FLYJACK

Here it is,,, "We took the Cooper plane up after the hijacking and simulated a drop by a parachutist,’’ he said.. "We noticed the decal was missing after that but not before."

I am questioning the notion that the Placard fell on its own, the dispersion area would be massive. Yet, it was found right under the flightpath.. right after (w drift) last comms with Cooper. That suggests the Placard did not drift down on its own. That plastic door should have two finger holes in it, could that have been used for something? Securing the money with the cords through the holes? worried about fingerprints? or? Don't know, just trying to brainstorm this.. Didn't they fly a test run over the flightpath afterwards to check drift? Apparently they didn't notice it was missing right away.. maybe it came off during the test..

This is great analysis for leaflet drops... (CIA) which can be a proxy for the Placard separated from plastic door.. https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-03639A000500080001-1.pdf 2-3 ft/sec descent.. not factoring wind plane 10000 ft Placard find = 1320 ft 3 ft/sec = 180ft/min falling 8680 ft = 48 minutes 2 ft/sec = 120 ft/min falling 8680 ft = 72 minutes Take away, if the Placard separated from the plastic door immediately on plane exit and fell close to 8680 ft it could have taken 48 minutes or more depending on the wind speed to reach the ground. It could have travelled up to 50 miles or more.. Since it was found right under the FBI flightpath, right after last comm with Cooper, that suggests the placard may not have come down on its own. It was either carried in something or remained attached to the plastic door. Is there any reason to take it with him or put it (with small plastic door) in the briefcase or dummy chute and toss?

Did "Parachutist" magazine have membership applications inside circa DEC 1971? http://manifestmaster.com/parachutist/c_1971_12.html

Doesn't look centred under the "D" to me, the video shows different angles when he picks it up and none of it shows it centred... watch the vid in slo mo It isn't centred.

Look at the video in slo mo and compare to this pic.. the lettering position doesn't match. The "R" is clearly before the "D" above... in the "In Search Of" one.

The lettering doesn't line up at all. It is clear.

No it isn't look at word AIRSTAIR it doesn't match the position.. it ends under the "D" on the real one. go back and look at the full vid in slo mo, they don't match. They aren't the same.

the edges, the lettering positions, top right corner shape.. Lower left edge and lettering doesn't match. The "N" and "A" in "HANDLE" look different. The "I" edge for the "IT" is different The words "AFT AIRSTAIR" is different, it is condensed/shifted and doesn't line up the same with words above. On the "In Search Of Placard" The "A" starts in line with the right edge of the "H" above, the ending "R" ends in line with right edge of the "D" above. In the known "real" one they are all shifted right you can see how far the word "AIRSTAIR" encroaches well under the "D" above.. Also, see the "AFT" under the T is shifted slighlty. The alignment of "EMERGENCY" and "HANDLE" look off slightly as well.

Placard.. From "In Search Of" show on left, the real Hicks Placard on right.

After doing more work on the bills,, I have concluded that there is definitely NO rubber band in the image.. it is definitely under the plastic but it is part of the design on the bill. I still believe the 3 packets arrived in a single rubber banded bundle.

FBI confirmed Tuesday placard matched one missing from plane skyjacked by D. B. Cooper.. https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-jan-18-1979-p-29/

Robert, Do you have access to a drone? It would be amazing if you could get elevated drone shots of the Placard area...

True, the data for the winds aloft increased speed at elevation. However, the wind data from the FBI was consistent in direction. So, wind same direction but increasing at elevation. But, the wind direction they used was an average of Salem and Portland between 8-9PM. The Placard left the plane around 8:05 and Cooper assumed around 8:09/11.. The winds near 8 PM were actually from the ESE and shifted to S and then SSW. The FBI ASSUMED SSW winds for the area Cooper jumped. The placard found right under the flightpath doesn't indicate a radically different flightpath, it indicates that the FBI wind estimate of SSW was wrong for that location. I would be quite amazing for the Placard found years later to fly through the wind 5+ miles and land exactly under the wrong flightpath.. not to mention all the evidence from the FBI, ATC, Boeing, NorthWest, Air Force, chase plane pilots would have to be wrong. IMO, the alternate Western flightpath argument is based on 1 false assumption, THE WIND direction at that location and time. Winds were an estimate.. based on both Salem and Portland AND averaged over an hour timespan. The winds weren't known, they were a guess. They assumed SSW but near 8 PM they were ESE..

More on the chutes... The back chute Hayden got back from the FBI does not match the back chute found on the plane.. it doesn't really match the chute described by the FBI as Hayden's.. Bruce Smith wrote,, https://themountainnewswa.net/2011/10/25/db-cooper-case-heats-up-again-with-controversy-over-parachutes/ "However, these documents proclaim Hayden as the owner of the two back chutes delivered to Cooper aboard Flight 305. Norman is also cited as the source of the information on the back parachutes as detailed in these documents, but Norman says that he never spoke to an FBI agent about the chutes. In fact, Norman was dismayed when I read him the FBI’s report.” "the rig was comparable to what is listed as chute #1 in the FBI “parachute” document. Nevertheless, there were some variations. First, the container looked old – WWII vintage – even though the manufacturing label said April 1957. Further, I didn’t see any “wear marks,” as suggested in the FBI docs. “This is a luxury chute?” Norman sighed when I read the FBI document to him, clearly refuting this aspect of the Bureau’s characterization of the “chute not-taken.” Compounding doubts further, the harness material looked fresh, as if it came from a more current rig. Plus, I didn’t see any special padding on them, which the FBI claims should be there. Also, there was a rectangular foam pad, covered in grayish-blue nylon that looked like a little pillow and was located in the middle part of the harness, as if it was padding to make the rig more comfortable for an acrobatic pilot to wear. The container was a Pioneer, type 226, as has been described in FBI reports. I saw no “Steinthal” markings of any kind for the canopy, as FBI Cooper case agent Larry Carr has indicated on the “DropZone.” This begs the question of whether Carr or other FBI agents pulled the canopy out of the Pioneer container to fully inspect the parachute and thus learned it was a Steinthal. This suggests that there are more, yet-to-found FBI files on the parachutes. Or are the FBI documents a mish-mash of data on chutes, agent recollections, and bits and pieces of information from Cossey and Hayden? 1. Civilian luxury type, tan soft cotton material outside, 26 foot while canopy inside. The parachute inside is a military parachute. The parachute has a foam pad cushion and a fray mark down the rib on the back from rubbing on metal. 2. A military backpack parachute, standard olive drab green on outside, a 28 foot white canopy on inside. He (Norman Hayden) stated that this parachute also has a foam pad cushion." The back chute found intact on the plane packing card had a S/N 60-9707 for a conical chute. National Guard claimed it was a 1960 Pioneer. The packing card for the chute Hayden rec'd back has S/N 226 for a 26' Ripstop Conical chute. Both have the same packing date by Cossey of May 21/71. They are two different chutes. Two different packing cards. They must have mixed and matched the 2 Hayden and 2 Cossey chutes losing track of who owned which one. Cossey described his chutes.. a 26' and 28'.. with the same descent rate.

What about the wind, nobody knows what the wind was there at that time,, the FBI used Salem and Portland winds and averaged them between 8-9 PM. Using SSW. They guessed, the winds nearby were ESE around 8 PM shifting to S to SSW. Without knowing the actual winds at that spot, there is no valid Placard analysis.

That letter states that Hayden supplied two chutes to NorthWest Airlines, it does not state that they both went to Cooper. That Detlor letter does not conflict with Cooper using one of Cossey's chutes.

7/60 is the mfr date, not the serial number.. The way the packing card reads the label is below but it appears above.. Both of these had packing cards.. 2 cards, 2 chutes packed on the same day.. the day Hayden acquired both his chutes. 1. MAKE: Pioneer TYPE: 26 ft white ripstop conical, SERIAL NO: 226, DATE OF MFR 9/57 (1957) --- packed by Cossey 5/21/71 (Hayden got this one back) 2. MAKE: Pioneer TYPE: 24 ft white ripstop conical, SERIAL NO: 260-9707, DATE OF MFR: 7/60 (1960) --- packed by Cossey 5/21/71 (This chute was left on the plane, ID'd by National Guard in Reno)

You have one National Guard statement on one side and many overwhelming FBI docs and Cossey's claims on the other.. If you want to claim perhaps it is all in error and Cossey is a liar then why not expand that to the entire case.. how can we trust any FBI docs.. You have to use reason and logic to sort these things out. Using a minor conflict to discount everything else will get you nowhere. Ultimately, this case is an intellectual puzzle, we actually have very few pieces, some that don't even fit and many being hidden from us. WE need to apply critical thinking to advance it and solve it, we aren't getting any new evidence and the info in the FBI docs has been evaluated by them with no results..

why, the 1957 Hayden got back was in evidence but not necessarily on the plane and several other docs ID another chute as the Pioneer found on the plane. Perhaps the 24' is an error/typo but all the other info doesn't match the chute Hayden rec'd.. the only real conflict is the "24' length" written down by the National Guard. The reserve found on the plane is clearly ID,d with different S/N and date etc... The packing date for the back chute matches Hayden's chute(s).

One thought I had was that one found on the plane was Cossey's Pioneer but it was packed the same May 21/71 date as Hayden's.. that would be an amazing co-incidence and slim... and the one Hayden got back was never on the plane. Cossey hearing that a Pioneer was found on the plane would have assumed his custom chute was taken by Cooper. Then Cooper would have taken Hayden's 28 ft.. But, any way you slice it, there had to be more than 2 back chutes involved.

The info came from the packing cards.. and matches the info layout. One matches the one Hayden got back, the other doesn't at all.. Cossey claimed the custom/modified rig was his own personal one.. and was used by Cooper. I find it hard to believe that a customer would have 1 modified chute and one not. I noodled this for a bit and tried to figure out different scenarios that could fit the evidence.. the only thing that fits is that there were more than 2 back chutes and Cooper jumped with one of Cossey's. These are two different chutes.. Hayden got the 1957 back and the other was left on the plane, both have the same packing date. "this also was packed by E. J. Cossey on 5/21/71."

Hayden also stated to Bruce he wasn't sure what was in them.. Hayden got back the 26'... Cossey claimed the chutes came from his house, not Issaquah.. Cossey claimed Cooper took his 28'..

Where is the conflict? The chute Hayden rec'd back from FBI was not the same one found on the plane. There had to be more than 2 back chutes involved. I can see a call out for chutes, 2 chutes arrive in a taxi from Hayden, 2 from Cossey, somebody grabs one from each and sends to the plane. Cooper uses Cossey's and leaves Hayden's.

got it, but it was claimed to be found on the plane. The 1957 Hayden chute may be in evidence but never on the plane. Anyway you look at it, we have 2 back chutes plus the one Cooper used.