers of aviation icons, Ruth Elder, Ruth Nichols, Louise Thaden, Florence Klingensmith and Amelia Earhart. Individually, these women have some of the most incredible aviation stories of all time. They are legends, icons, and heroes. But collectively they are simply known…as Fly Girls.
If you’ve been following the Amelia Earhart case at all in the past thirty years you will know the name Ric Gillespie. A little over one year ago we spoke with Ric for a little over two hours about the work that TIGHAR had done to that point on the island if Nikumaroro. It was a big show for us back then as we started out the podcast. Over the course of the last year a lot of developments have been made in the Earhart case on multiple fronts.
Tonight on the 53rd episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Ric joins us via Zoom from TIGHAR HQ to discuss Betty Klenck’s notebook the radio distress signals report that TIGHAR released just a few days ago on what would have been Amelia Earhart’s 121st birthday and the reasons why he believes that the case of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan is closed.
The said it couldn't be done. They were wrong. "Chasing Earhart: The Discussion Panel" was a resounding success! From those in attendance to the over 21,000 of you that watched it online via YouTube live, you were part of the largest discussion panel on the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart of all time. Now relive that day in episode fifty-two of the Chasing Earhart podcast! Season two of the podcast continues with the podcast version of this historic panel. Join panelists Gary LaPook, Doug Westfall, Bill Snavely, Larry Inman, Sammie Morris, Chris Williamson, Lisa Cotham, Kate Jerome, Ann Holtgren Pellegreno, Shaesta Waiz, Dr. Tom King, Astronaut Abby, Scott Philbrook, Jessica Cox, Forrest Burgess & Dick Spink as moderated by Dr. Joshua Wolf. Relive all of the discussion as we discuss Amelia's impact, legacy and disappearance in front of a live crowd during the 2018 Amelia Earhart festival in Atchison Kansas!
What really happened to Amelia Earhart? Since Earhart and her navigator disappeared during their around-the-world flight attempt in 1937, the world has searched in vain for an answer to this question. The culmination of thirteen years of research into this tantalizing mystery, The Earhart Enigma: Retracing Amelia's Last Flight brings to life Earhart's final days in an attempt to reconstruct what exactly took place.
Offering candid assessments of prevailing theories about Earhart's fate, author Dave Horner marshals evidence from a variety of sources, proving that Earhart was neither lost at sea nor wrecked on Nikumaroro. Integrating information garnered from numerous interviews, Pacific Islander folklore, and US and Japanese military documents, Horner argues instead that Earhart ventured north of her intended destination in search of a place to land her Lockheed Electra.
Blending drama, mystery and shocking revelations with the steady balance of an objective investigator, Horner's findings provide a definitive answer to this fascinating riddle.
Tonight, season two of the Chasing Earhart podcast kicks off with our 51st episode; Dave calls in to discuss his book "The Earhart Enigma" the legacy of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan and why he believes that the "Earhart Enigma" has captured the imagination of the world for 81 years.
Just seven days out from "Chasing Earhart: The Discussion Panel" Chris Williamson sits down with Kaye McIntyre to discuss next weeks' landmark event, the Amelia Earhart disappearance case and his personal thoughts on the Chasing Earhart project thus far.
“Hopefully I can motivate kids to go out and try new things. Here I am at sixty-three, in a single engine aircraft, flying around the world. You can go out and do something amazing, too.”
-Brian Lloyd
Brian Lloyd is the first solo aviator to complete the historic Earhart equatorial route. Spirit has endured fierce winds, blasting sandstorms, and severe tropical weather along the equator. It has not been an easy flight, due to the long flight hours and complex logistics. On July 14th, Spirit’s engine failed momentarily at 21,000 feet over the Pacific ocean, forcing Brian Lloyd to land in New Zealand for repairs.
Everywhere he went, he invited ground crew and friends to sign the airplane with a marker pen. It became a mission of outreach and goodwill. The plane’s fuselage and wings are now covered in signatures that bear witness to the huge network of support that it takes to fly around the world. At the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison Kansas, Lloyd was awarded the medal from the Ninety-Nines, the famous international organization of women pilots founded in 1929, of which Amelia Earhart was its first president.
Several world records were set by Brian Lloyd and Spirit on this flight: First solo flight of the Historic Earhart Equatorial Route and first male pilot to fly the Historic Earhart Equatorial Route in a propeller aircraft.
Tonight on this special 50th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Brian joins us via Zoom to break down and discuss his historic world flight, Project Amelia and why Amelia Earhart continues to have a lasting impact on aviation, and aviators all over the world.
Sarah Stewart Taylor is a fiction writer and journalist who lives with her family on a farm in Vermont.
Her non-fiction has been published in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and many other publications.
She is the author of the Sweeney St. George mystery series, from St. Martin’s Minotaur. The first book in the series, O’ Artful Death, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.
As S. S. Taylor, Sarah writes The Expeditioners series of adventure novels for middle grade readers.
Tonight on the 48th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Sarah joins us via Zoom from her home in Vermont to break down and discuss her Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel "Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean" Amelia's impact and legacy and why she believes that the younger generation continue to be inspired by Amelia's courage.
Michele Albion was raised in Maine and was a history nerd from a very young age. Her first job, at fourteen, was as a docent at a 1754 fort in Augusta called Fort Western. She later worked at the Maine State Museum and attended college at the University of Maine. While earning her Master’s Degree in Museum Studies at The George Washington University, she worked in the curatorial department of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In 1992, Albion was hired as Curator at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida. She became fascinated with how very active Thomas and Mina Edison were in their Florida community. After moving to New Hampshire she wrote The Florida Life of Thomas Edison, which was published in 2008. Her second, The Quotable Edison, was released in February 2011.
Her third book, The Quotable Henry Ford won the Henry Ford Heritage Association Book Award at sesquicentennial of Henry Ford’s birth. The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt released in September 2013.
Tonight on the 47th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Michele joins us via Zoom to break down and discuss The Quotable Amelia Earhart, and the very compelling way that Michele chose to tell Amelia's story through the words of the legend herself.
Von Hardesty is a former curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He has written widely on aerospace history. His books include Great Aviators and Epic Flights; Lindbergh: Flight's Enigmatic Hero; Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency; and Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race.
On the 46th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Von joins us via Zoom to discuss Amelia Earhart's impact and legacy and the role that the Smithsonian plays in keeping that legacy alive 80 years after she disappeared.
Jay Faerber is a critically-acclaimed writer of comic books and television. He has co-created and written such titles as Elsewhere, Copperhead, Noble Causes, Dynamo 5, and Near Death at Image Comics, and has worked on such iconic titles as Green Lantern, X-Men, and Superman.
He has also written for the TV series Zoo, Ringer and Star-Crossed, and the animated series Avengers Assemble.
On the 45th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Jay joins us via Zoom to break down and discuss his critically-acclaimed and wildly popular Elsewhere Series starring Amelia Earhart. In this conversation, we discuss why Amelia was a perfect fit to be the star of this story, and get Jay's thoughts on Amelia's legacy and impact on pop culture in the 21st century.
After finding a previously-unknown 1932 film of Amelia Earhart at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, project guest Bill Zuk began a long odyssey across Canada, which has taken him to the places in Canada where Amelia had visited or lived. From serving in the First World War as a Nurse's Assistant in Toronto to using Newfoundland as the "jumping-off" point on her two transatlantic flights, over seven other instances of Amelia's visits to Canada have been identified, including a tuna fishing expedition in 1934 with her sister Muriel.
On July 2, 1937, imagine the world's most famous woman, setting out on a groundbreaking circumnavigation of the globe, and suddenly disappearing. Amelia Earhart and her navigator were lost over the South Pacific yet, today, over 80 years later, the search for Amelia Earhart continues, with historians and researchers trying to probe the mysteries of this fascinating icon.
Tonight on the 44th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast learn about her early life, the many connections to Canada and why Amelia's star has never faded, in a conversation with Bill Zuk, historian, author and filmmaker.
Candace Fleming awarded herself the Newbery Medal in fifth grade after scraping the gold sticker off the class copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and pasting it onto her first novel—a ten-page, ten-chapter mystery called Who Done It? She’s been collecting awards (her own, not Elizabeth George Speare’s) ever since.
Today, Candace is the versatile and acclaimed author of more than twenty books for children and young adults, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize honored The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of the Russian Empire; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book, Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!; and the beloved Boxes for Katje.
On the 43rd episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Candace joins us via Zoom to discuss her book "Amelia Lost: The Life & Disappearance of Amelia Earhart" Amelia's impact and legacy and why the title "Amelia Lost" doesn't mean what you think it means.
After 145 days, 22 countries visited across five continents, and 32 outreach events inspiring more than 3,000 young girls and boys, Shaesta Waiz completed her global solo flight on October 4, 2017, returning to Daytona Beach International Airport to mark the completion of this historic circumnavigation for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and aviation education. At the age of 30, Shaesta is the youngest woman to fly solo around the world in a single-engine aircraft.
On the 42nd episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Shaesta joins us via Zoom to discuss her career thus far as an aviatrix, the role Amelia Earhart plays in the lives of women all over the world, the formation and ongoing work that Dreams Soar is engaging in on behalf of STEM and her unexpected role as an ambassador of hope for people all over the world.
Amelia Earhart was a pioneer of aviation, flying all over the world, breaking records and becoming a voice for women along the way. Among many of the questions often asked regarding Amelia's career is "How could she afford it?" How did Amelia raise the money needed to finance her groundbreaking flying career? It's a question that many have asked and few have answered. Until now.
Tonight on the forty-first episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we sit down with author and project guest Barbara Schultz to discuss her book "Endorsed by Earhart: How Amelia Financed her Flying" to discuss the many creative ways that Amelia and her husband George Putnam used to finance her flying during the golden age of aviation. From being the face of countless products to having her own fashion and luggage lines as well as a growing public speaking career, Amelia Earhart invented ways to finance her passion while showcasing her other many talents to the world.
What is the most important aspect when it comes to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan? Is it confirmation bias? How about skepticism? Is it important to be skeptical of any information that is put out there when investigating a hypothesis? How about when it comes to your own?
Tonight, on the 40th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we sit down with project guest Brian Dunning of Skeptoid to discuss the Amelia Earhart case, why the world continues to be so invested in her and Fred Noonan's fate, confirmation bias and the importance of being skeptical of your own work as well as others.
One year ago, almost to the day of this recording I sent an email to Dr. Richard Jantz of the University of Tennessee. At the time of our initial conversation, Dr. Jantz was mid-way through his anthropological research and analysis of a set of bones originally found in 1941 on then Gardner island now known as Nikumaroro Island. Originally, examined by Dr. D.W. Hoodless, and determined to be male the bones were lost and to this day have yet to be located. Fast forward to 2018, and Dr. Jantz’ comprehensive analysis of the original Hoodless report; it is Dr. Jantz who has determined that in his opinion Dr. Hoodless had it all wrong and the bones that were originally examined many years ago were in fact that of woman. A woman that Dr. Jantz believes is none other than Amelia Earhart. Tonight, on the 39th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast Dr. Jantz joins us via Zoom from his office in Tennessee do discuss and break down his paper "Amelia Earhart and the Nikumaroro Bones: A 1941 Analysis versus Modern Quantitative Techniques" in a worldwide exclusive interview.
To quote from the abstract of Dr. Jantz’ paper
"To address the question of whether the Nikumaroro bones match estimates of Amelia Earhart’s bone lengths, I compare Earhart’s bone lengths with the Nikumaroro bones using Mahalanobis distance. This analysis reveals that Earhart is more similar to the Nikumaroro bones than 99% of individuals in a large reference sample. This strongly supports the conclusion that the Nikumaroro bones belonged to Amelia Earhart."
Is this case closed? Is the mystery of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan solved once and for all? You be the judge.
Just when you thought it was safe to stop talking about Amelia Earhart! Recorded just two days after episode thirty-seven, Scott and Forrest re-join us to discuss the latest developments in the Amelia Earhart case including the theft and recovery of Amelia's Terraplane in Los Angeles, the International Women's Day Amelia Earhart Barbie, and the paper that swept the world by storm by Dr. Richard Jantz. Join us for an un-expected continued discussion with Scott & Forrest!
Scott & Forrest have been called the 'Click and Clack of esoterica' by their listeners. Their mission is to take a look at legendary strange and unusual events from throughout history and interview people who've had close encounters with the unexplained. It was Astonishing Legends that gave Chris his model in early 2014 for what would eventually become the Chasing Earhart podcast. A hugely popular podcast focusing on the mysterious and unexplained, Astonishing Legends continues to capture the imagination and excitement of fans all over the world that are fascinated with mystery and intrigue.
On the 37th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Scott and Forrest join us via Zoom from Blanket Fortiana in Los Angeles, California, for our longest discussion yet, to discuss the robustness of the Amelia Earhart disappearance case and all of the aspects that make it Astonishing!
Andy Sherrell received his B.S. degree in Ocean Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology and has over 15 years of experience in the oceanographic community. As a former employee of Oceaneering International, Inc., he has worked on numerous deep-sea search and salvage operations to depths of 20,000ft. His experience includes locating and recovering downed aircraft and various other lost items for both the commercial and military industries. Andy’s work has included being first on the scene to begin searching for an airplane’s ‘black box’ to working with film crews to find and document historic shipwrecks. He enjoys working as a mission planner, operator, technician, and engineer throughout all phases of these exciting operations.
On the 36th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Andy chats with us about deep sea exploration, the tools of the trade and the incredible work that the Waitt Institute has done in the search for Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan's Lockheed Electra.
“This is kind of like hidden history that I’m hoping to get out."
Rob Ellos is the definition of a dedicated Amelia Earhart researcher, and he's put that dedication to good use. Over the years, Rob has become an Amelia Earhart presentation expert; giving his presentations to a variety of audiences; from kindergarten to retirees. Depending on the audience, Rob tailors his presentations by discussing Amelia's impact, legacy, and connection to children as well as the disappearance case and the Japanese capture hypothesis in unique and groundbreaking ways that leave a lasting impact on any audience that he presents to.
In the thirty-fifth episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Rob joins us via Zoom from his home in Minnesota to discuss the art of the Amelia Earhart presentation, the Japanese capture hypothesis and it's many key witnesses and artifacts and why he believes he knows what really happened to Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.
Rebecca Behrens lives and writes in New York City, where she also works as a copy editor. She is the author of When Audrey Met Alice, which BookPage called “a terrific work of blended realistic and historical fiction;” Summer of Lost and Found, which School Library Journal praised for its “deft writing;” and The Last Grand Adventure, which Kirkus recommends as “a quirky, heart-rending journey.”
On episode thirty-four of the Chasing Earhart podcast, and the eve of her novel's release, Rebecca joins us via Zoom to discuss "The Last Grand Adventure", and why she believes Amelia Earhart is a great fit for young adult novels.
For the first time in Chasing Earhart history, we release two episodes of the podcast on the same weekend! Episode thirty-three of the show is also a Chasing Earhart first as we welcome back project guests Dr. Tom King and Andrew McKenna of TIGHAR to recap the summer 2017 Niku expedition. Among the topics discussed are the unique twist of bringing forensic dogs to Niku, as well as Dr. Tom King's forthcoming second book, what's next for TIGHAR and the paper that everyone is talking about by Dr. Richard Jantz.
We have spoken to a lot of guests on this show in the first 31 episodes. We’ve spoken with researchers, authors, historians, and experts in aviation and aerospace. However, there is one area that has eluded us thus far. Family. While we have spoken to a lot to the extended families of Amelia Earhart, Fred Noonan, and George Putnam we have never had the opportunity to have them as a Chasing Earhart project guest. Until now.
Amy Kleppner is the daughter of Muriel Earhart and the niece of Amelia Earhart. She is an educator, writer, and adventurer. I suppose being an adventurer just runs in the family.
On the 32nd episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Amy joins us via Zoom from her home in Vermont to discuss the impact and legacy of her mother Muriel and her aunt Amelia in one of the most special interviews that we've ever conducted.
Nicole Swinford is an author, writer, historian, videographer, and broadcaster – she is a Historyteller.
Nicole's first book Amelia Earhart's Last Photo Shoot was published by The Paragon Agency in May 2015. Based on a never-before-seen film of Amelia's last photo shoot as she prepares to leave on her fatal World Flight, the book and film were featured on outlets such as Fox News Business and National Geographic, amongst others. This was followed up with Amelia Earhart's Last Flight to Hawaii in May 2016.
Nicole's work also appears in The Digby Stuart War Memorial in which she writes the section "Women on the Digby Stuart Memorial." The book will be released in 2018 in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War.
On episode thirty-one of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Nicole sits down with us via Zoom from London to discuss Amelia Earhart, her last photo shoot, the world flight and the reasons that Amelia Earhart may have been tied closer to the United States government than anyone ever thought possible.
David S. Ferriero was confirmed as 10th Archivist of the United States on November 6, 2009. Early in 2010, he committed the National Archives and Records Administration to the principles of Open Government—transparency, participation, and collaboration. To better position NARA to fulfill these goals, Mr. Ferriero initiated an agency transformation in 2010. The transformation restructured the organization and set goals to further our mission, meet the needs of those who rely on us and find new, creative ways to approach the agency's work.
Openness and access drive NARA's actions in a variety of ways. The agency has embraced a number of social media tools—Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Tumblr, and others—to reach a wider and broader audience. NARA uses this digital engagement as a two-way street. Early in his tenure, Mr. Ferriero celebrated the contributions of "citizen archivists," and he encourages public participation in identifying historical Federal records and sharing knowledge about them.
In the 30th episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, David sits down with us from Washington DC, to discuss the role the Archives play in FOIA (The Freedom of Information Act) citizen archiving and how he believes transparency is vital in the role the National Archives play for making historical information available to the American public.
Many hypothetical explanations of the disappearance and demise of Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan and the Lockheed Electra aircraft with which she hoped to circumnavigate the globe have been proposed. This is another, very similar to some others, but different in that it answers one important question; how did the radio broadcasts from the Phoenix Islands originate without more evidence of the Electra crash on the islands of the region? How could the fliers and aircraft completely disappear?
On episode twenty-nine of the podcast, we sit down with radar expert and project guest Tom Maxwell to discuss Amelia and Fred’s world flight, what he believes happened on the morning of July 2nd and whether or not Orona island has been hiding the holy grail of aviation for the past 80 years.
"It's impossible, but if it were possible, how could it be done?"
With that question, Rockwell Collins engineer Tom Vinson threw his hat into the Amelia Earhart disappearance case. Working with Nauticos and alongside his fellow Rockwell Collins engineers, Tom has been responsible for some of the most groundbreaking engineering work that the Amelia Earhart disappearance case has ever seen.
In episode twenty - eight of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Tom sits down with us and reflects on his work with Rockwell Collins, Nauticos, and Amelia Earhart's legacy. Giving perhaps the most emotional and impactful answer to the question "Why does the world still care about Amelia Earhart?" Tom's expertise, passion, and words will touch you in a way that few people have.
Jessica Cox is the Master of Adaptation.
She believes that having the skill of adaptability is the most significant stepping stone to success and champions the mindset of infinite adaptability to break down perceived barriers!
Described as a speaker “no one will ever forget," Jessica shows audiences around the globe how success is built on a culture that embraces challenges. She teaches organizations how to develop the skill of adaptability in an evolving world.
Born without arms, Jessica is fascinated by the limitless ways the human body can adjust to a variety of circumstances. Jessica has utilized dormant physical traits to adapt and use her feet the way people use their hands. As she learned to conquer physical barriers, she developed mental skills that allowed her to go on to achieve the seemingly impossible.
Jessica is best known for becoming the first armless pilot in aviation history. Her achievement earned her a Guinness World Record medal and has been a trending topic on Facebook and featured on tv programs like Fox and Friends, Ellen, Inside Edition, Oprah Winfrey Network, CNN, CBS Evening News, and the BBC.
In Episode twenty - seven of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we chat with Jessica about how Amelia Earhart provided an example that helped allow Jessica to overcome obstacles, shatter glass ceilings and disarm her limits.
SHOWNOTES
www.jessicacox.com www.rightfooted.com
Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inner Circle, The Book of Fate, and nine other bestselling thrillers including The Tenth Justice, The First Counsel, The Millionaires and The President’s Shadow. In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (History Decoded), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award.
He is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History on H2 and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel. The Hollywood Reporter recently put him on their list of Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors.
For sure, it’s tough to find anyone being so successful in so many different mediums of the popular culture. But why does Brad thrive in all these different professions? His belief that ordinary people change the world. It is that core belief that runs through every one of his projects.
In episode twenty - six of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Brad joins us from his book tour for "I Am Harriet Tubman" to talk with us about why he chose Amelia to kick off his hugely popular children’s series and to give us his thoughts on why the world is so fascinated by both Amelia’s life and her disappearance.
We all have pivotal moments in our lives. A moment that plants the seeds for the person that we'll become. For Amelia Earhart, that moment came when she was a little girl in Atchison, Kansas. For episode twenty-five of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we sit down with educator, author and project guest Mark Weakland to discuss "When Amelia Earhart Built a Roller Coaster." We'll discuss this single event way back from Amelia's childhood that set in motion the events that would create the biggest icon in aviation history.
For those who are in the know, and perhaps more importantly for those that aren’t, Amelia Earhart has one talent on her resume that is not widely known or circulated. Poet. Using the art of poetry to often express her most intimate thoughts, Amelia Earhart would reach generations with her words as much as her flying. On episode 24 of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we sit down with poet and author Heidi Greco to Discuss her book “Flightpaths: The Lost Journals of Amelia Earhart”. Using poetry to give us an intimate and extraordinary look at the woman herself, Heidi discusses Amelia’s life, disappearance and most intimate thoughts through a collection of poems aimed at giving the reader a brand-new way to look at Amelia the woman.
The poems in this collection, presented as if written by Earhart herself, consider some of the many theories that attempt to explain her disappearance. Through logbook entries, recollections and letters, the work explores some of the various flightpaths she may have taken through the eyes and words of the woman herself.
He grew up watching "In Search Of" and someday wanting to search for Amelia Earhart. Fast forward to present day, and he's doing just that. An archeologist with TIGHAR, and an Emmy award winner for “Indy in the 60s”, Gary Quigg has a fascinating back story and an area of expertise that makes him an incredible asset to the Chasing Earhart project. For episode twenty - three of the podcast Gary chats with us about how Amelia came into his life, the work that TIGHAR continues to do on Niku and gives us his professional thoughts on Amelia's last flight and lasting legacy.
She has written one of the most iconic and influential biographies on Amelia Earhart of all time. The inspiration for the 2009 film "Amelia" starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, and Ewan McGregor, "East to the Dawn" traces Amelia all the way back to her grandparents to give us one of the deepest biographical dives ever put on paper. In episode twenty - two of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we welcome author and project guest Susan Butler to talk about Amelia's life from the cradle to the disappearance in one of the most intimate and revealing interviews we have ever done.
For 80 years, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan has remained a mystery. But an ongoing analysis of recently found aircraft wreckage by a specialty lab team from Parker Hannifin Corporation may finally prove where she and her co-pilot disappeared. The investigation highlights one of many ways that Parker Hannifin solves the world’s greatest engineering challenges. In episode Twenty-One of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we sit down with Jon Jeffery; Formally of Parker Aerospace and current CEO of Hummingbird Technologies to discuss Amelia Research, Inc. and the vital role he played in convincing Parker Aerospace to sponsor one of the most iconic Amelia Earhart research trips of all time.
Welcome back to the Chasing Earhart podcast and the final part of our conversation with Chief Leo Bellarts. In part three of our conversation and episode twenty of the podcast, we continue to go line by line through the radio logs with Leo as our guide, as he breaks it down and walks us through the final moments of Amelia and Fred’s world flight on July 2nd 1937.
A short while ago we reached out to Aaron; one of the co hosts over at the hugely popular Generation Why podcast and we inquired about doing something together for Chasing Earhart. The Chasing Earhart team was greatly impressed with their take on the Amelia Earhart case and we were excited about the opportunity to feature Aaron and Justin in the project. They were kind enough to invite our project creator Chris Williamson to sit in on a Patreon exclusive episode that served as a follow up to their original episode back in 2015. Aaron and Chris had a wonderfully insightful and interesting conversation about Amelia Earhart, her impact and legacy, the Chasing Earhart project and Amelia's reach beyond aviation. This is that conversation. Thanks to Aaron, Justin and Generation Why our listeners are getting a very special bonus episode that they are kind enough to allow us to release on our feed. Enjoy this very special conversation!
Welcome back to the Chasing Earhart podcast and our continuing conversation with Chief Radio man on the Itasca, Leo Bellarts. In episode nineteen, we continue talking with Leo about that fateful day in 1937 when Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared without a trace. Leo continues his intimate and in-depth thoughts on what went wrong from the unique vantage point of the people that were on the other end of Amelia Earhart’s radio. Continuing our multi-part retrospective interview, the Chasing Earhart team takes you back to 1973 and the home of Leo Bellarts where he recalls the day that has gone down in history as the single greatest aviation mystery of all time.
"KHQQ Calling Itasca! We must be on you but cannot see you!" On episode 18 of the Chasing Earhart podcast we continue our "ICON" series with part one of our interview with chief radio man of the Itasca Leo Bellarts. The last person to speak with Amelia Earhart before she disappeared, Mr. Bellarts gives us an intimate and in depth interview discussing little known stories about that fateful day and helps us clear up some of the facts of those final few hours of Amelia and Fred's final flight. Splitting an episode into two parts for the first time, the Chasing Earhart team takes this original interview from early 1973 conducted between aviation pioneer and legendary Earhart researcher Elgen Long and Leo Bellarts and brings it into the modern age. This is one episode you do not want to miss!
Andrew McKenna was the Dive Team leader on the Niku IX expedition. He has been a TIGHAR member since 1990 and currently serves on the organization’s Board of Directors. The son of famous paleontologist Malcolm McKenna, Andrew’s archaeological eye was trained from childhood helping his father on fossil hunts in the Gobi Desert and other remote locations. Andrew participated in underwater and onshore archaeological operations on four previous TIGHAR expeditions to Nikumaroro (2001, 2007, 2010, & 2015) and was on the TIGHAR team that surveyed the Maid of Harlech in Wales in 2007.
In Episode Seventeen of the Chasing Earhart podcast, Andrew gives us his thoughts on the work that TIGHAR has done on Nikumaroro over the course of the last 28 years as well as the role underwater exploration and maritime archeology plays in the search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Noonan and their Lockheed Electra.
Considered by many to be one of the most respected Amelia Earhart researchers around, Ron Bright is an extraordinary asset to Chasing Earhart. Among the topics discussed in episode sixteen of the Chasing Earhart podcast will be Ron's work on the "Weihsein Telegram", the various disappearance hypothesis' regarding Amelia and Fred, Amelia's impact and legacy in 2017 and his personal feelings on whether or not the mystery of Amelia Earhart will ever be solved.
Ellie Norman is a busy high schooler from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her life is filled with school, sports, music, theater, pets, and family, but there is nothing that interests her more than Amelia Earhart. For as long as she can remember, Amelia has been her inspiration and role model, and Ellie never wants to stop learning about her. From first learning about her in the picture book, Amelia and Eleanor Go For A Ride, to her National History Day Project in 8th grade, this interest has grown into a lifelong passion. Her research culminated in an National History Day project, in which she created a website about Amelia's life and legacy called Soaring for Equality. Since then, she has been getting more involved in the search with TIGHAR and hopes to someday help solve this mystery and continue to spread the story of Amelia Earhart.
In episode 15 of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we discuss with Ellie the important of Amelia Earhart as she related to children and young adults, why the world should still care about Amelia, and Amelia's personal impact on Ellie's life. This is what Chasing Earhart is all about. We are honored to present to the world, Ellie Norman!
"I didn't go out looking for this story. This story found me."
Dick Spink has many titles: Mount Vernon High School science teacher, boat builder, and Amelia Earhart investigator. He never intended to hunt for Amelia Earhart’s airplane. He specializes in boats. He put himself through Washington State University designing and fabricating aluminum boats. He now holds on to a day job teaching at Mount Vernon High School, but he’s also a naval architect and licensed master. He sells boat kits all over the world, from Singapore to Africa, and often builds clients’ boats on site. Which is how he found himself in the north Pacific, in the Marshall Islands, and deep into a quest to solve the most enduring of aviation mysteries.
“Right now, to think I’m a leading researcher on Amelia Earhart? A farmer’s kid and school teacher from Mount Vernon? Unbelievable,” says Spink, a broad smile across his boyish face. He wears a brown fedora, a la Indiana Jones, and a brown leather aviator jacket with a Boeing logo embroidered on the front. Spink says he received the coat when he told his Earhart story to a fascinated group of Boeing Company executives.
A major player in the Japanese capture hypothesis, Dick gave us a revealing and candid interview that will expand on the recent documentary "Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence" and will allow listeners an inside look at Dick's work in the Marshall Islands.
Sylvia Wrigley is a pilot and aviation writer who has been obsessing about aviation safety for over a decade.
Sylvia has authored many aviation books including "Unable to Reach You By Radio: The Tragedy of Amelia Earhart", "You Fly Like a Woman", "The Mystery of Malaysia Airlines flight 370" and her incredibly fascinating "Why Planes Crash Case Files: 2001" and "Why Planes Crash Case Files: 2002".
In episode thirteen of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we discuss the world flight of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan from her perspective and we go over the factors of why planes crash; applying those factors to the world flight. Enjoy this incredibly enlightening and educational episode with project guest Sylvia Wrigley!
In episode twelve of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we chat with author and educator Kate Jerome about her book "Who Was Amelia Earhart" which is part of the New York Times Best Selling Series of "Who Was" books. "Who Was Amelia Earhart" is still on the Amazon best seller list, 15 years after it's release and serves as a staple for children and young adults that are wanting an introduction to Amelia Earhart. Among the topics discussed in this episode, are Amelia's relevance; both when she was alive as well as today, the importance her parents played in shaping her spirit and why children in the 21st century continue to latch onto the story and example that Amelia set almost 100 years ago. Enjoy this wonderfully engaging and thought provoking interview with Kate Jerome!
Considered by many within and outside of the Earhart community as the foremost authority on celestial navigation in the world, Gary LaPook has been interested in Amelia Earhart since the 90's; studying the flight at length from multiple facets using multiple skill sets. Recorded live on location in Gary's living room in Moorpark, California we spoke at length about the world flight, Amelia Earhart's impact and legacy, burden of proof and the inner workings of celestial navigation. We got into the mind of navigator Fred Noonan and the monumental responsibility that he carried during one of the most incredible flights in aviation history. Get out your paper and pencils; celestial navigation 101 is now in session!
This dramatic controversial novel is not your typical Amelia Earhart biography or dry report. Two expert pilots ask pivotal questions and provide valuable pieces to the 75 yr. old puzzle about Earhart's mysterious disappearance. Were they on a secret mission to photograph Japanese installations? Who kidnapped them? Was FDR part of the government cover-up that continues to this day? And most importantly, were Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan betrayed? The answers to these questions and many more in episode 10 of the Chasing Earhart podcast!
1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries
A while ago, we were alerted to a podcast hosted by Jon Hagadorn titled 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries. They recently released a two part Amelia Earhart retrospective series that detailed the Japanese capture hypothesis in great detail. Covering information that hadn't been widely distributed, Jon and his team dove deep into the hypothesis in a way that could introduce folks who didn't know about Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan's presence in the Marshall Islands. Shortly afterwards, we reached out to Jon and we decided to release a cross promotional podcast. This is our half of that cross promotion. For those folks out there that subscribe to and follow the Japanese capture hypothesis, this will be an enjoyable episode of Chasing Earhart. And be sure to search the 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries podcast for Jon's interview with Chasing Earhart project creator Chris Williamson; being released simultaneously along side this podcast. Enjoy this very special two - part joint podcast release!
In our eighth episode of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we welcome Abigail Harrison or as she is more commonly known, "Astronaut Abby"! In this in-depth and revealing interview, we chat with Abby about the inspiration of Amelia Earhart, the Mars Generation, STEM, her work as an aspiring astronaut and why she feels that overcoming your fears and chasing your dreams is the very best way to achieve everything you've ever wanted! This is an interview that will have a lot of people talking for quite some time!
A curious young girl. A mysterious and reclusive woman. In this episode, we discuss the novel "Miss E" with author and educator Brian Herberger. We discuss the research and writing of the book as well as detailed plot spoilers and characters in this compelling novel that mixes historical fact with fiction and imagination that takes all on a journey of discovery.
In episode five of the Chasing Earhart podcast, we welcome William (Bill) Snavely to discuss the numbers in the Amelia Earhart world flight. Among the topics discussed are fuel consumption, the three factors that he believes contributed most to the world flight and why he believes that Amelia and Fred turned the Electra around when they were convinced that the fuel they had was not going to be enough for the final leg of the world flight. Get out your pencils, paper and calculators because we're going to school!
In our fourth episode, we speak with Susan Ware; author of "Still Missing" Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism." We cover a variety of topics including Amelia's feminist role model status to women in the 1930's as well as her ongoing impact on today's youth.
Since the inception of this podcast, people have suggested a number of folks for us to talk to. However there has been one person that's stood out among all the rest. I cannot tell you how many times people have asked me, "When are you going to have Ric Gillespie on?" Well how about now? Ric sat in with us and gave the longest, most in depth interview he's ever given regarding Ms. Earhart and the work that TIGHAR has done over the course of the last 28 years. Ric gives his personal thoughts on his work, Ms. Earhart, her impact and legacy and why he feels she continues to capture the world's attention 80 years after she disappeared.
Our guest this week is Paul Niquette from "Which Way Amelia?" Paul has been studying the disappearance of Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan for many years. Mr. Niquette focuses his efforts on the final 20 hours of the world flight; breaking down different aspects of the flight into ten puzzles that challenge the common thinking and enlighten people on the facts of the flight. Enjoy this fascinating interview with Mr. Niquette and as always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions please let us know!
We are very honored and excited to bring you the very first episode of the C h a s I n g E a r h a r t podcast! Our guest for the inaugural episode, is TIGHAR senior archaeologist Tom King. In this episode we talk with Tom about his background in archaeology and his thoughts and opinions on the work that the TIGHAR team has done over the course of the last 28 years. If after the podcast, you have any questions, comments or suggestions for the team please drop us a line via our website or by email. Enjoy episode one and thank you sincerely for subscribing to chasingearhart.com!