WEBVTT - Bonus: The First Photos

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<v Speaker 1>From my Heart Media. This is Missing in Alaska, the

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<v Speaker 1>story of two congressmen who vanished in nine two and

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<v Speaker 1>my quest to figure out what happened to them. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>your host, John Wallzac. Okay, So one of the most

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<v Speaker 1>important tasks I gave you was to help me track

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<v Speaker 1>down photos of the missing plane, a white and orange

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<v Speaker 1>Cessna three ten see tail number and one eight one

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<v Speaker 1>to h Because not only did the plane disappear, so

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<v Speaker 1>too did any photographic evidence of it. I had never

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<v Speaker 1>seen a photo of the plane, neither had anyone I interviewed.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why I asked for your help. I reported that

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<v Speaker 1>Don John's, the pilot, bought the plane around nineteen seventy

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<v Speaker 1>and then repainted it. Via registration records, I figured out

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<v Speaker 1>that specifically, he purchased it in April nineteen seventy two.

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<v Speaker 1>So any photos showing the plane with its final paint

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<v Speaker 1>scheme as it looked the day it disappeared would have

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<v Speaker 1>to have been taken during a six month span in

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen seventy two. Finding such photos would allow us to

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<v Speaker 1>compare the missing planes tail to a description of tail

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<v Speaker 1>wreckage located by Bob Martinson, the fisherman in poor Dutchess

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<v Speaker 1>sometime around nineteen eighty. Then we could better determine whether

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<v Speaker 1>or not what Bob found belonged to the baggage Bogs

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<v Speaker 1>plane or another plane. Unfortunately, we are still looking for

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<v Speaker 1>those photos, the Holy Grail photos, but I do have

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<v Speaker 1>good news. With your help, we found other photos of

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<v Speaker 1>the plane to photos actually taken during the nineteen sixties.

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<v Speaker 1>These are the first known photos of the plane, the

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<v Speaker 1>only known photos of the plane, and even though they're

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<v Speaker 1>not the Holy Grail photos, they are important for history's sake.

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<v Speaker 1>About two months ago, we heard from a listener named

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Power, a pilot, aviation preservationist, and entrepreneur. At first,

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<v Speaker 1>even with his expertise, Brian couldn't find any photos of

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<v Speaker 1>the plane. Like me, He dug through old newspaper articles,

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<v Speaker 1>sess the ads, etcetera. Nothing, So Brian took a different approach.

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<v Speaker 1>Looking at the registration records, he saw that the plane

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<v Speaker 1>was based in Texas for about six and a half years,

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<v Speaker 1>from November nineteen sixty through March nineteen sixty seven. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>it was based in a town that shares his name,

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Texas, which is right next to College Station and

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<v Speaker 1>Texas A and M University. At the time, fewer than

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<v Speaker 1>fifty thousand people lived in the area, so Brian the

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<v Speaker 1>pilot made an educated guess that the plane was stored

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<v Speaker 1>at a local airport, Easterwood Airport. He started combing through

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<v Speaker 1>Texas A and MS digitized archives looking for any photos

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<v Speaker 1>taken at Easterwood in the sixties, and he quickly found

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<v Speaker 1>two black and white images that appeared to show a

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<v Speaker 1>Cessna three tense at Easterwood. One was taken in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty one. The other is undated but also appears to

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<v Speaker 1>have been taken in the sixties. These two photos appear

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<v Speaker 1>to show the same plane, the same Cessna three tensee.

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<v Speaker 1>The question was whether or not they showed our plane,

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<v Speaker 1>and one eight one to h odds were that yes

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<v Speaker 1>they did. Because Cessna only produced two sixty three ten c's,

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<v Speaker 1>so the odds of a three ten c being photographed

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<v Speaker 1>twice at Easterwood in the sixties and not being our

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<v Speaker 1>plane were relatively low. But that wasn't enough. We needed

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<v Speaker 1>more evidence. Unfortunately, the plane's tail number is not visible

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<v Speaker 1>in either image, frustrating I know, so once again I

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<v Speaker 1>turned to two pilots whose help has been invaluable, Mike Travis,

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<v Speaker 1>and another man who prefers to remain anonymous. The three

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<v Speaker 1>of us combed through airworthiness records for our plane, looking

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<v Speaker 1>for unique features that could help determine whether or not

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<v Speaker 1>the Easterwood plane was indeed our plane, and the answer

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<v Speaker 1>is almost certainly yes, it is our plane. First off,

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<v Speaker 1>after seeing the eastern Wood images, we immediately knew that

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<v Speaker 1>we were looking at either assess the three ten b

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<v Speaker 1>C or early model D. These three models had straight tails.

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<v Speaker 1>Later models had angled tails swept tails. The Easterwood photos

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<v Speaker 1>show a three ten with a straight tail. With that,

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<v Speaker 1>we moved on to a list of optional equipment that

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<v Speaker 1>our plane the missing plane had, including one a rotating

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<v Speaker 1>beacon on top of the vertical stabilizer, to a taxi

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<v Speaker 1>light on the lower landing gear strut, and three a

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<v Speaker 1>dare I l S antenna on the nose. Both Easterwood

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<v Speaker 1>photos show a rotating beacon, one shows a taxi light,

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<v Speaker 1>and one might show a nose antenna. It's hard to tell.

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<v Speaker 1>So far, everything we saw indicated that the Easterwood plane

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<v Speaker 1>was our plane. Their critical evidence ended up being two

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<v Speaker 1>additional antennas. Initially, our plane had a Leer seventeen A,

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<v Speaker 1>which is shaped like a shark fin. But in November

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixty the Leer antenna was removed and replaced with

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<v Speaker 1>an A r C A DASH thirteen B which also

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<v Speaker 1>has a very distinct shape. And guess what. Both Easterwood

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<v Speaker 1>photos the Texas photos taken in the sixties show this antenna,

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<v Speaker 1>the A r C A DASH thirteen B. Furthermore, yet

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<v Speaker 1>another antenna and a r C A DASH fifteen which

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<v Speaker 1>basically looks like a metal rod bent at a ninety

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<v Speaker 1>degree angle, was also installed on our plane at a

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<v Speaker 1>particular spot on its airframe after it left the factory,

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<v Speaker 1>and in one of the Easterwood photos, the higher resolution photo,

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<v Speaker 1>you also see this antenna. So both photos located by

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Power show a Cessna three tensee located at Easterwood

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<v Speaker 1>Airport during the nineteen sixties with the right optional equipment

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<v Speaker 1>and the right antenna's installed at the right locations. This

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<v Speaker 1>is very strong evidence that the Easterwood plane is our

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<v Speaker 1>plane and one eight one to ah the plane that

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<v Speaker 1>later disappeared in Alaska while carrying Congressman Hail Bogs and

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<v Speaker 1>Nick Baggage. This is why I ask for your help,

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<v Speaker 1>because now m I A is a wee, not a me.

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<v Speaker 1>It's about what we can find, what we can accomplish.

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<v Speaker 1>We just found the first known photos of a famous

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<v Speaker 1>missing plane, the only known photos of the plane. So

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<v Speaker 1>keep digging. Who knows, maybe we'll find the holy Grail

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<v Speaker 1>photos photos of the plane taken between April and October

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen two. Heck, maybe we'll even find the plane itself.

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<v Speaker 1>And one last thing. One of these photos, the Easterwood photos,

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<v Speaker 1>appears to show a d ice boot on the plane's tail.

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<v Speaker 1>So it appears we found photographic evidence of what we

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<v Speaker 1>reported based on documents in episode eleven, tail end that

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<v Speaker 1>the missing plane did have icing equipment, equipment that for

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<v Speaker 1>some reason, the NTSB did not mention in its final

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<v Speaker 1>accident report, equipment that undermines the theory that the plane

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<v Speaker 1>was brought down by ice. Ben Boland is our executive producer.

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<v Speaker 1>Paul Deckett is our supervising producer, Chris Brown is our

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<v Speaker 1>assistant producer. Seth Nicholas Johnson is our producer. Sam T.

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<v Speaker 1>Garden is our research assistant, And I'm your host and

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<v Speaker 1>executive producer, John Wallzac. You can find me and the

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<v Speaker 1>photos on Twitter at at John wallzac j O n

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<v Speaker 1>w A L c z A K. This week I

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<v Speaker 1>have a fun task for you. I want you to

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<v Speaker 1>read a new book by John Billman called The Cold Vanish,

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<v Speaker 1>Seeking the Missing in North America's wild Lands. It's captivating,

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<v Speaker 1>a book of adventure and mystery written with empathy. I

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<v Speaker 1>read it in two days. It focuses on people who

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<v Speaker 1>disappear on public lands in wild places and a father's

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<v Speaker 1>hunt for his missing son. Again. It's called The Cold

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<v Speaker 1>Vanish Special. Thanks to Brian Power, Mike Travis, and the

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<v Speaker 1>Third Pilot who asked to remain anonymous. And thank you

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<v Speaker 1>to Cushing Me more Real Library and Archives at Texas

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<v Speaker 1>and m University Archives. Again y'all support them. Missing in

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<v Speaker 1>Alaska is a co production of iHeartMedia and Green Forwark

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<v Speaker 1>Media