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>>> WHATEVER HAPPENS TO PILOT AMELIA EARHART IS ONE OF THE
GREAT MYSTERIES THAT STILL
INTRIGUES PEOPLE.
INTRIGUES PEOPLE. EVEN MORE THAN 80 YEARS AFTER
SHE DISAPPEARED OVER THE
PACIFIC OCEAN ON A FLIGHT TO
CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE.
FOR THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF
THAT FLIGHT, LINDA FINCH FROM
TEXAS BOUGHT AND RESTORED AND
SUCCESSFULLY RE-CREATED
SUCCESSFULLY RE-CREATED EHRHARDT'S FINAL FLIGHT IN THE
SAME MODEL OF PLANE THAT
EARHART USED.
EARHART USED. THAT PLANE IS ON PERMANENT
DISPLAY.
DISPLAY.
DISPLAY. LINDA FINCH JOINS US NOW.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
WE WERE TALKING EARLIER AND I
SAID ARE YOU THE KIND OF PERSON
WHO JUST HAVE A THIRST FOR
ADVENTURE RIGHT FROM THE START?
>> I ALWAYS WAS.
I ALWAYS WANTED TO FLY.
I WAS A TEENAGER.
I WANTED TO BE A PILOT.
>> HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO
WANTING TO RE-CREATE ONE OF THE
MOST FAMOUS AND IN SOME WAYS
INFAMOUS FLIGHTS THAT EVER
OCCURRED?
OCCURRED?
OCCURRED? WHAT MADE YOU HAVE THAT
OBSESSION?
OBSESSION? >> I ALWAYS WANTED TO FLY WORLD
WAR II AIRPLANES.
I FLEW IN AIRSHOWS AND TOLD THE
STORY OF OUR HEROES.
THEN I WENT TOTALLY SELFISH HAD
A GREAT TIME.
I DECIDED THAT HE NEEDED TO DO
SOMETHING MORE USEFUL.
WHEN I LEARNED ABOUT AMELIA
EARHART THAT'S WHAT SHE DID.
>> THIS FOOTAGE IS NOT OF YOU
GETTING INTO THE PLANE BUT OF
AMELIA EARHART HERSELF BACK IN
1937.
1937.
1937. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS
STORY THAT MEMORIZED YOU --?
>> HER LIFE WAS TO TELL PEOPLE
THEY COULD DO WHAT THEY WANTED.
SHE FOUGHT CONSTANTLY FOR
WOMEN'S RIGHTS.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS. SHE WAS A COUNSELOR AT PURDUE
UNIVERSITY.
UNIVERSITY. SHE WAS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO
TEACH WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
MOSTLY WOMEN THAT THEY DIDN'T
HAVE TO LIVE WITHIN LIMITS THAT
WERE SET FOR THEMSELVES.
THAT IS HER MESSAGE WE CARRIED
FORWARD WITH OUR FLIGHT.
>> IT WASN'T JUST A STUNT.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU
REALLY WANTED TO ENLIGHTEN, AND
BRING TO LIFE THIS GREAT
IMAGINATION THAT YOU HAD FOR
THE IDEA OF TAKING ON THE
IMPOSSIBLE.
IMPOSSIBLE. YOU WANTED GIRLS TO SEE THAT
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. >> WE HAD 2.2 MILLION CHILDREN
IN OUR CURRICULUM.
FOR AMELIA IT WASN'T ABOUT SEE
WHAT I CAN DO, IT WAS ABOUT SEE
WHAT YOU CAN DO.
THEY WERE MATH, SCIENCE AND
AVIATION AND LEARNING ABOUT THE
COUNTRIES.
COUNTRIES. IT WAS A VERY EARLY INTERNET
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. THEY COULD FOLLOW US ON THE
INTERNET.
INTERNET.
INTERNET. THEY HAD SATELLITE.
THEY KNEW WHERE WE WERE AND
WHERE WE WERE GOING.
THEY JOINED US.
>> VERY ADVANCED FOR 1997.
AS WE ALL REMEMBER THE INTERNET
WAS REALLY STILL IN ITS
INFANCY.
INFANCY.
INFANCY. YOU WERE ABLE TO USE THAT TO
BRING PEOPLE IN.
THEY COULD EMAIL YOU IN FLIGHT
AND THEY COULD FAX YOU AND YOU
COULD FAX THEM.
WHAT A GREAT WAY TO TAKE YOU
ALONG FOR THE JOURNEY.
HOW DID YOUR FLIGHT DIFFER FROM
AMELIA EARHART'S? OTHER THAN
THE ENDING.
THE ENDING. >> I HAD MODERN NAVIGATION AND
COMMUNICATION ALONG WITH THE
SATELLITE EQUIPMENT.
SATELLITE EQUIPMENT. WE WANTED TO TOW THE MESSAGE
AND BE SAFE.
OTHERWISE IT DID NOT DIFFER.
1 MILLION WAS MORE THAN THREE
TIMES OVER THE DESIGN BECAUSE
SHE NEEDED SO MUCH FUEL.
ALL THE SEATS WERE OUT.
THE WHOLE FUSELAGE WAS SOLID
FUEL TANKS.
FUEL TANKS. IT WAS THE SAME DISTANCE IN THE
SAME WAY IN THE SAME AIRCRAFT.
>> IT WAS RESTORED RIGHT DOWN
TO THE RIVETS?
>> THE MODEL HAS THE SAME
RIVETS.
RIVETS.
RIVETS. EVERYTHING INSIDE WE GOT HER
PLANS FROM THE SMITHSONIAN.
WE TOOK HUNDREDS OF PICTURES.
WHATEVER WE FOUND, WE MADE IT
LIKE HERS.
LIKE HERS. >> THE PLANE SITS HERE IN A
MUSEUM IN SEATTLE.
THE LAST REMAINING PIECE OR THE
LAST KNOWN PIECE OF AMELIA
EARHART'S ORIGINAL PLANE IS IN
THE MUSEUM AS WELL.
>> I AM SO EXCITED THE PLANE IS
THERE AND THEY'RE USING IT FOR
SUCH BEAUTIFUL PROGRAMS.
>> THERE IT IS IN FLIGHT.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PLANE THAT
WAS.
WAS.
WAS. WERE
WAS. WERE THERE ONLY TWO?
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. IT TOOK THREE YEARS.
THE OTHER THING IS THAT EMILLIA
AND I ARE BOTH VERY STUBBORN.
IT TOOK SEVERAL YEARS TO
RESTORE IT.
RESTORE IT. >> WHY ARE YOU HERE IN TOWN?
YOU ARE WORKING ON A PROJECT
RIGHT NOW?
RIGHT NOW? >> YES, FOR THE MYSTERIES IN
THE MUSEUM TV SHOW.
I UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE BEEN
THERE SEVERAL TIMES.
IT'S SUCH A GREAT MUSEUM.
I CAME UP TO DO THE FILMING.
>> IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK REALLY
HAPPENED TO AMELIA EARHART?
>> I DON'T THINK THERE WAS
ANYTHING THAT COULD'VE HAPPENED
OTHER THAN SHE WAS LOST TRYING
TO FIND THE ISLAND.
TO LOOK WITH NAVIGATING WITH
THE STARS AND YOUR COMPASS, AND
NOT THE INSTRUMENTS THAT WE
HAVE, THEY WILL PICK A POINT
WHERE THE ISLAND IS.
YOU FLY PAST IT INTO THE SIDE
OF INDU SQUARE PATTERNS.
THEY GO AROUND SMALLER AND
SMALLER.
SMALLER.
SMALLER. IT WAS AN EXTREMELY LONG
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT. JUST HEADWINDS OR MORE THAN SHE
COULD COPE WITH.
I BELIEVE SHE RAN OUT OF GAS.
DOING WHAT SHE INTENDED TO DO.
>> WE HEAR THAT HER PLANE HAS
BEEN FOUND EVERY FEW MONTHS.
YOU DON'T THINK THAT IS GOING
TO HAPPEN?
TO HAPPEN? >> NO, I DON'T.
>> AFTER THE BREAK, THANK YOU
FOR COMING BY.