As many of you may know, this week Amelia Earhart was back
in the news. One headline from March 20th read: Investigators say they've found key clue to fate of Amelia Earhart
On July 2, 1937, pioneering pilot Earhart, with her
navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared while flying over the Pacific
Ocean. Earhart was attempting to set the next aviation record by
circumnavigating the globe in her Lockheed Electra. The crash site of the
Electra and Earhart’s final resting place, of course, have long been a mystery.
Earhart herself has become a legend.
The “key clue” recently found involves a photograph of the
Pacific atoll Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner
Island). Further
investigation of the atoll will be headed up by Richard Gillespie, executive
director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft
Recovery (TIGHAR).
While it’s not the first time (nor the last, no doubt) that the
mystery of Earhart’s disappearance has been probed, Gillespie and TIGHAR may be
getting closer to an answer. It’s interesting to note that, as recently as
2009, he and his crew were focusing on that same coral atoll, Nikumaroro, for
other reasons (see Earhart's Final
Resting Place Believed Found, October 23, 2009 http://news.discovery.com/history/amelia-earhart-resting-place.html).
So what's this news got to do with ghosts and ghost stories? Quite a bit, oddly enough.
The fresh interest in Amelia Earhart reminded me of a terrific
ghost story I once read: The Sound of
Wings by Spencer Dunmore. It’s a fun, fast-paced novel featuring the
ghostly apparition of a dynamic female aviator whose monoplane disappeared over
the Atlantic shortly after Lindbergh’s famous
flight. (She’s very reminiscent of Amelia Earhart in character.) Her ghost has returned
to haunt the co-pilot of a contemporary commercial airliner. What does she want? and Why is she haunting this particular pilot? are
among the many questions demanding answers.
Though The Sound of
Wings is a ghost story gem, I’ve discovered that it’s hard to find in print
these days. But, if you can get your hands on a copy, I think you’ll enjoy its
well-plotted mix of mystery and the supernatural.
Do you have a favorite ghost story related to aviation? Recommendations are always welcomed!
Happy Hauntings,
P. A. Peirson
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