monk71

I thought the PDX VORTAC navigation beacon was more south at Battle Ground.

When I first saw this years ago I thought it was a joke because it looked like the character Toby Flenderson on The Office (played by actor Paul Lieberstein). In one episode, Dwight fails to recognize the sketch of a predator is himself. Was that really supposed to be a sketch of Hahnemann?

3:30-5:05 Dan boarded first (consistent with boarding delay?) 6:40 seems to dispute Bill Mitchell sitting behind him (consistent though with Bruce's notes below) 17:58+ no idea he was highjacked?? until seeing a news chyron later Lots of details, but this is 53 years later. Do the 302s have an interview with him? There are many articles online about him. He denies ever speaking to the FBI again over the years. https://www.thedbcooperforum.com/db-cooper/clues-documents-and-evidence-about-the-case/6945/

Former FBI agent Larry Carr once stated something like how he could eliminate a suspect just by looking at him. Was he referring to the turkey neck feature described by eyewitness Bill Mitchell, or something else?

Sorry, I must have missed something. Who is this photo of? Willows? Is he a suspect?

Did Cooper wear Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses? If not, do we have any idea what brand/style it likely was? Were they described as wrap-around? This probably has no evidentiary value and is unlikely to advance the case, but it just bugs me how images show such a variety... just another blurred detail of the vortex. I think one video showed McCoy as wearing mirrored sunglasses.

If you are referring to Joseph Henry Johnston or the Elsinor Ghost, it is uncertain if they ever put it all together with "ransom"... and Cooper couldn't easily read about them in a newspaper, like Cini. Cooper's main contribution to the idea was to choose a better plane than Paul Joseph Cini. Instead of standing on the shoulders of giants before him, Cooper saw past the stumbling bungler who failed. Unsure what is so hard to believe about that.

Please explain and/or cite sources.

OK, I'll bite. I know we are discussing opinions, but how could you possibly know with any certainty what did not influence Cooper? FWIW, I see the Cini event as just one in a series of potential ideas (bomb plane films, prominent bomb threats, parachute cartoons, etc.) leading up to Cooper's flight. Cini may have been a tipping point... being just 11 days before.

The real point about Lake Merwin is that Cooper didn't land there (probably no where near). Didn't someone report seeing a "parachute" on the lake, which turned out to be an overturned boat with an old man surviving many hours... on the very night of the hijacking?

Do we know what standard size bands were either used by the bank, or found at TBar? Do they match; are there multiple sizes; were the same size(s) used in tests by Tom K?

Most pages are still down... specifically the message boards. Pages like the Vault and About Us still work. Some pages get a 503 error, but most are just blank.

I don't know how Loren (and the FBI) would know that Cooper was in the lavatory for 45 minutes, but if this is correct, it could indicate the unsub having gastrointestinal issues. Chris Magee had colon cancer surgery in prison (and stomach cancer later)... just saying if you're looking for suspects.

This old video (audio) seems germane to the current discussions. It is full of one witness' details, although some second-hand, and years later (I assume). (6:18) sliced it open... put $250,000 in a black crew flight bag - handle, rope Cooper in Lav for 45 minutes Much would be easy to dismiss as BS... yet he is so specific on certain points. There is no way he counted all the money, but at the end he admits he counted the bundles (only)... maybe assuming all bundles were equal in number of packets/straps. If some bundles were smaller (less packets/straps), more bundles would give a higher total false impression. The flight bag having a handle does not seem match anything... but then again, established "facts" in the vortex seem to change as we see more puzzle pieces.

Did Norman Hayden describe his chute as an NB-6? Isn't the one Cooper rejected an NB-8? (Now in a museum.) Or didn't Hayden use these terms? According to Bruce Smith's site, Hayden claimed that both back chutes were "identical pioneers." If true, he may have meant identical by brand... but not necessarily by container/canopy size nor by color. Is this the only rigging card? Do we have images of the other card... that Cooper took out?

I thought NB6 was settled dogma in the Cooper Canon. I would watch such a video. Anything with the potential to clarify.

Hey Ryan, how could someone get your approval for a POI named Chris Magee? (I'm too afraid to say the word suspect. Asking for a friend.)

Eric is teasing a new suspect.

The new vault 106, page 30, says: 582. $20 bill cashed at Gas Station with Ransom Serial (Unsub) I assume this is an error... that the numbers did not match. Just odd how this was included, yet important info is missing.

Quentin Tarantino?

Chris Magee Grudge possibilities: FBI itself (similar to the Joe Lakich story, although less personal) prison bureaucracy keeping him years longer than expected colon cancer: first surgery finding "no work that gave him meaning" - decided against being airline pilot wife left him and took the kids, with no way to find them* * Magee abandoned his first family for months at a time, until his wife couldn't put up with it anymore. It was a lot for him to take over the years: not knowing whether his kids were alive or not. Other notable attributes: Black Sheep Squadron member - WWII ace fighter pilot aversion to boots when flying - wore bowling shoes (tennis shoes was an error) flew with pile of grenades in lap - lobbed out at enemy on ground "penchant for bar fighting" likely had unnoticeable Midwestern accent (Chicago, Canada) must have had security clearance for classified Greenland Thule base Points against Magee being Cooper: already known by FBI can't place him in Pacific NW (although he had friends from there and was possibly in Minnesota) unsure if he smoked or what brand less resemblance to sketches? (unless photos closer to '71 are found) I'm not saying that Magee was Cooper. He might have been, just like many others. There is no smoking gun here. I just find the story fascinating.

Chris Magee - pilot, bank bobber Apologies to Ryan for the Don Ameche mustache. Added to his image here only for comparison. Flyjack, here is a better online article than Wikipedia: https://www.vintagewings.ca/stories/wild-man The article is long, but well worth it (many photos). The ending is a father/son story. What I like about the vortex is all of the human stories. As you look for Cooper, you study history.

Cooper might have been hiding in plain sight all along - someone referenced in several books. There is a story of a pilot who robbed banks... Captain Chris Magee age 54 at the time combat fighter pilot emergency parachute trained olive-skinned Caucasian, swarthy IMO (worked in Latin America and Middle East) receding hairline criminal (multiple bank robberies, bootlegging, smuggler, black-market) felon arrested by the FBI out of prison at the time of heist single and lived alone, worked alone on weekly deadline - could be gone for days - only his girlfriend Joan would find him missing Thanksgiving - and she may have known of his bank robberies physically fit highly intelligent personality type: - "a really nice gentleman, quiet and reserved" - loner, non-conformist - "aloof behaviour, tendencies towards lone wolf tactics" - deserted his family for more conflict and adventure (adrenaline junkie) - "kind, soft spoken, and friendly" (gentleman bandit?) - "always a deep underlying sadness" Catholic self-described “soldier of fortune” CIA? Bruce Smith would like this last one, that Magee was likely a spook of some agency. He also studied Eastern philosophy and was a journalist for community newspapers. Since Magee was on the radar of the FBI, I wonder if his name or profile has appeared in the vault files yet.

I disagree. Why a lifelong loser? What about someone who was successful in early life, but couldn't seem to navigate later life (e.g. post-war), as if he had two separate lives. Many veterans experience this.

I seem to remember Tina Mucklow describing the hijacker as sad or having sadness, as though she had pity for him to some degree. I have searched but can only find her describing the whole situation as sad and the case being closed as sad, but not him personally. I already know about these compiled statements: “He wasn't nervous. He seemed rather nice. He was never cruel or nasty. He was thoughtful and calm all the time." Also: polite, and well-spoken. I also know that she prayed for him. If anyone can find (maybe in the 302s) where she had pity on him described him as sad or something similar, I'd appreciate it. Maybe I am mis-remembering or maybe it was a myth I read.