377

If the bomb bag being tossed out created a pressure bump that was noticed, everyone assumed that's where Cooper left the plane. Cooper might have actually exited much later. If he leaped from high up on the stairs his moment arm wouldn't have been very high and the stair rebound as he departed might have been slight. The camcorder audio on that DC 9 video doesnt pick up the accompanying "kerthunk" low freq bump as each jumper exits. It just gets the high freq "whoosh". I jumped the DC 9 and the "kerthunk" was VERY noticeable. Bet it would bump a sensitive cabin altimeter. Just trying to think out of the box. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The bomb could be a fake and you'd STILL get the pressure bump as it exits the plane. Listen to the sound track as jumpers exit. A very distinct WHOOSH is heard way forward in the cabin. You can close your eyes and accurately count each jumper exiting just by the pressure change acoustics. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv?station=14105700 not the right location but it gives you an idea. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I really like it when the flight path gets critically reexamined. Go Georger, go Sluggo. It is such a mystery because if you accept that natural waterflow put the money at Tena Bar, it really limits flight path choices and exit points. Some things don't add up No comments on my post on the exit acoustics in the DC 9 WFFC jumpship? Could the pressure bump on the NWA 727 been caused by Cooper throwing something out of the plane (bomb?) long before he jumped? Listen to the soundtrack. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Once again: Simple question Jo: Can you PROVE Duane Weber received parachute training? Yes or no? I am waiting. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Just when you thought civilian use of 28 ft C9 round canopies was just about over, here is a hobbyist who used at least 4 of them. Can you imagine a 1/10 scale Saturn V model rocket? Amazing footage. This thing is HUGE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWd7q7NLbEs 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Simple question Jo: Can you PROVE Duane Weber received parachute training? Put Duane in a chute and you will have my attention. I don't care if a relative said he was jump trained. That is not proof. If you can't prove it, why do you claim it as a FACT? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote: You heard right maam. There was a stranger who came into town once, a man who called himself Bruce. He did some real investigatin before we run him out for stirrin things up. All we do is BS here maam. I think this town will suit you just fine. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo, You keep implying that Georger is part of a govt coverup. Jerry too. Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? Georger is beyond laughing at that but I'm not. The very idea that the govt would wage a Cooper coverup war on the Internet is just nuts. There is no Cooper coverup. The FBI has no idea who Cooper was. They blew the investigation and it has been an enduring embarrassment they would love to remedy by solving the case even this late. You keep implying that Duane had a Ranger connection. Do you really think a highly trained elite unit like the Army Rangers would select a careless criminal with a bad military record to do their work? Why? If Duane couldn't elude local cops how could he do better against sophisticated foes? He wouldn't be on my A team or Z team either, especially if it involved tough parachuting assignments. You want Duane to be more heroic in death than he was in life. I can understand that and even sympathize with it. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Listen!!! The low frequency component (a kerthunk) is missing due to poor camcorder audio but you can easily hear a whoosh as each jumper exits and there is no stair to rebound. Some pressure wave goes into the unpressurized cabin as each jumper exits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoLh8IPDa4I&sns=em Comments? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

***No, I didn't get to jump the 727 or the Connie. Both were no shows in 99? my first WFFC. I went just to jump a Connie. I am a huge fan of big piston radial engined planes. I did jump the C 54G and the Collings B 24 bomber that first visit. I was hooked on the WFFC and attended every year thereafter until it shut down. Jumping the ATL 98 Carvair double deck DC 4 mod In 2005 was a once in a lifetime rare jumpship opportunity. That Carvair's WFFC appearance was written up in Air Classics magazine and the article had two pix of me. The Carvair was so rare that some non jumper propliner fans came all the way from the UK just to see her fly. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Yes. 377 was. Can't tell if it was that particular DC 9 load, but it might have been. Same lovely stews. Same time of day. Same strung out exit with many including me landing far from DZ at Chanute AFB. That air museum at Rantoul is a hidden gem. They have a B 58 Mach 2 bomber that looks like you could fuel it up and fly away. They also have a C 97, the USAF version of the Boeing 377. It sits alone in a field near the museum. Aviation author Ralph Peterson attended WFFC and convinced the museum to cut the locks on the C 97 and let me and him explore the interior. It hadn't been opened in 20 years. It was like exploring the Titanic. Fold down canvas troop cots still lined the fuselage interior. Cargo restraint straps and tie downs still hanging. Dark, dank, slighly moldy smell of death. Perfect skeletons of birds scattered throughout. Somehow they found a way in but couldn't exit and starved. I miss WFFC and even Rantoul a lot. The town was so friendly to skydivers. When I landed out a family picked me up and drove me back. If you landed near the grandstands (few did because it was a longer walk back to the loading area) you were swarmed by kids seeking your autograph in little notebooks they brought out. I needed to take care of some work while jumping there and went to a title company to get some things notarized and faxed. They saw my blue WFFC jumper admission bracelet and absolutely refused to accept a penny. The place was WILD. Naked jumps, wild parties, live bands and unlimited free beer every night. Cop free zone. They were around occasionally but turned a blind eye and nose to zillions of things. Helo jumps, glider jumps, balloon jumps, jet jumps, Antonov 2 jumps... Good times. Sadly jumpers died at every WFFC I attended except one. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Happy Holidays everyone! Peace on Earth, Peace on the Forum. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jerry wrote You ponder bravery Sluggo? Posting your home number in a lunatic asylum. That is bravery. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Amazon, Take a look at Gosset' appearance and background. He had Ft Lewis connections in 71 according to Galen Cook and was jump qualified. For a while people were theorizing that Cooper was a soldier and intended to jump into Ft Lewis and then blend in. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I am 100% for tunnels, better gear, simulators etc. There is no real advantage to how I learned. It was inefficient and far less safe than tody's methods. The kids who have today's easier and safer learning path have accomplished far more than us old guys ever did because they arent so hampered by the gear. It is fun to reminisce about back in the day with the surplus "gutter" gear and the increased self reliance in freefall training, but AFF is waay better and squares are waay better so I dont glorify the old ways. If it werent for the better gear I couldnt still be active in the sport with any degree of safety. Most of the injuries happen upon ground contact. With squares flown conservatively this ground contact can be soft and slow almost all the time. I bet it is a similar deal in climbing when you look at old vs new in training and gear. True? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

With one HUUUGE difference. A reset button. A rewind function. A, "hey I fucked up and wanna second chance" machine. It's called a reserve canopy. When you add an AAD it gets even better. There is no plan B in Russian Roulette. If you pull the trigger on a chambered round, game over. Perry Stevens, my instructor, said PLAN on your main not working. Be grateful and surprised when it opens normally. You should be starting your emergency procedures as you pull your main ripcord and then let them get interrupted if your main deploys successfully. That really worked for me. When I had to do my first cutaway it just flowed. I was scared as hell but my body did all the right things fast with the Capewells and reserve. Freefall training back in the day when I was taught, was literally having you jump solo and try to get stable on your own. No AFF. No tunnels. Just you and your gear and some pre jump pep talk about arching, relaxing and all this body aerodynamics stuff you tended to forget as you started to tumble wildly or started winding up RPMs in a flat spin. It was more like self training. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Amazon, Have you seen the Air America 727 S/L Thailand jump videos? I thought unsleeved rounds would give one hell of a KABOOM opening shock at those jet exit speeds (guessing 160?) but the video seems to show otherwise. The canopies "squid" for a while and don't open suddenly. I am in a triple quandry because you and Snow say no huge deal on surviving a winter night jump into the Death Woods and making it out alive. Jerry says its highly unlikely to have that safe outcome. I don't think any of you three are full of shit so I am stuck. I guess we just have to risk Snow's life to resolve this, but not before we put in a written in stone succession plan at Snowmman Industries HQ. Jerry is saying even with a safe landing you are unlikley to survive the night. Maybe the helo insertion isnt such a bad idea, but landing a helo at night in rough terrain is very dangerous too. All in all I think Snow needs to jump into the Death Woods. We need to x ray him or do a very sensitive mangetometer scan right before he boards the aircraft or ATV. I guarantee various orifices will be packed with mini GPS, amphetamines and other cheats. He probably is already doing that old trick that rock stars do before they go into rehab to get out of a jail sentence. They have someone bury/hide drugs on the grounds before they become an in-patient. Snow probably already has snowshoes, GPS, heat packs, Goretex clothing and other items cached in all possible areas where Jerry may take him. "Cheat to win." He really means it. Snow wasnt an Eagle Scout, he was a Crow Scout. He will pledge allegiance to any flag, 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Hell, Jerry can stay at home and send out this ground drone robodog to look for Cooper. Not 4WD, 4LD. Watch it: http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-space/article/2008-03/darpas-amazing-robot-pack-mule-keeps-its-balance-ice Snowmman Industries has a superior version that uses a nuclear battery. It can go for years. These nuke batts can be had in the old USSR suprisingly cheap. Snow designed an adaptive networking protocol that has resulted in the spontaneous formation of dogpacks with aggressive agendas. The see money as food and they understand finance so they don't just stick up people for their wallet cash. They are programmed to be very hungry. When Snow's robodogs deliver a ransom demand it doesnt go to a stewardess. It is delivered to a boardroom. Snowmman Industries gets a majority stake in the airline, not a mere $200,000 and a quartet of ragged out chutes. Bow wow. Good dog. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Amazon wrote: That number is a bit sporty for me. I like 1.2-1.3 lbs/sq ft wing loading, enough forward drive to jump at Byron in the afternoon but not something that I have to worry about on a calm day. I watched Luigi Cani land a 38 sq ft canopy at WFFC. I was actually scared just watching it. My last jump was in October at Byron, windy as usual, but hey, jump tix were only $17, way cheaper than the 60s if you account for inflation. Bill Dause (Lodi DZO) is having some FAA hassles arising from a gear collapse on a King Air. He was suspected by many local jumpers to be DBC but the height doesnt match and Bill would have taken the ParaCommander for sure. I have jumped at Lodi (tix were $15!), but now Byron is cheaper if you count driving expenses. Monterey took me to 18K for $26 a few months ago, really nice ocean views. Hooking it is really fun but adds so much to the risk that I just do not do it. Too many jumpers waaaaay more skilled than I am have died hooking it. The way I see it, if you need a hook to land safely you need to lower your wind limits. Having landed under a reserve twice (26 foot $25 Navy surplus conical and a $960 PD 193R square) I think about my reserve's ability to handle winds when I jump. I also think about landing waaay out in an area surrounded by tall trees or buildings. That's a lot easier at 1.2 than at 1.7. I always wondered about having a DZ next to a wind farm, I mean you KNOW its gonna be windy, but I guess the rent is cheap. Byron has a good vibe and its the closest DZ to home. I am really in a quandry because I respect Snow's opinions and ability and Jerry's too. They cant both be right however. Jerry has trudged the suspected LZ area and that does count for something. If he says he doubts that he could have survived the Cooper jump I have to give that some credence. Snow says Jerry is full of it and Jerry just says come up here and I'll show you first hand why you are wrong. This will be a fascinating showdown if it happens. Snow is literally betting his life that he is right. Maybe we should have Snow jump in a neoprene survival suit so he can survive a cold water landing, but he has to shed it immediately if he lands on terra firma. I like Snow. I don't want to see him hurt or killed proving a point. I have a survival suit, a LPU, a 121.5 MHz rescue beacon and an APRS position and physio telemetry beacon that I can loan Snow. I also have an unmodified zero jump C9 canopy on risers, but no suitable container. Amazon could probably hook it up to some of her gear. I still wonder about Cooper's opening shock with an unsleeved C9 in a high speed exit. Those Air America 727 jump videos showed "canopy squidding" that acted as a natural opening decelerator. Maybe that happened to Cooper. Step right up, the show is about to begin. Jerry even has a helo connection. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Amazon wrote: We have to do it in Winter otherwise it's too easy. As I get older (just turned 60) I keep notching down the skydiving risk. I still do belly RW and jumped recently in gusty 20 knot winds, but I never swoop, fly a big Triathlon 190 and land like a 747. When I am 70 I'll set my wind limits a lot lower, probably fly a 210 and eventually will stop doing RW. Just by not swooping I am lowering my risk of jump death by 60 pct. 100 pct would mean stopping jumping which will come someday but hopefully after I reach 80. I jumped with a 78 year old at WFFC and he was better than me. If Snow is going to be tossed from a plane I am going to treat him to some tunnel time first. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Nahhh. Bars are too expensive. Onsite DZ drinking after the last jump leaves more money for jumping. Why pay $6 for one beer at a bar when that amount will get you six beers at a DZ? Like all extreme sports including yours Snow, it's mostly about drinking, drugs, boasting and trying to score on newbies, but come the next morning you have to put all that on hold, suit up and actually jump. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I've never met Sluggo but I've spoken with him by phone. He's a great guy, very smart, and distinguishes himself from most of the rest of us, including me, by being a gentleman. I wish I were one but I just am too impulsive. I am the trout that snaps at the artificial fly. Sluggo is the one that lurks in the deep pool and chuckles as I am hooked. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Talk about statrting an ARK... is she getting two of each? My girl and your wife would get along great Jerry. Over the years we had mice, rats, guinea pigs, a rescue dog, bunnies, etc etc. My daughter was always rescuing "injured" wild animals and tending them in her room: a gopher, several snakes, a baby squirrel, even a mole, etc. I am not sure they were all really injured, but they were all admitted to her "hospital" for a few days then released. I guess I am lucky she never got bitten or sick. When she comes home for vacation from school she often calls the animal shelter to see if they have an overflow situation and need temporary foster homes for kittens. I am allergic to cats but when your baby girl looks at you with pleading eyes and says "Daddy, they might have to kill them if we dont take them for a while" you just resign yourself to sneezing for a few weeks. Those wild turkeys are getting out of hand even in the CA suburbs that are on the edge of open spaces. I had one "attack" me last year. It was super agressive. If I turned, it would run away but it just kept coming back trying to nip at me. I got so mad I ran after it and wanted to wring its neck but it would fly short distances and get away, then turn around and attack again. Odd behavior for a wild turkey or are some just mean like that? Are you really going to charter a helo? Why not just rent a Cessna and have Snow make a more realistic entry into the "death woods" by chute? You could S/L him in a round and you'd know he'd land somewhere under an open chute. I have a GPS tracking beacon we could put on him. It would not only give his position but also his heart rate and temperature. It runs in the 144 MHz ham band, but there are mountaintop repeaters in the area that would pick up his signal most of the time. Be careful about saying that a retired Army combat vet who is jump and survival trained and lives in the NW is financially comfortable. People might jump to Cooper-conclusions. Do you think YOU would have died if you made the Cooper jump or would your training and knowledge have alowed you to survive even in that inadequate clothing and shoes? Snow sounds mean in his posts but he is really a warm, hospitable and generous guy if you meet him in person. You'll see. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Why eliminate any risks? Take em all on, legal too. Seriously, Snows emails provide a perfect assumption of risk defense should he or his estate ever think of suing. Just redline a typical twenty page DZ liability waiver. Those frigging over lawyered documents have you consenting to everything short of murder. Snow please read some Ghandi or go out to that mystery shrine in your woods and rethink all of your proposed violence against Jerry. Why would you want to "kick his ass?" He has been friendly to you. Guns, to me, are interesting machines. I like them, own some but don't keep them in my house or car nor do I center my self image around them. There is a local cop-skydiver who is my antithesis. His business card has a photo of him in freefall in full SWAT gear with an M16. Like yeah, riot in the downtown plaza, call in the cop HALO SWAT team for an urban combat jump. I'll actually bet that Snow survives his "boys night out" with Jerry. I worry about frostbitten feet, but I think he'll make it. I've met Snow. He's the type we always looked for as crewmen on fishing boats. They do get in a few fights, but they just know how to handle things when it all goes to hell. I also think you could "huck" Snow from a plane with an NB6 and although he'd tumble, he'd pull and deploy OK. He has done a lot of very difficult ice climbing and has handled plenty of scary challenging situations. It isn't BS, I've seen the pix and publications. I wonder if this Jerry-Snow challenge will really happen? Someone get Bruce. He can turn this into a press event better than anyone could and maybe even make a buck off the story. It really has reader appeal. Army survival instructor takes on Silicon Valley chip designer in the ultimate survival challenge. 377 One more thing. Please don't kill any rabbits unless you are starving. My daughter has a pet house rabbit. They are affectionate animals and really develop attachments to people. Her rabbit runs up to me when it sees me and nuzzles just like your dogs. She is 100 pct housebroken and always uses her litterbox. 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.