And if wreckage is found then that has to be a good thing, so good luck that you do: it will be a fitting memorial to a sad but ultimately straightforward event. I think most here would be supportive of that, so long as there isn’t some daft ‘angle’ behind it all.

Thank you. We don’t think for one minute there will be a daft angle – the story stands on its own.

I guess we will just have to sit tight, and see what intrique transpires.

The sea does not give up its secrets lightly. We all need patience and whilst we are itching to dive, we will only go to sea when we are ready.

Despite Simon explaining many times what the deal is with the paying backers, you lot continue to hack away at him.
He must be mad to come here and put up with this.

Sometimes we think searching for wrecks and crash sites is madness. The opinions of a few here won’t stop us.

When there are updates, I will share. We have a sneaking suspicion there is a silent majority here who want to know, are interested and not particularly vocal about it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this Nige – much appreciated.

So we now turn to the thoughts of Chairman Meddle:

At this point in time there is nothing to discuss.

Yup – unless you are a backer that is.

The cynic in me thinks that this thread has simply raised the public profile of Grahame Knott and Simon Brown.

Do please have a listen to the updates we have shared. There have been 5 or 6 I think. Beyond the first broadcast, there has been no mention of either of us but we really did believe folk interested in historic aviation may be interested in…err…a historic event connected with aviation? We have promoted the work of Emma Jane, the journalist working the story – but thats it.

If its a vanity project then its pretty discreet. Perhaps its because its not really about us, but the story itself?

It is also worth noting that at no time since the first post have we been asking for or soliciting any funding. There is a page on the interweb where you can become a backer. It costs a tenner. Yes, £10.00 to receive regular updates on what we are up to. We have not shared a link to it here as that would a) breach the rules of said forum and b) cause upset and discord amongst the mods.

…the deliberate withholding of information to drum up support and intrigue…

Unless you are a backer, information will be withheld. Meddle – I have put this in bold italics so as to draw attention to this really basic principle. So far, all previous attempts to remind you of this simple-to-follow point have been lost…beyond making the font bigger do please let me know what might help you understand?

…the occasional “we found a thing” post to keep us salivating…

Sorry, where did we post a claim to have found something? We have not and will not here.

Meddle – you have failed to grasp the simple facts as presented and continued to follow a narrative and belief that others are now suggesting is not right or reasonable. I am now unsure what else I can offer by way of explanation of how things are. As for any connection with or likeness to any other search organisation, I will simply refer you to Arkell v Pressdram.

Meddle et al – please look away as the following link may not suit how you see the world and it may cause offence.

BBC update on the story of Sgt Paul Meyer.

Yup, more free stuff. Perhaps ask yourself how the radar transcript was uncovered?

We are ”genuinely interested in what’s going on” but Grahame, you won’t tell us !

No we won’t. Reasons already given.

Don’t tell me to tune in to the radio; tell us in this thread exactly what you’ve uncovered.

The radio updates are free – part of the license fee at any rate – and cost nothing apart from time to listen. So far the updates have:

And there is more to come. Some of the above has been our work handed over to Emma Jane, some of it hers alone. Either way, its all been free at the point on consumption. We make or get nothing from it financially but I posted up to remind folks when the next broadcast is due, and for some reason its met with a demand to tell more? I honestly thought some on the forum would want to listen to a piece on historic aviation on the radio…but perhaps I was mistaken? All you have to do is listen in…its all there…zero cost, insignificant effort…I mean, how hard can it be?

Why won’t we just give everything away on a forum? I mean, information is free right?

I’m now going to share the cost of putting me on the seabed in 60m of water. It does not cover the cost of sonar kit, drop cameras, the boat or spending time making sure the right bit of seabed is where I end up. Just me and my camera…in some respects, these costs are incidental to the overall project costs, but they are worthy of dissection.

Before we dig into the costs, here’s a quick education on the issues of a 60m dive;

The nitrogen in air, when breathed under high pressure – 7bars at 60m – becomes narcotic. It makes you feel euphoric, or exceptionally anxious. Either way it impairs your judgement and decision making skills…the very skills you need to stay alive. To mitigate the risk we add helium to the cylinders and this gets rid of the effects. Trouble is, helium is an expensive gas – around 3~4p per litre and I need 2000 litres of the stuff. For all that I will get 22 mins on the seabed before spending 40mins hanging around decompressing…

I do need to decompress and get all of that absorbed gas out of my body slowly and for this I will use 50% and 80% O2. Not too expensive but now I need another two cylinders and remember to make sure I breathe the right gas at the right time. Get this kind of diving wrong and its a trip in the helicopter to a recompression chamber…helium bends can be the worst and if treatment is successful then all well and good…if not, permanent damage is possible and a wheelchair may beckon. Learning to use these gases and run the dive so you end up on the boat sipping tea takes time and practice…you get the idea.

So with that in mind, here goes:

So whilst I can understand people would love to know things for nothing, I am less inclined to see such a request in a favourable light. Thanks in part I am carrying all the risk of costs and health whilst I investigate whatever is on the seabed. To put it bluntly, its f**ing hard work, we do it because we love it and anyone who wants something for nothing after all that can just and do one as far as I am concerned.

The backers, on the other hand, have put their money where their mouth is and bought survey diesel. For this we are extremely grateful, and by sheer coincidence there is a backer update going out tonight that gives a much deeper insight as to where we are with the search.

This thread should serve to educate, and not simply to catalog your media appearances.

The broadcast is of historical aviation interest. We know its coming so give everyone a heads-up and give them a chance to listen in. The BBC investigation is proceeding in parallel of what we are doing, but we are working closely on it all the way – hence the heads-up of when its being broadcast.

Its worth noting that beyond the first broadcast, no one actually looking for the crash site has featured. No interviews, no comment. It is not our media appearance we are pushing here, just the work of a very thorough and inquiring BBC journalist.

In summary: this update educational to the point folks here know its coming and are at liberty to tune in, or not.

Have you found this Hercules yet? Yes or no?
Was it shot down? Yes or no?

Thing is, conducting this kind of search is quite expensive. Thats why we sought backing using the Kickstarter route…we think the folks who actually put their hands in the pockets, pulled out their wallet and helped fund the search will find out before anyone what the search turns up. And that includes before the BBC and any public broadcast/update on the story. If you backed us, you will be one of the first to find out…if not, then patience is required.

But the next update on R4 is going to be controversial, of that I am confident. It will be interesting to hear what folk think after the story has run.

The hunt for the missing Hercules continues, and so does the updates on the Radio.

Its a current affairs programme so we cannot guarantee it won’t be pulled, but the latest (and in our opinion…controversial) update on the story of Sgt Meyer and 63-7789 should go out on PM with Eddie Mair tomorrow between 5pm and 6pm.

The journalist working the story visited Mildenhall and sought the views of the USAF themselves…do tune in if you can, or catch it on iPlayer.

If its pulled from tomorrow then Wednesday is the backup slot.

So a part classification number, rather than a part or drawing number.

Aircraftclocks – that information is much appreciated. Its reduced the search down from 4000 or so pages of the parts catalogue to around 30…very grateful!

That BBC report is atrocious: full of inaccuracies…

If you know something, and can substantiate it, now is the time to speak up.

And is all that talk of him patching through to a phone network even feasible in 1969 (or now?)

The answer to that will be broadcast tonight on BBC Radio 4.

Yet again lazy reporting from an organization which should be a paragon.

This is far from lazy reporting. Of that I am certain. Knowing the work that has gone into this by both the journalist and others I remain quietly confident we would be able to substantiate everything. Again, if you know something…do get in contact.

The truth is going to come out, one way or the other.

The project to find Meyer’s Herc is now fully funded.

Thanks to all who have contributed – as backers you will be kept up to date with progress. Having seen the leads come in, I think its fair to say unravelling the mystery is going to be a very interesting journey.

If anyone else wishes to join us then there is less than 24 hours to sign up.