Plane in the lagoon at Orona

[Tom Maxwell]

Interested readers should create their own image version of Amelia’s L10e in the Orona lagoon. If you don’t have Google Earth you can download the software from the Google Earth website. It’s free. After opening the application Use the search function at the upper left by typing in the exacting location of the aircraft. Latitude South 4.4986 and Longitude West 172.1575. After typing in the location, hit the search button and GE will automatically fly to the exacting location and will hover above the location. At the top tool bar, choose the “history function”, and select the 2006 image. There are other years but only the 2006 image contains the visible airframe. The smooth surface, clear water, and reflection of spectral light from the airframe directly into the satellite camera lens makes the airframe visible in this December 2006 Quick Bird image. Use the “eye altitude” control to hover down to 120 feet above the surface. Because the raft must be included, 120 feet is good. Copy the screen to your clipboard. You can clip the GE controls away later. Or with Mac OS use Grab utility. Later, use photo on the PC or Preview mark-uo tool bar on Mac to edit the color saturation, contrast, etc to get the best image for you. For me, enhancing the blue while suppressing green and red worked best. Different people see colors differently. The natural image at Google Earth contains all three major colors that together make camouflage more effective in concealing the aircraft.. Many people have some degree of color blindness which can make the airframe difficult to see. By enhancing some colors while suppressing others you will find the airframe easier to see. Your image can be oriented as you like while comparing closely with this image below.