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Bruce, Are you following up on that increible story about Braden going back to Nam after his discharge? Even if it wasn't true, why was it told? The Army Chief of Staff personally intervened in Bradens AWOL prosecution and halted it??? That by itself raises about 2000 lbs of questions. What gave Braden such power? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

ParrotheadVol writes That's really the end. Could it be a setup for a sequel? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Well, if one were ultra manly and hunky (like Farflung), admitting you wanted to come back would be a kind of groveling. It's subtle. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Blevins wrote Snow won't grovel and Quade won't back down. It's a real shame. I can do occasional proxy posts for Snow but it's not the same as having him on board. I just wish he were back. He'd add a lot of value and humor too. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Hey, don't spoil my idealistic fantasy that it's about freedom, not money. I don't think Q gets paid to be the forum zookeeper. Well maybe he does but the coin is power, not "negotiable US currency". I criticize him but Q does deserve a lot of credit for pushing back hard on the many who want the forum gone. He is kinda like the ACLU, defending the free speech rights of the vilified and the unpopular... but not uniformly. The ACLU would reinstate Snowmman. 377 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Farflung wrote Farflung, would you consider narrating the Dorkzone video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV40OIFQmIw&feature=youtube_gdata_player 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Georger wrote Yeah Georger, no shortage of agendas here. Everyone is rooting for their favorite. Suspects are viewed like prize fighters. Duane Weber was a bantam weight, KOd in the third round. Braden is seen by some as a real contender, a heavyweight who can go the distance. Jerry sees Wilson as the champ. It's funny how a suspect's viability can get boosted or tainted by the behavior of their sponsor. Wilson fares well partly because Vicki is pleasant, doesn't push him and is not dogmatic. Jamie Cooper's dad is ignored even though he has some interesting qualifications. Jamie behaved roughly here so his dad is largely disregarded. Really the suspects should be viewed completely independently from the demeanor/behavior of those persons presenting them. Marla, an attractive and engaging young woman, charmed the FBI into a brief frenzy over a third rate suspect, which further illustrates my point about the suspect and the sponsor. The symposium and the Ariel celebration should be fun. Lots of agendas, egos and beer. Sounds like a DZ to me. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce, What kind of followup can you do on that fascinating Braden story? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Guru hit the jackpot, being an innocent suspect. Tell us about the groupies Guru, if your wife doesnt monitor you posts. I was jumping in 1971 and it was very cool to be suspected of being DB Cooper. Lots of jumpers lied about geting questioned by the FBI. It was a status thing. We all thought he HAD to be a skydiver, the only question was which one. I was only in my twenties then, but still wanted to be a suspect. I owned 727 manuals and had recently flown to Seattle, so I was holding out hope. No deal, the FBI didnt come calling. They somehow knew 377 wasn't the type. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote Nope. Every investiagtion has its share of mistakes, but this isnt a case full of probabtive unambiguoius clues. If it were it would have been solved. The FBI chased a lot of leads that went nowhere, but thats just what happens when you have a case with so little evidence regarding Cooper's identity. I am not an FBI fanboi as Farflung likes to call em, but I don't think they missed a perfect opportunity to solve the case. This case is really tough, time has proven that. Cooper, through luck or skill or a combination of both, seemed to vanish into the night. Even today we can only make guesses as to who he was and what happened to him The FBI's failure to further investigate Duane Weber is not a screw up, it's a rational allocation of resources. Jo would have had then digging up dead dogs and chasing all sorts of speculative leads full time if they did her bidding. This mystery is compelling because it is so hard to solve. I don't blame the FBI for failing to ID Cooper so far. I think eventually he will be ID'd. Someone somewhere will remeber some relevant info or evidence. A body and rig might be found. Who knows, but I do not think it will remain unsolved forever. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Vicki wrote Easy. They should do it. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jerry, If Melvin Wilson was DBC and went in, wouldnt an abandoned car have been found? Sure it might have been registered in a phony name, but any abandoned car near the departure airport or estimated exit would have received some police or FBI attention. Vicki, your thoughts? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jerry, If Melvin Wilson was DBC: Was Norjack his first jump? Did he know a 727 could be jumped? If so, how did he learn that it could be jumped? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce wrote WOW Bruce!!! And thanks to Lt. Col Hank Bertsch rtd for coming forward with that fascinating information. This is EXACTLY what I am talking about when I say that ANY publicity about DB Cooper is good because it shakes the trees, jogs memories and something new comes out, like this. I am not a conspiracy nut but Braden sure rings those bells loudly. I am not saying that Norjack was a covert op, I dont think it was, but Braden might have known he could get away with such a crime because he already had intervention from VERY VERY high up (General Harold K Johnson, Army Chief of Staff) to kill an AWOL prosecution. Braden was, for some reason, untouchable. What a bizarre tale. I too wonder why the Major apparently lied to Bertsch about Braden's whereabouts in 1973. I wonder if an FOIA request could verify the claimed post discharge promotion of Braden to Sergeant Major (Grade E-9)? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bruce wrote Go bigger than Cooper in your title lead in. Many people in 2011 don't know who he is. Vanishing Act, the ongoing quest to find skyjacker DB Cooper. Crime of the Century, solving the mystery of DB Cooper Jet Jump Hijack, looking for DB Cooper in the 21st Century. Vanished in the Night, the search to identify the most innovative criminal of the 20th century, DB Cooper. You can do better than I can Bruce, but don't lead with DB Cooper, give the title a broader appeal. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4222338;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Looks to me like the 28 ft C9 canopy (stock round canopy for NB8) was the ideal choice for the Cooper jump. The 26 ft Navy conical (standard in the NB6 and used as an emergency chute in many civilian rigs) was a fine canopy, but didnt have suspension lines going all the way up one side, over the apex and down the other side of the canopy. The C9 did have that construction and I think it was a tougher canopy for withstanding a high speed deployment without damage. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote I think polygraphs are pretty useless having seen guilty people pass them. They are not truth detectors, just stress detectors with a degree of subjectivity thrown in. A human designs the questions and interprets the results. And Jo, if you try to control the questioning protocol then the outcome is worthless. Hands off if you want even a modicum of credibility. Ask for a senior discount. Offer advance payment in cash. Put $400 in twenties on the table and tell him that's all you have. Get creative. Jerry said he'd pay for it, but he obviously isn't going to let you meddle with the questions. You want a polygraph exam that you control. No sale. Nobody will donate a penny under those circumstances. Also, it doesn't matter whether you are telling the truth. I think you probably are. I also do not believe that Duane Weber was Dan Cooper. Your truthful account of what a small time bumbling con man told you about being a heroic figure and about a sentimental journey doesn't turn a frog into a princess. Save your money for something fun Jo. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Uh, isn't that pretty much the title to Geoff Gray's book? I see a possible copyright violation, or at least a bit of squawking from lawyers via Crown Books. SEE: Imprint of Random House. You may want to reconsider this title and come up with something more original. Unless you are simply trying to ride on Gray's coattails to garner a few cheap sales, and if so, you should be ashamed. A good writer-investigator doesn't need to do that. Anything else is the sign of an amateur. Whether or not a Federal court would see it Crown's way is open to debate. But should they find for Crown, not only would you have a big fat judgment against you, but Crown can sue for lost revenue on Gray's book due to a copyright violation. They are allowed to set any reasonable number on that, even if it doesn't sound reasonable to you. And they probably have better lawyers than you do. Robert, read this. http://copyright.gov/circs/circ34.pdf Bruce can copy Geoffs title verbatim without infringing a copyright. Titles alone are not protected. Still, bad idea to copy it for a number of reasons including being fair. Lawyers can threaten trade dress and unfair competition cases where there is no copyright infringement. Lawyers in the copyright arena rarely tell a paying client that he has no viable case and should just keep his money. They will find something to litigate and get that money from the clients pocket into their own. A very pissed off client with a big budget is their dream: (sound) "Damned right Mr. Client, we'll crush the bastards." (thought) "would that Ferrari look better in red or black?)." 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Robt99 Think head down and all tucked in. I got to 185 according to my black box. Others have reportedly hit 300. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

I know this will be met with skepticism, but several WFFC jumpers reported that they climbed above the jet after exit by orienting themselves in the direction of flight and hunching their body for max lift. I thought total BS until I watched a claimant's helmet camera footage. It showed him looking down on the jet from a distance behind as he slowed down to terminal velocity and ended his climb. It looked like he was about 150 ft above the jet. It was done with a high exit speed. Could have been faked but I doubt that it was. Anyone else heard of this or perhaps witnessed it? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

There was a second or so of falling through calm air after leaving the jet then you got slammed. It was like there was a zone of "dead air" (air being pulled along with the plane) below and aft of the plane. At least that's how I recall it. Maybe Georger or Hominid can explain it. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Georger wrote In the DC 9 I jumped, there was no noticable airflow change inside the cabin when they opened the door leading to the exit ramp. The stairs had been removed and the space they occupied was lined with sheet metal forming a kind of exit chute/ramp. Nahhh, nothing at all on the DC 9. You could have sat near the open door and read a paper and sipped some coffee. Just like jumping a tailgate plane like a CASA or C 130. Even at the edge of the tailgate things are pretty calm... but shortly after you step off and if airspeed is high, KABOOM. You get a wake up call. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

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

Bruce wrote in his latest article quoting Alana Macarthur That's wrong but I think it's just a misunderstanding. I think he is talking about canopy release hardware (eg Capewells), not the ripcord system. Early Capewell fittings (called two-shots) worked just like he described, but they had nothing to do with opening the parachute. They were used to release the canopy from the harness for various reasons e.g. so a jumper wouldn't be dragged by wind after landing or could detach the canopy after a water landing so that he could swim. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Amazon wrote (about sleeveless C9 canopy openings at 120-200 mph) Well, then why did we all have sleeves on our round mains? Actually the videos of the Air America 727 jumps surprised me. Gentle opening due to canopy squidding, kinda like the top down opening sequence which Amazon describes. 377