P-MAN IV - p. 4              

VI. Introduction to Findings

The People:
Aircraft missing for almost 60 years have crashed, by definition, into less-than-frequented
and hence less-than-accessible locations. The result is that people looking for such aircraft have to be willing (and able) to work closely together in rough settings. This BentProp team assembled as a team for the first time in Palau and had never worked together anywhere – something not to be recommended. And yet we banded quickly into a team and managed to explore the ocean’s floors and to march together through dense volcanic- and coral-based jungles across the Palau Islands – and we did it well, the proof of which you will read about below.

For us to be both mobile and flexible, P-MAN IV equipment was minimal: sport scuba diving gear (air) on a shallow draft dive boat, GPS (working only intermittently in the dense jungles), two-way radios (which worked well until dropped in the ocean), machetes, long sleeve shirts, long-legged pants and hiking boots and always lots of DEET (mosquito control is important since Dengue Fever is prevalent in Palau). Planning
important to the success of the expedition included the requirement for a high level of physical fitness prior to arrival, constant and regimented attention to hydration, daily briefings and debriefings (especially difficult to do when hot, hungry and exhausted) and ready access to e-mail (for connection with CILHI, PostStar Productions stateside coordinator, Jennifer Krasny-Powers, and stateside on-call aviation historians). Designation of the various Safety Officers listed above, matched to appropriate expertise, insured active participation by each team member. In addition, the presence of the PostStar Productions crew resulted in much improved still and video recording of our findings, which have greatly aided in our post-expedition analyses, interpretations and reports. The availability of the photographic talent from the PostStar team greatly freed up the rest of the team to explore each site.

The scope of our searches required working sequentially with different Palauan guides, each a hunter-fisher with expertise in his own particular region of ocean or jungle. Our master guide, Joe Maldanesang, from Neco Marine, has worked with me since 1996. Boat-driver, diver, explorer, jungle pathfinder, teller-of-ghost stories, Joe has many skills, one of most important of which is coordinating with and translating between the team and the regional guides and elders, who speak varying degrees of English. He remained by our sides at (almost) every step of the trip, on land and on water.

As with prior expeditions, the Palauan people, including both governmental and private citizens, remained highly supportive of our efforts throughout our time in Palau. In fact, as with the prior BentProp expeditions, Palauan support, particularly from those who lived through WWII, has continued to expand, evidenced by the increasing willingness of Palauan elders to be interviewed about their recollections and experiences from those times.

Throughout this expedition, the P-MAN IV team held together from beginning to end, beyond any expectation that, up front, I could imagine or expect. My concerns about bringing so many “strangers” together into a physically stressful environment evaporated, unlike our sweat, after our first serious team challenge on Eil Malk (on the first day!) and never reappeared. Each member contributed equally to the considerable success of this P-MAN IV expedition – all the while retaining our ability to laugh together no matter what the situation. I am honored that individuals with such talents joined me and I thank everyone who contributed to this expedition, including Jennifer Krasny-Powers and her husband, Tom Krasny, who provided support, as they were able, from home.

Previous expeditions have exclusively focused on quantifiable objectives with the result that my follow-on reports have accordingly had quantified conclusions, e. g., either a crash site was found or not. However, unlike prior BentProp expeditions, P-MAN IV included our Special Participants. These Special Participants, with their own personal quests, provided the team with unanticipated linkage and perspective between the present and the past, as we jointly explored Palau. Jim Nelson and Bill Cantrell and their daring wives, Neel and Mary Alice, inspired us and had profound emotional effects on each member of the P-MAN IV team. I know the P-MAN IV team has no earthly way to express appreciation to our Special Participants but we will forever remember our time together. Unlike other aspects of this expedition, such times are not quantifiable. Nonetheless, I will attempt at least qualitatively to convey some of the events we shared together.