Date: July 26th 1999

Time: 6:15 am EST ( 8:15 am Greenland Local time)

Location: Somewhere over the North Atlantic aboard Greenland Airlines 757.

ETA Narsarsuaq 10:40 am local.

After an incredible amount of airline induced frustration brought about by canceled, delayed and rerouted flights, we now have the entire team together enroute to join the advance members already on site with the boat. While the original plan called for most of us to meet in Newark and travel together to Copenhagen, the airlines ensured it would not be that easy. Those that made the original flight arrived early Sunday morning on the 25th. The rest caught up during the day trickling in with stories of changed flight schedules and missing baggage. By departure time on the 26th, everyone and every piece of equipment had been accounted for with the exception of one bag belonging to our guest of honor, the original bombardier from the "Sooner" Paul Blaida. All-in-all not a bad result so far considering the group now consists of nearly 40 individuals, each with a specific role to play on the recovery and the final documentation of the expedition. Besides the principal team leaders, our recovery force consists of 2 sonar specialists (including one who was involved in a recent high profile search in the area around Martha's Vineyard), 2 remote underwater vehicle operators, 4 divers, a couple of experience recovery experts, a video production team, writers and photographers, and some individuals with some very unique backgrounds in aviation history. An advance team has been in Greenland since Friday the 23rd attempting to hook up with the main recovery boat and equipment We have not heard from the advance guys since Friday and are uncertain if they are on station yet due to heavy ice flows in the area outside the fjord. We believe that by the time we are scheduled to join them in the search area that they will have found a way to get around the ice. Once inside the search area, reports received Friday indicate that the area is clear of ice. The main group will travel from Narsarsuaq to Narsaq via boat this afternoon. There is a helicopter on standby to get the sonar team to the search area more quickly if it any delays are expected with the boat trip. The sonar team has the first job and will begin mapping the underwater terrain and setting up a search grid in the area of the original ditching. Spirits are good and everyone is anxious to get out of airplanes and hotels and get to work. The last 48 hours have been long, with very little sound sleep for most of the group.