377

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

Jo wrote Tell us more Jo. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Oh. I thought some were decoded. The movie certainly gave that impression. Well, no matter what happened the police never figured out who the Zodial killer was to any degree of certainty. What was really bizarre is the investigating detective Dave Toschi who allegedly wrote fake Zodiac communications. What if we had a rogue FBI SA working on Norjack who played with the evidence? I dont think that happened, but the Zodiac case tells you that you cant assume that cops are straight arrow in their investigations. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

VERY intersting reads Georger. Thanks. The movie Zodiac had some parts devoted to the code and the couple who broke it. Pretty shocking about the FBI DNA lab fraud. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Bullshit. Of course it is Georger. I thought it was funny, but I have an unorthodox sense of humor. I have several of Farflung's collages on my refrigerator. I used to have Snow's fake Cooper 20 and his fake FBI card up there too, but when Quade banned Snow I dutifully decommssioned his infidel artwork. I dont have any of your work displayed Georger. How about posting something clever? The only original artwork I ever posted here was the crude fake image of Cooper's exit on the SAGE terminal screen. I don't think anyone saw it as collectable. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

7698QA2753 Snow hijacked the BOINC distributed computing networks and has had them grinding on this code for months. So far nothing promising, but it takes time. People who think they are helping in SETI research or saving the whales are really Snow's unknowing slaves. http://boinc.berkeley.edu/ 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

That's very generous Robert. I am sorry your cats died. China food adulteration killed kids too when a mfr added melamine to milk. I think the govt executed two men who they believed were responsible. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28787126/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/face-execution-over-china-poison-milk-scandal/ 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

True. Can't argue with that. But let's say it was a guy who wasn't a military jumper, a skydiver who knew a 727 could be jumped. Still, the apparent lack of suitable clothing and footwear is puzzling. So many mysteries. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Interesting stuff, if true. I wonder if the info can be confirmed by that professor at U. of Texas who has chronicled all the Air America covert ops in SE Asia? He would probably know if World Airways was also involved in 727 airdrops. Snow will probably have the answer before I can even start a search. Of course my bias makes me like the story that Cooper was one of the Special Forces guys who allegedly did World Airways 727 jumps in SE Asia. I've no proof that Cooper knew a 727 could be jumped, but to me it is very logical to assume that he did, especially when you consider all his commands about altitude, flap setting, pressurization etc. I don't think he was a Wuffo. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

It is a good suggestion and would be simple to do. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Farflung wrote Good idea. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

When I learned freefall in 1968, students were not given altimeters but were told to count seconds and pull upon reaching a certain count. We got pretty good at estimating altitude visually. I wore an altimeter for the first time on my 35th jump. It was a huge aircraft altimeter on a belly reserve mounting panel along with a stopwatch. Now I support the use of anything and everything that can improve safety. I always jump with a visual alt, two audibles and an AAD. It's probably overkill to have 2 audibles but I love gadgets. If they made a safe head up display (HUD) alt I'd add that too. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

You could be right. I only had a few T 10 jumps but each one was a feather soft landing. I had my share of bone cruncher ragged out (porous) C9 landings. The T 10s were very low time, just bought from surplus when I jumped them. I only weighed about 147 at the time so that might have been a big factor. I wouldn't advise anyone who weighs 220 stripped and is over 50 to jump a regular PC. It probably will be OK with a PC but with a modern ram air properly sized and flown it will almost certainly be OK. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

True Jo, but packing isn't nearly the same as jumping. My mother was a civilian parachute packer during WW2. She didn't have a clue about how to jump. She was shocked at how sloppily skydivers packed their rounds. She had been taught that anything less than an absolutely perfect pack job would doom a military flyer to a malfunction and certain death. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Ive jumped a T 10 and several types of PCs and PC clones. The T 10 landed me softer than any PC. I never jumped a Jumbo PC. My guess is that a Jumbo would give you a decent landing at your weight, but that's just a guess. I wouldn't recommend a regular sized PC for your weight. I was recently offered a chance to jump a PC and reluctantly turned it down. I am 62 and want to keep jumping for a long time. It's all about managing risk. With reasonable luck you'd likely have an OK landing with a PC, but there is a chance your luck might not be good. My Triathlon 190, if flown conservatively, lands me softly every single time. I know one old timer who made a nostalgic PC jump and now has some titanium where bone once dwelled. He was sure he could make a landing in the pea gravel but didn't with bad results. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

MK 1 is your best bet if you aren't really heavy. Many were "shortlined" ie modified post purchase to reduce line length. It helped in accuracy jumping. For what you are doing a stock MK 1 is the way to go. Have fun. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

My NB6 was modified for sport jumping so the lines were stowed on the deployment sleeve not on bands inside the container. I dont recall exactly where the packing card was stowed but I do recall it was quite well concealed. I owned the rig for months before I found that it had a flap/slit into which a packing card was inserted. It wasn't obvious like the USAF B 12 rigs. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

377, See Tosaw's book pages 32 ff and 69 ff, possibly other pages. The statement about the rigger's card is in the second complete paragraph from the bottom of page 69. Notice the first sentence of that paragraph, just before the sentence about the rigger's card. I definitely thank the first sentence needs some clarification. Also, as a personal favor to me and others, could you get a bill through the US Congress outlawing the publication of books that don't contain indicies? It would save the human race a lot of time and frustration. Robert Nicholson I knrew it was in a book, thanks for reminding me it was in Towsaw's. Still, is it fact or an author's flourish to spice up a story? If it's fact, it tells us a LOT about Cooper and in my opinion it tells us he was parachute savvy. No Wuffo would know about packing data cards or where to look for them in a military rig. Cooper might have been looking to see what kind of canopy was in the NB6 container. If it was a 24 ft military canopy he might have (wisely) opted for the sport rig. A 26 ft Navy conical would have been OK. A 28 ft. C9 round is a nearly ideal high speed deployment canopy and big enough to give you a chance of an injury free landing. If I thought I might be opening at speeds in excess of 150 mph I'd have picked the C9. Sport chutes of that era were actually labled with warnings not to open at speeds exceeding 150 mph. I just we had some independent verification of the packing card inspection by Cooper. Is it in a witness interview summary? 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Farflung wrote You could probably find a statistician who could back you up on sampling one of two engines. Eight engines take a bit more, but surely less than four checks. I mean when General LeMay ordered a scramble he didn't want time wasted on useless oversampling. And if you are taking a Christian Science approach to aviation, why waste payload on fire suppression gear or ejection seats? You'd make a fine jumpship pilot Farflung. You've got the right stuff. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Can someone show me proof that Cooper looked at the packing data card on the main rig he jumped? Is this urban legend started by a book author or fact? The packing card holder on an NB6 is exceedingly well concealed. A jumper or a rigger could find it but a Wuffo wouldn't even know it was there. If Cooper did look at the card he was parachute savvy. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

It's just too much of a stretch to assume Cossey was in on the crime or is covering up for someone. If it was Mayfield in his place I might have a different opinion. If the Amboy chute was the dummy reserve canopy I think Cossey would have ID'd it as such. The sewing together of panels would have been very obvious. A tightly packed rig (C9 canopy in an NB6 container) combined with a slightly unconventional right hand outboard pull setup could make for a difficult deployment. An experienced skydiver could handle it, but a novice might not. Add night, obscured horizon visual reference, tumbling, and possible interference from the money container and you have a good formula for someone going in as a no pull. Sheridan could have handled it, I am sure of that, but all we have is evidence of his impressive qualifications to be DBC. There is zero evidence that puts him on the plane. The FBI has ruled him out on DNA but that doesnt convince me so far because I dont know the basis for the FBI's confidence that they have Cooper's partial DNA. I sure hope Bruce can interview Sheridan. Even if he isnt DBC Pete is a fascinating guy with a story to tell. As people age they often swing to the right politically, but not Pete. He is still full of left wing anti authoritarian piss and vinegar. I like his attitude and tenacity. Sailshaw, can you post your best recollection of EXACTLY what Sheridan asked you about the 727 when he lived at your place? Are you 100% sure about him inquiring about the stairs? Exactly what do you recall him asking? Give as close to a verbatim account as you can. The stair inquiry doesnt mean he was DBC, but if accurately recalled it sure as hell is interesting. It's possible Pete was somehow contemplating a non criminal sport jump from a 727. He has a history of attempting unconventional skydives (eg homemade bat wings). There have been pirate jumps from airliners, usually during ferrying to a new location without passengers. People dont post about them because it could burn the crew that allowed it. You wouldnt believe some of the stuff that has been done with airliners off the books and under the radar. A BAC 111 jet was flown under a bridge in the dark with the aircraft lights. shut off. Someone who posts on dropzone snagged a DH Dash 8 (big twin turboprop airliner) jump. Maybe Pete was initially thinking about befriending a crew and jumping from a 727 during a delivery or repositioning flight. That 727 jump daydream could have been revived later with a criminal touch if he got into severe financial trouble. Still, Pete seems like a principled guy who abhors violence. I just have a hard time seeing him threatening to blow up an airliner and terrifying the crew, all for money. The only info I have that points towards compromised morals or ethics is allgations that he may have aided fires instead of suppressing them to get more smoke jumper pay. It's a big leap from that to threatening extreme violence to innocent people. Pete is being coy about his book. You can no longer buy it online and he has indicated that there may be a second volume or edition. Sheridan Peterson if you are reading this, and I think you probably are, I'd like to buy an autographed copy. Please post some info on how it can be done. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Funny. My first malfunction, a ball of garbage flapping fluttering C9 going down fast, actually melted some of the nylon from friction heating. No repairing that baby when I found it after my cutaway. It wasnt even good for a car cover. A $25 Navy Conical canopy, salvaged from a surplus NB6 and rigged in a chest mounted reserve container, saved my life. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo wrote: The FBI didnt drop the ball, they asked Cossey if it was his chute and he said it was not. Cossey has no motive to lie about it not being his. In fact, he could make some money by lieing and identifying it as DBC's jump chute. If he still owns it, he could sell the item for a few thousand easily, perhaps a lot more. It would be good to know more about the Amboy chute but the FBI's mission is crime investigation, not aviation accidents, so I can understand why they didn't press on. I'd like to look at the chute. I could tell a lot about what it is and isnt just by looking at the ends of the risers to see what kind of connector hardware is there. I could also tell whether it is silk or Nylon. If it's Nylon I'd have some questions about Cossey's basing his answers on the fact that it was silk and therefore could not be the DBC chute from his loft. Why am I talking about the Amboy chute instead of joining the irrelevant catfight about nasty phone calls and misinterpretted posts? Because this current fray doesnt have much to do with Norjack. Lets refocus folks. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpoQFClkqa4&feature=related It looks to me like a Nylon ripstop C 9 military canopy form the 50s or 60s, but the people who posted the video said it was silk. It blew up on opening, resulting in a cutaway. I do not think the alternating orange and white panel round military bailout canopies were EVER made of silk. I think they were all Nylon. Anybody else have an opinion? All the silk canopies I have seen were mono color white. The white Amboy canopy could have been silk or Nylon twill, I can't tell from the photo. Nylon twill weave is often mischaracterized as silk by people who think all old canopies that were not ripstop weave must be silk. I dont think the buried Amboy canopy was Cooper's, but I am surprised by the lack of follow up to determine its source. The serial number is readable and I'll bet that it could be traced. Perhpas it was a discarded car cover, but if it was a working chute deliberately buried that raises a lot of questions. I hope Bruce gets to interview Cossey. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

Jo, How do you reconcile the cavalier souvenir retention with Duane's imediate panic and extreme moves (quit a great job etc) when a TV show about DBC aired? Maybe Duane was a compulsive collector of incriminating evidence. That might explain why so many prisons left the welcome light on for him. Your account of Duane's library book perusal and notation seems to at least partially focus on the door placard find. Could it be that Duane peeled it off but lost the souvenir? Farflung raised doubts about the airflow being responsible for the placard's detachment. You can't put Duane in a chute just by claiming he knew aviators, aircraft parts suppliers or jumpers. That is too much of a stretch. I am just prodding your biases Jo. Nothing I or anyone else does will shake your firm conviction that an incompetent often convicted petty criminal named Duane Weber successfully pulled off one of the most innovative crimes of the 20th century. Your tenacity and conviction are without parallel. Your certainty about Duane far exceeds anything Blevins or Cook believe about their suspects. They both say maybe. You don't think Duane is a maybe. You write as if you are on the final approach to life's last airport. I hope things improve Jo, I really do. 377 2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.