377

Georger, real question for you: Did Tina express an opinion that Cooper seemed to know what he was doing when he put on his parachute, or was this an embellishment or invented dialog by someone else? At the conclusion of my symposium I told the audience that I had brought something to share with them, a stock Navy NB8 complete with a C9 canopy neatly packed up inside. I joked around a bit about the difficulty I encountered bring it as carry on luggage in a duffle bag. TSA: May I have a word with you sir? TSA: What is the item inside this bag? ME: It's a parachute. TSA: That's what we thought from the x-ray. TSA: Were you planning to use this today? ME: Not today actually, I am bring it to some people in Portland who share my interest in skyjacking so that they can try it on. Actually TSA didnt notice it, they were too busy Tasering a young mother who tried to take a baby bottle aboard. Anyway, back to the serious stuff. An NB8 (or NB6) is NOT an easy chute for a Whuffo to put on. Part of the problem comes from the confusing chest strap configuration. There isnt a single belt that comes across the chest but rather two opposing "Vs" of webbing that clip together at their apexes forming an "X". The leg straps are also a bit confusing as it isnt immediately obvious how they connect. I asked for volunteers who had never jumped or put on a chute, male and about Cooper's estimated age. I selected a volunteer and he came to the stage. He could not figure out how to put it on. His final configuration would have sent him freefalling away from the harness on opening shock. I can't say for certain, but I think Cooper had worn a chute before. His alleged ease in getting it on and hooked up tells me it was not the first time he had done it. Putting on an NB 6 or NB8 isnt simple, believe me. My NB8 ripcord handle was in the stock Navy position, left hand inboard. The NB8 Cossey put together and Cooper jumped allegedly had a mod repositioning the handle to right outboard. Handle position is irrelevant to the ease of donning however. Hangdiver pointed out that Cossey may have moved it for his own use so that it would match the position of the handle on his skydive rig. Having consistent configurations for all your gear is important. Experienced skydivers have gone in as no pulls using borrowed gear with the ripcord handle or pilot chute handle in a different position than the gear they regularly jump. Many think this is what happened to Jan Davis, a highly experienced jumper who went in as a no pull on a protest jump off El Capitain in Yosemite. Jan was using borrowed gear that had the pilot chute handle on her leg rather than on the bottom of her back container. Modern sport gear doesn't use ripcords to deploy the main canopy but rather uses a handle attached to the top of the pilot chute which is stuffed in an elastic pouch. In the interest of full disclosure, Carol A. was able to put the NB8 on correctly during a break, but she has studied parachute structures (reserves, cross connectors, butterfly clips etc) and has the keen eye of a scientific illustrator. So Georger, was the info about Cooper's ease in putting on his chute really uttered by Tina or was it made up by a TTY typist or pilot? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Folks reading my posts about the symposium must be thinking who is this Polyanna 377 who likes everyone who shows up at a quasi UFO Bigfoot convention? Good question and I have no answer that will satisfy the cynics. Hangdiver and "raspberrymoon" were some other symposium attendees who I really liked. Hangdiver and I go way back in Northern California skydiving and knew a lot of the same people. I won't post names, but some of the old school jumpers who were true pioneers in the sport haven't fared well... drugs, injuries, illnesses and all that. Hangdiver and raspberrymoon are taking one of these survivors in and try to get him cleaned up, healthy on back on track. It's a very tough job (I know the guy they will be helping) and altruistic as hell. You just have to love people who show such kindness and concern for a nearly broken person down on his luck. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I had a great time chatting with Bruce whose writing I admire. He digs deep and puts feet on the street. He has a great sense of humor and is critical and sharp. I don't think Bruce is as easily fooled as I might be. I wish Farf could have heard Bruce's reading of Nun of the Above. Bruce must have done some acting in the past. The delivery was very impressive. I met Robert Blevins at Ariel and liked him at once. He isn't getting rich off of DB Cooper and just seeks the truth, even if it shoots down KC. He rubs some folks the wrong way but not me. Galen Cook rubs him the wrong way, big time. I honestly don't understand why Robert gets so much hostility here. Karen (whose father was on the flight with DB Cooper) was there with her mate Coleman Brown, a noted Seattle musician who grew up with Jimi Hendrix. I've always wondered about Jimi Hendrix's lyric "excuse me while I kiss the sky" was related to his parachuting experience (Hendrix was an Army paratrooper). Coleman said yes. Not only was the lyric about parachuting but Hendrix told him that the inspiration for the whooshing guitar sounds was from the noises be heard when he exited the jump aircraft. Coleman worked at Boeing in the late 60s and installed control surfaces on 727s. We chatted about flap torque tubes, pressure equalization ports and many other 727 details. Karen is a friend of Jo's and talks with her frequently. 377 (more later) 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Marla Cooper showed considerable courage attending a symposium full of skeptics and Cooperites who have their own favorite candidates. No press agent or handlers, just Marla, and she answered every question except one regarding a fingerprint source, implying that the FBI asked that it not be revealed. She said the FBI gave her a very lengthy polygraph test which she passed. In person Marla looks even better than her photos. There were a lot of whispered comments about why male FBI agents pay so much attention to her, but that's kinda unfair. She came across as sincere. I do not believe that she is consciously fabricating anything. As Bruce commented Marla owned the stage. She was disarming. I did not expect to like her or find here sincere and the opposite happened. You all know that I long for Cooper to have used two way radios to rendezvous with a ground accomplice. Marla's story had this element so of course I am drawn to it. What is interesting is that when I proposed some questions about radio details (antenna type) she stopped me and said no need to quiz me, I'll just describe the antenna. She described perfectly the CB walkie talkie antenna used on 71 vintage sets. She also knew how much they cost and the range obtained when LD and Dewey tested them on the ground. Both were right on the numbers. Her description (in a post presentation conversation) of the grille on the front led me to believe that they were Midland brand 5 watt units, a type which Blevins is familiar with. None of this proves anything at all about LDC being DBC, but her radio story doesn't have a single "gotcha" glitch. Not one. When you consider that Cooper did not command any particular flight path (other than flying to Reno) then the chances of a successful rendezvous with a ground accomplice are extraordinarily low, bordering on impossible. Neither LD or his accomplice Dewey had enough aviation knowledge to have bet on a certain Victor Airway being flown. She also can't put LD in a chute. She does put him around Snohomish WA which had a DZ that offered training, but she has produced no solid evidence that shows he received parachuting instruction. I see holes in Marla's story not due to untruthfulness, just due to a mismatch with what we know about the case. I'd like to see someone besides her confirm that LD spoke French. The Dan Cooper comic part of her story is just too perfect. It needs further scrutiny. Let's see what happens on the FBI's glacial paced fingerprint analysis. If LD turns out to have been DBC and did get ideas from Dan Cooper comics it would be an extraordinary affirmation of Snowmman's genius. Everybody wanted the inside scoop on Snow's ID. I might have told Marla had she asked, but she didnt. Nobody else could break 377. Two people asked if Snow was attending incognito. Carol's presentation on Dan Cooper comics was outstanding. So detailed and well organized. It focused on "The Minos Affair" issue but included many others. I so wished Snow had been there. I'd love to have heard Carol and Snow discuss the incredible coincidences between Norjact facts and Cooper comic details. Bless Carol's heart for obtaining permission to present copyrighted clips from Dan Cooper comics. I am pretty cavalier about copyright issues on the forum. Carol is an award winning artist and copyrights matter to her. BTW I saw some of her scientific illustrations and was knocked out by the detail and realism. No wonder the University of Chicago hired her as their top gun. Tom surprised me by focusing on the flight path not tie-tanium. The presentation was really cogent and used Google Earth to its full potential, even showing the line of sight limits of three relevant SAGE network radars with respect to the reported altitude and position of the Norjack plane. I think Sluggo (who was deeply missed by everyone) would have approved. If Tom is correct on his Cooper exit swath, a dead body would have been found had Cooper been a no pull. I got a kick out of talking with Tom and Alan (a metallurgist). Between them they own three scanning electron microscopes. Snow would have enjoyed Tom's tales about maintaining his earlier model scope that uses a multitude of boards populated with ancient 7400 series TTL chips. In person Tom is a very friendly guy who has an open mind and is not dogmatic. When the retired FBI agent in the audience recounted helicopter searches he flew on over terrain far rougher than Tom's projected landing area, Tom welcomed the information rather than rejecting it. Jerry's eyes lit up as this retired agent's search description, if accurate, shows the FBI was having serious doubts about their "official" Norjack 727 flight path. The area he described sure sounded like Jerry's stomping grounds. Brian Ingram is Cooper royalty, but modest and a very nice guy. I liked him a lot. I think everybody did. He doesn't spin his money find story. He remembers only as much detail as you'd expect from an 8 year old. He seems to be doing OK running a small construction business, married to an attractive woman who was by his side all the time with their adorable 6 week old baby: Rebecca. The Barb Dayton folks (the Foremans) came across as 100% sincere. If they are right about Barb, the LGBT crowd may have a new super hero. Ron maintains and pilots a classic Fairchild 24 radial engined tail dragger so of course I liked him. 377 (to be continued) 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Musika Farnsworth has written a lot about skydiving topics including articles about McCoy and Cooper for Parachutist. She is the opposite of a publicity seeker. I only discovered by accident that she was in the audience at the symposium. She is a lovely, soft spoken and apparently shy young woman. She had no inclination to present anything even though she had published on the Norjack subject and is a skydiver as well. Fancy that, an expert who stays in the shadows, not the norm here. I asked her if she thought Cooper landed alive and she was in the Jerry Thomas camp: DBC= DOA. Musika thinks he may have impacted at terminal velocity and literally buried himself in rain soaked ground. Is that possible? I am not a soil mechanics expert. Gotta give Geoff some major credit for putting this event on at what had to be considerable expense. The symposium was well done in all respects: Entertaining and informative. Jerry was as warm and friendly as could be and had no bad words to say about anyone. Jo posted that Jerry was not welcome at the Ariel Tavern but you could have fooled me. Donna, the owner and hostess, greeted him very warmly. Jerry introduced me to Donna and they seemed like old friends. Jerry and I cordially debated Coopers fate (off stage). He sees Cooper going in at 120 mph and I have him descending under an open C9 round canopy. He thinks my pull of the stairs jump technique would work but that there is zero evidence that Cooper knew and used it. I did agree with him that a high speed exit and free fall at night with a bag attached is a spin recipe. One very interesting thing came out from a retired FBI agent in the audience who participated in helicopter searches that were performed "weeks" after Norjack. His description of the terrain searched was not mostly flat farmland but rugged and mountainous. That doesn't match the terrain under the "pressure bump" estimated exit point. Could the FBI have been looking in Jerry's Death Woods area? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

First place in the poetry contest went to Nun of the Above which has to be one of the cleverest titles ever. Farf's poem read with great flair by Bruce Smith. The crowd loved it, huge laughter and clapping as Bruce delivered the last line. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Farflung wrote I'll cede the round to you Farf. Your poem stomps mine. I just wanted to have a dog in the race. Pretty congenial crowd of Cooperites here in Portland tonight. I liked everyone I met. Brian Ingram is here with his lovely wife and adorable little baby. Many others too. Wish more forum folks could have come, Jo, Snow, Safe, Georger, Sluggo, Farf, Vicki, Jamie and all the rest. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote Sooooo wrong Jo. It's their only insolved skyjack. The FBI would be all over it of somebody came up with proof regarding Cooper's identity. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

377 Is it this guy? If it is, I only skimmed the two references below about Dave Huntman, but I'll make a stab at it. Did you post it because he was p.o'd about Boeing cancellation of program? From the midwest? Wore black skinny ties?

Snow writes 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote Jo, You produce a new Cooper twenty and I guarantee the FBI will be at your doorstep and 377 will be researching crow recipes. You think the Cooper case is OVER? Better get your doc to review your med dosages. You have not produced a single iota of hard evidence proving that Duane Weber participated in Norjack in any manner whatsoever. The hard evidence you claim to have possessed (parachute hardware, bank bag, parking stub, airline ticket etc) is all in POOF land. It doesn't count. To this day you have not been able to put him under a chute. What ever happened to your last promised big revelation? You remember, the one that the FBI wouldn't be able to ignore. You said just a few more weeks. Care to give us a new ETA? I don't think titanium was used on dental bridges in 71. Even if it was, a dental patient wouldn't have machined curl residue on them. The metal structures of bridges are cast, not lathed, drilled or milled. Titanium is used for implant anchors in modern dentistry. Unlike Jerry, I do believe that Duane told you he was Dan Cooper, but like so many things Duane told people, it simply wasn't the truth. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8982109-40-years-later-new-evidence-emerges-in-db-cooper-case 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The title of Farflung's poem is: NUN OF THE ABOVE Cool on so many levels. But we've come to expect that. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

The multi-talented Farflung scores again. You shacked it Farf. Anybody besides Farflung know what that means? It's not what you think. No sex, just explosive power and precision, which to Farflung is a probably a poor substitute for sex. There is a garbled clue in a B52s song, but it leads you astray. Do submit it to the Cooper Symposium poetry competition Farflung, you may win it. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

What a long strange trip it's been: a twenty dollar bill goes from a bank to a criminal to a child to a charity. The OCCUPY folks would probably approve. Hats off to Brian Ingram. The self focused Cooper Vortex has centrifugal force. This appears to be one of the few times it has thrown off something altruistic. Blevins and AB's donations of books to childhood reading programs deserves praise too. I wonder what charity Brian has selected to receive the proceeds of the Cooper twenty auction? Thanks Brian. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo, We spar about Duane but it never gets nasty or derogatory. I am truly sorry you are in such pain and hope that your condition improves soon. Too bad you can't come to Portland. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I second Jerry's motion. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce wrote Yes. They ported Dan Cooper comics from the future and put them in the NWA facility on Shemya. I'll be glad to buy you a drink Bruce. You've done a lot for this forum. I wish Georger was coming. We could chat in Morse Code, if he'd go really slow. QRS QRS 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Federal judge Cormac J. Carney slammed the FBI last Thursday for lying about documents it produced in response to an FOIA inquiry regarding their surveillance of Muslim American groups. The case, filed by the ACLU, showed that the FBI withheld documents due to national security concerns but lied to the judge about their omission. "the government's deception of the court was inexcusable" wrote Carney in his decision ordering the FBI to pay the other side's attorney fees. Nobody but the ACLU takes on the FBI and wins. They have the courage, the tenacity and the mad legal skills to do it. If you think it is easy proving that the FBI has lied to a federal judge, think again. We are fortunate to have courageous judges like Cormac Carney who refuse to let vague national security claims trump the law and usurp judicial authority. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Sorry to hear he is an SK Georger. Whoa! http://showcase.netins.net/web/nr0x/antennas.htm Did you see the cover of the current issue of CQ with those guys BASE jumping off that MONSTER 160M beam antennna in Finland (Radio Arcala)? That's not how I'd combine ham radio and skydiving. Damned thing is only 330 feet in the air. No big deal to a BASE jumper I guess... http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cq_current_issue.html http://www.radioarcala.com/nbspStation/TowersandAntennas/Tower7/tabid/358/Default.aspx 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Yep, Brian Ingram is on the symposium list too. I'd love to have a Cooper twenty but the really good ones went for over $6500. When I think of which I'd rather have, a Cooper twenty or 250 jumps, suddenly the twenty looks way overpriced. Maybe its just a small fragement. One of those sold for $358.50. http://www.coinnews.net/2008/06/13/db-cooper-notes-make-37k-at-heritages-americana-memorabilia-auction/ 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Speaking of Cooper comics Vicki, I think Bruce needs to investigate that time portal on Shemya Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemya http://29eagles.com/aboutme/shemya/ 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

She's on the preliminary list. Glad to see Marla is doing OK, I was worried about the let down and the effect it might have on her. Would it be out of line to ask for her autograph on a beat up waterlogged twenty? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Actually there will be one at the symposium in Portland. It will be offered in a charity auction. It is one of the ones found at Tena Bar. Hope its a good specimen (some were pretty small pieces). 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Georger wrote Speaking of Einstein, some neutrinos have recently been clocked busting his speed limit in Switzerland. Was he wrong Georger? Is nothing sacred? I got considerable comfort thinking that nothing in the entire universe was faster than the 14 MHz EM waves propagating from my Snowmann designed antenna. Now I think I may be driving a old VW in the slow lane. McCoy's turkey alibi was never proven to my satisfaction. Neither was Mayfield's alibi. Doesn't make either of them Cooper though. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.