Elgen Long

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Elgen Long
c. 1972
Born	(1927-08-12)August 12, 1927 McMinnville, Oregon, U.S.
Died	January 26, 2022(2022-01-26) (aged 94) Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Aviator, author, and researcher
Known for	First man to fly solo across both poles, and valid research on Amelia Earhart's disappearance.
Spouse	Marie K. Long

Elgen Marion Long (August 12, 1927 – January 26, 2022) was a distinguished American aviator, author, and researcher who achieved numerous notable milestones in aviation. Among his impressive accomplishments, Long set fifteen aviation records, including a groundbreaking 1971 flight around the world over both poles, which earned him the FAI Gold Air Medal.

Long is also well-regarded for his research into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. He developed the "Crash and Sink" theory, which provides an explanation for their mysterious disappearance. Over a period of more than 35 years, Long and his wife, Marie Katherine Long, conducted extensive research on the final segment of Earhart and Noonan's flight. Their detailed work, documenting the people and evidence related to the disappearance, is now archived at the Sea Word Foundation.

Navy veteran who navigated seaplanes across the Pacific during World War II, Long retired in 1987 after a distinguished career with The Flying Tiger Line, where he was a Senior Boeing 747 Captain. Over more than forty years, he took on roles including pilot, examiner, instructor, radio operator, and navigator.

In January 1949, while working as a navigator for Alaska Airlines, Elgen Long was redirected to a British Royal Air Forceb ase in Aden, Yemen. There, he and his crew joined daring rescue mission Operation Magic Carpet that would come to be known as “On Eagle’s Wings”which airlifted tens of thousands of Yemenite Jews to Israel. Using an aircraft with seats removed to increase capacity, Long’s team completed twelve trips over seven days, ultimately rescuing 49,000 Yemenite Jews..

In 1971, Long flew solo around the world over both the North and South Poles in a Piper Navajo,^[1] setting fifteen world records and firsts. Long was the first man to have crossed Antarctica alone via the South Pole. He was also the first to use inertial navigation in crossing the Antarctic Continent. For those feats, he was awarded the Federation Aeronautique International "Gold Air Medal" as the world's outstanding sports pilot, the Institute of Navigation Superior Achievement Award for outstanding performance as a practicing navigator, and the Airline Pilots Association Award for Outstanding Airmanship.^[2]

Beginning in 1971, Long, and his wife Marie, interviewed and collected data from over a hundred surviving individuals that had a direct connection with Amelia Earhart's last flight. Using the data they collected, Long - a former accident investigator for the Airline Pilots Association and Member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators - used his special expertise in radio communications, navigation, and aircraft operational performance to collaborate with his late wife Marie in writing the book about Earhart's last flight. In 1976, Long was interviewed by the television program In Search of.... Long gave his prognosis on Earhart's fate and the positive condition her aircraft would be in, in the deep sea. Long co-wrote Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved with his wife Marie, published in 1999.^[3] Long is the originator and leading proponent of the book's "Crash and Sink" theory explaining Amelia Earhart's disappearance. Long theorised that the Electra ran out of fuel and ditched at sea relatively near to Howland Island, the atoll Earhart was attempting to reach. Movie rights to the book were purchased for Fox Searchlight Studios and Long was hired as technical consultant for the film Amelia (2009).^{[citation needed]}

With a lifetime of aviation experience behind him he has devoted most of his retirement years to researching and writing about Earhart's last flight. He led two expeditions to the mid-Pacific Ocean where Earhart and Noonan disappeared, and in 2006 participated in a search that attempted to locate their downed aircraft on the ocean floor near Howland Island.

Lon passed away at his home in Reno on January 26 on 2022 at the age of 94.

is contributions have notably impacted aviation history.

• David W. Jourdan

• https://www.flyingtigerline.org/elgen-m-long/

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