10,000 feet would be impossible to track the placard down to the ground...what would be an acceptable height to test. a drone can reach a couple thousand and that's pushing it to it's extreme but could release the placard..

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If the aircraft was just a few miles east of this proposed flight path, you would be right over Vancouver and Portland. Regardless, this path still flies over suburban Portland. If the goal was to avoid major cities and populated areas while still flying west, it would make more sense to hug the coast and make a sharp turn between Portland/Salem or Salem/Eugene.

Yes, the pilots considered flying over the Pacific but ultimately decided against it. Perhaps they reasoned that DBC would consider such a move "funny stuff."

I spoke with Capt. Scott's daughter about this and she stated that knowing her father, he would have done his best to avoid flying directly over populated areas. Indeed, by flying west of downtown Portland, Capt. Scott would have done a good job of steering clear of heavily populated areas.

Yes, the pilots considered flying over the Pacific ...

No. Was said in gest! That was never a serious alternative suggested. It was a remark only - cannot be used to say anything about the fp they took.

Have you seen a 302 which explains why they took V23? Or any 302 that mentions going out over the Pacific ?

That's correct, I misspoke slightly. What I had meant to say is that a *hypothetical* western flight path would make more sense hugging the coast and making a sharp turn to the east. Sorry for any confusion.

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there is actual physical evidence--skirt, placard, money--that are very problematic for the FBI Flight Path.

This evidence seems to support the FBI flight path, not dispute it. The skirt (although never confirmed to be from Cooper's plane, but I'll humor you) was within the official 8 mile width for the Victor airway path of the FBI. The placard was also found within this 8 mile width. The Tina Bar money find could be explained by the current of the Columbia from where the jetliner crossed the river. So, I reject the premise that the physical evidence is "problematic" for the FBI flight path.

Also, while human error and expert fallibility are possible, you are asking us to believe that at the height of the Cold War, the military and other government agencies LOST TRACK of a large plane. Not just anywhere but an area of the country with high value military and industrial targets along our most northwestern coastline. These targets include (but are not limited to)the nuclear facility at Hanford,  Seattle-area Boeing plants, the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Fort Lewis, and McChord and Fairchild Air Force Bases. This air defense area was on high alert for Soviet bombers constantly in 1971. The idea that all of these eyes and ears, while on full alert, somehow got the location of a hijacked airliner wrong borders on the preposterous.

In summary, the physical evidence you cited isn't problematic for the FBI Flight path (on the contrary), and the idea that not just one or two people erred, but the entire military-industrial complex failed at a simple task at which it prepared for constantly seems highly improbable.

For the record, I'm happy to hear any respectful, reasoned, logical arguments to counter what I've stated.

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there is actual physical evidence--skirt, placard, money--that are very problematic for the FBI Flight Path.

This evidence seems to support the FBI flight path, not dispute it. The skirt (although never confirmed to be from Cooper's plane, but I'll humor you) was within the official 8 mile width for the Victor airway path of the FBI. The placard was also found within this 8 mile width. The Tina Bar money find could be explained by the current of the Columbia from where the jetliner crossed the river. So, I reject the premise that the physical evidence is "problematic" for the FBI flight path.

Also, while human error and expert fallibility are possible, you are asking us to believe that at the height of the Cold War, the military and other government agencies LOST TRACK of a large plane. Not just anywhere but an area of the country with high value military and industrial targets along our most northwestern coastline. These targets include (but are not limited to)the nuclear facility at Hanford,  Seattle-area Boeing plants, the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Fort Lewis, and McChord and Fairchild Air Force Bases. This air defense area was on high alert for Soviet bombers constantly in 1971. The idea that all of these eyes and ears, while on full alert, somehow got the location of a hijacked airliner wrong borders on the preposterous.

In summary, the physical evidence you cited isn't problematic for the FBI Flight path (on the contrary), and the idea that not just one or two people erred, but the entire military-industrial complex failed at a simple task at which it prepared for constantly seems highly improbable.

For the record, I'm happy to hear any respectful, reasoned, logical arguments to counter what I've stated.