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Bradley makes so many factual errors that one must question the accuracy of his childhood recollections. Still, his Dad isnt such a bad candidate. The FBI did, according to Bradley, investigate his Dad and ruled him out, but we don't know why. I too caught the Mayfield connection. Not too surprising since if you were a skydiver in that area you'd likely have known him. What if Mayfield was the coach and assistant but Jack Collins was the jumper? Can't you imagine Mayfield calling Himmelsbach and saying it aint me, while laughing as his accomplice is completing the job? Teddy Mayfield obviouly wasnt the jumper but the crime sure fits. He was a convicted ARMED ROBBER. That's a long way from picking pockets and stealing Kool Aid as far as big crime goes. From Sluggos site: Court records in Oregon show Mayfield has various convictions, including an armed robbery just prior to the D. B. Cooper heist, transportation of a stolen plane across state lines, and Criminal Negligent Homicide, for which he served 5 months in prison. Mayfield states that he has over 50 years experience flying airplanes, is a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces from 1961-63, and has completed over 8,000 skydiving jumps. No proof, in fact no evidence at all, but Teddy Mayfield always seemed to me like the kind of guy who might have thought up such an innovative crime. He knew he'd be an instant suspect, and was, so how do you deal with that risk? You get an accomplice to do the job. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote I am surprised the judge sent Duane to prison. After all, he was doing his war duty on the home front policing and punishing servicemens' unfaithful wives, giving them "what they deserved". He should have received a Congressional Medal not a prison sentence. Jo, did it ever occur to you that ALL the derogatory information about the victims came from Duane the PERP? And he sure got you hook line and sinker. Blaming the victims is way beyond pathetic. If Duane had sexually assaulted them would they also be "getting what they deserved"? I mean after all they were "acting like whores". Nobody will ever accuse you of being politically correct Jo. I'm surprised Vicki or Amazon didn't jump you on this one. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Two cutaways? Does your mother know what you do for fun in life? My Mom was a parachute packer in WW2. She said if I packed like she did I never would have had any need for cutaways. She just couldn't believe how sloppily skydivers packed their round canopies. "Appalling" is the word she used. Actually I packed my surplus C9 round canopy very neatly by skydiver standards but my Mom was not at all impressed. She proceeded to demonstrate how the skirt sections should be "dressed" after the panels were flaked. It looked picture perfect but I doubt if it served any useful function other than a cosmetic one. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

From Bruces Mountain News article. Damn! That was one gutsy jump. Exit at an estimated 350 mph, tumble, stabilize, pull so close to the ground that your hang time is about five seconds... and with only a chest reserve with a 24 ft unsleeved canopy, no altimeter, no goggles. Makes all my jumps seem like walks in the park, even my two cutaways. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote Really? I'm sure his charmed female crime victims might have a different opinion. Jo wrote That statement is demonstrably false. Duane was outwitted time after time by small town cops and has a rap sheet that proves it. If I had to rate his intelligence from his rap sheet he would be sub normal. I understand your need to portray Duane as a smart compassionate capable person, but that has no place here, especially when it flys in the face of indisputable facts. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce wrote No worries Bruce. Jo can get out of the tightest spot. You'll see. When facts are flexible there are no tight spots. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Mr. Shutter writes about Jo As you pointed out, Jo is trying to cover all her Norjack bases to be sure Duane fits in somehow either in the plane, on the ground or otherwise involved. Good point about Duane's alleged "prints on the stairs" dream. That kinda rules him out as the ground man. Don't you agree Jo? Time to drop the ground man claim? He was either Cooper or not involved at all. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I know I'm being hard on you Jo but just call it tough love. You've been getting sloppier in distinguishing facts from fantasies and I'm calling you on it. Friends don't let friends shoot themselves in the foot. This rich man financed private covert ops group that you write about, where is the proof? It sounds like some B movie theme to me. Also, Duane would be the last guy I would recruit if I ran such a group. His record shows a lifelong inability to avoid law enforcement attention and arrest. In covert ops that would be a deal killer for any rational recruiter. You have backtracked a bit on Duane knowing where Tina lived and that's probably the best I can hope for from you. This whole suicide by skyjack story is another fantasy. It does make an intriguing story, but it's nothing more than fantasy without supporting evidence. Duane could know hundreds of aviation folks in WA, be familiar with every trail, airport, microwave tower and DZ and still not be Cooper or have played any role in the crime. Putting Duane in WA is no big deal. You have to put him in a parachute and on the plane. You have presented zero evidence that does either. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote Jo the burden of proof is on YOU. YOU made the claim that Weber was Cooper, YOU must supply the proof. It's not the burden of your audience to prove your claim untrue or otherwise accept it as true. Your latest claim that you KNEW Duane had Tina's address is a fantasy with absolutely no facts backing it up. You portray Duane as a remorseful Cooper, trying to make things right with Tina. Pure fantasy. Wishful thinking, once again trying to cast Duane as a heroic character. Occasionally you return to another fantasy with the same theme of elevating Duane's stature and character. You portray him as a member of an elite covert ops group that used their criminal skills to help make the world a better place. You don't have a single fact to back that up. Pure fantasy and wishful thinking. It's a bit hyopcritcial that you blast a pushy reporter (Bruce) for trying to contact Tina. You called him a criminal stalker and worse. Yet when the terrorist hijacker who actually caused Tina's trauma tries to do the same thing (in your fantasy) you paint him in a glowing light of compassion and redemption. If you want to be taken seriously you need to stop presenting your fantasies as facts. Start by retracting the statement that Duane knew where Tina resided since you have ZERO proof that he did. You also have zero proof that Duane was Cooper or knew who Cooper was, yet you repeat that statement over and over as if repetition will make it more credible. One thing I do find remarkable about Duane was his ability to shift from a habitual criminal into a successful insurance salesman. That is praiseworthy and quite unusual. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote "This I know" And you wonder why so much of what you post is seen as not credible? You have a very active imagination Jo. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I've never heard of a military 34 ft PEP either. Can't find one in Poynter's book. T10 paratrooper canopy was 32 ft. Twill paratrooper reserves were 24 ft. And if the Amboy chute was from a bailout rig where is the pilot chute? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Another reason to rule out the Amboy chute: No pilot chute attached to the apex. I'm not a rigger and don't know much about emergency bailout rigs but I believe the type that Cossey and Hayden supplied used spring loaded pilot chutes attached to the apex of the main canopy. Correct? See attached photos of an MA1 pilot chute. These were common in bailout rigs. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce wrote You'd have a very hard time cramming a 34 ft canopy into a stock NB6. Remember area and therefore weight goes up as the SQUARE of radius. I'd say if you could cram it in and manage to close the flaps and insert the ripcord pins you'd have a dangerously hard pull required to deploy. Never heard of anything bigger than a 28 ft C9 put into an NB6 and even that might have required extending the container flaps. Riggers know more than I do. Dan Poynter is the old gear guru. I'd go with whatever he opines. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The NB designation means. I believe, Navy Backpack. It doesn't necessarily designate the canopy type. As I recall NB6s in Navy service had 26 ft conical ripstop canopies and NB8s had 28 ft C9 round ripstop canopies. But an NB 8 could have other types of canopies installed post military service and it's still an NB8. Some surplus NB6 containers had extension panels sewed into the closing flaps to obtain more interior volume and allow larger canopies to be installed. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

That's too cool Hangdiver. It's obvious why the American Lady Corset Company never made skydiving canopies. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Every point you made is possible, but IMO less likely than my speculative conclusion Robert. Occam is on my side on this particular matter. Cosseys lies and inconsistent statements puzzle me. Your account gives a motive to lie about the Amboy chute. Mine really doesn't. Crazy things have happened in the rescue gear business. Most survival systems are never used. Unscrupulous people have taken advantage of that fact. An airport operator for years serviced emergency oxygen gear and filled tanks with AIR rather than O2. Another outfit paid to replace single chamber aircraft life vests (which were illegal after a certain date) sewed through the single chamber ones to give the appearance of dual chamber vests but rendering them useless. The owner of that outfit went to jail. Cossey was a gambler. They can be like junkies. Might he have swapped a good canopy of Normans for a junk twill one and sold the good one? Possible but unlikely. I think the Seahawks might beat us. I keep my mouth shut around here. Enjoy that new big screen. I hope you have the agony of watching a 49er win in HD. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Absolutely. Ripstop is EASILY recognizable and looks very different than twill. I have examined photos of the Amboy canopy. The one showing the mfr data has decent resolution. I'm very sure that the canopy material is twill not ripstop. To me there are a lot of unanswered questions about the Amboy canopy. but none of them link it to Norjack. 377 Here's one of those questions, Three-Seven-Seven: What is the truth of the Amboy chute? Why are there so many different variations of the Amboy Chute Story? - road grader, not, buried, dug up, where, by whom, etc. When Meyer and I visisted Amboy, we were told a back-hoe dug it out intentionally, and not a road grader unintentionally. The story that Blevs heard from his interviewees at Ariel I have heard about six times from Amboy residents. It goes like this: "Oh, I know where the parachute was found. My sister used to be married to _____________, (or baby-sat for __________, or worked with the brother of______________) and he is the _______________of the landowners who dug up the chute. I forget the name of the people who found it, but their place is real easy to find. It's only about ______________miles from______________. You can't miss it." Ug. Further, if the Amboy chute is DBC's, then where is everything else? Body, dummy reserve, container, money bag, bomb, briefcase, paper sack, etc. If it's buried out there, is anyone looking? If not, why not? Bruce, I don't know what the truth is about origin and discovery of the Amboy chute but I do believe the FBI photos are real and accurately depict the canopy. I can tell when it was made (mfr date stamp) and that it was twill fabric. That alone tells me that it wasn't Cooper's. Too old and too unsafe for a rigger to be packing as an emergency chute in 1971. Am I 100% sure? No, it's just an educated guess. The FBIs handling of the chute and the initial statements they made raises questions but more about their competency than any coverup or conspiracy. Cossey was no dummy. If it was Coopers chute it would be very valuable to collectors and he might be able to claim ownership. If he was already paid for the canopy by NWA, their insurer or the govt then he would have likely released title to the payor. If you ever find the chute site and do some digging, look for the ends if the lines which should terminate in a riser attachment fitting of some sort. That item would tell us a lot about whether it was ever in an NB6 or NB8 container. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Blevins wrote Cossey is not a reliable witness. He was highly qualified to opine on parachute matters but what he said was often incorrect. Sometimes he was joking. Other times he was deliberately misleading. You just couldn't depend on him being consistently accurate and truthful. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Absolutely. Ripstop is EASILY recognizable and looks very different than twill. I have examined photos of the Amboy canopy. The one showing the mfr data has decent resolution. I'm very sure that the canopy material is twill not ripstop. To me there are a lot of unanswered questions about the Amboy canopy. but none of them link it to Norjack. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Not a chance it was a Cooper canopy. That's my opinion. Too old, not ripstop, and too big for the NB6 or NB8 containers. I don't think it was silk. My bet is nylon twill. I was jumping a 1951 USAF 28 ft C9 round canopy as my main and a 1956 USN 26 Ft Conical as my reserve until 1979. Both were made of ripstop nylon. I still have the Navy Conical canopy and it's in great shape. I'd jump with it today if I had to. Twill (non ripstop) military surplus reserve canopies killed a few jumpers when they ripped in high speed deployments. I never saw any used after 1969. They were considered structurally unsound. Riggers will know more than I do about when twill surplus canopies stopped being used in emergency rigs. FAA TSOs play a role in what can be legally packed. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

How about another skydiving accessory from the 60s, the hydraulic reefer device: http://nineronline.com/?attachment_id=1659 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Georger wrote THAT explains everything. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Band#Controversial_actions_by_the_band 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Georger wrote When did you attend UC Berkeley G? That dialogue is from around 1968. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

What ever happened to Dan Cryder? He was gonna solve the case for us. He is famous in DC 3 circles, owning and flying a very nice example. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

As I recall, the Ramparts Magazine article picture of Ted Braden showed blue or blue-green eyes, not brown. Brown contacts might have been used by Cooper but there is no evidence that this occurred. Braden's history is fascinating. How the hell did he duck prosecution for desertion and get reinstated (and possibly even promoted) like it never happened? What card was he holding that caused intervention on his behalf by General John Singlaub? Braden took careless risks in Vietnam and was criticized by his colleagues for unnecessarily putting them and the missions in danger. This trait could fit Cooper. Braden also apparently knew how to travel internationally with fake ID. The SOG guys who served with him have their reasons for suspecting Braden. It might be something intangible. They might see a signature, something about the crime that has Braden's particular touch. Braden is dead now. Ended up as a truck driver. His last occupation has always struck me as odd given his background and apparent thirst for living on the edge. Maybe he was hauling contraband. 377 Cooper's eyes were seen by Florence for a few seconds when he looked over the top of his glasses. This is what I have heard before, here in the forum and in articles. It also has been discussed in this forum that Cooper may have had amphetamines on his person. Unfortunately, I do not have a source for these last two statements, but here is what I have always wondered. Eyes dilate for many different reasons. Alcohol and drug use (included prescriptions), mental strain, anxiety and stress, low lighting (behind sunglasses, low light in the cabin), etc. His eyes could have been dilated for these reasons alone, making any eye color seem dark, black or brown. Should a suspect who matches other physical characteristics, such as; approximate age, height, weight, hair color and style of Cooper be dismissed alone on his eye color? The FBI wanted poster states his eyes were "possibly brown" (attached). Resources explaining eye dilation: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eye-opener-why-do-pupils-dialate http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/pupil There is a statement in Tosaw's book to the effect that Cooper told Tina he had some pills that would keep the flight crew awake in the event they got sleepy. I don't have a page number for that statement but it was during the time they were on the ground in Seattle if I remember correctly. Robert99 Which might be interesting in light of the fact 'the crew' might have had 'their own pharmacy' on board! Did Cooper seriously think any of the crew were going to take 'his pills', whatever they were? Cooper seems a little naive and obtuse on this point, he brought up so willing. If Tina had been a little smarter she could have taken one of his pills and saved it ... to determine its composition and possible origin. I would have asked the guy: 'what else have you got? Any Tijuana Gold'? Drinks, smokes, take drugs. Is gay! Rides 4 Clydesdales abreast. The "pills" story is curious if it is true. MAC SOG jumpers reportedly carried amphetamine type pills (Benzadrine) to ward off fatigue and stay awake. The pills story doesnt make a lot of sense. Cooper was, in my opinion, planning a quick exit once airborne, long before crew fatigue would have become a problem. He wasn't planning a multi leg trip to Cuba. He might have needed a Bennie boost to make his egress from the landing area before sunrise. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.