Bruce, the answer to your question about Boeing Flight Services has already been answered many times by the FBI and Hayden. NWA personnel at SEATAC (probably Al Lee, NWA Chief Pilot at SEATAC) got in touch with Boeing Flight Services for assistance in locating parachutes. They in turn got in touch with Hayden and he sent them his two backpacks by taxi. Boeing Flight Services then got them to the NWA people at SEATAC by one means or another.
Robert, your statements are grossly in error, and your speculations on who "probably" contact whom is not helpful.
1. Where in the documents does Hayden say he was contacted by Boeing Flight Services? I have never seen anything that suggests that occurrence specifically.
2. Rather, Hayden told me that he was contacted by Barry Halstad of Pacific Aviation and George Harrison, the Chief of Flight ops for Northwest Orient. Where has Hayden said anything different, and to whom did he say it?
3. The FBI's document from the wee hours of 11. 25. 71, (164 - 81 - 83), which is the first document describing the back chutes, cites Boeing Flight Services as participating in the procurement of the parachutes, but has a hand-written correction in the upper-righthand corner that says the listed phone number is actually for Pacific Aviation and not BFS. Nevertheless, BFS continues to be cited in FBI documents and Norjack investigators such as you. The question I ask is why? What did BFS do and who did it?
4. Al Lee, again, was the Chief of Ground Ops for Northwest Orient at Sea-Tac. Why do you continue to describe him as Chief of Flight Operations?
First, let me correct your own misinformation here. George Harrison was the NWA Station Chief at SEATAC. That means he was the senior NWA management official at SEATAC. I suggest that you take a look at the George Harrison papers which are online on this site.
Second, Al Lee was the Chief Pilot for NWA in Seattle. On page 236, SE 164-81, the FBI refers to Al Lee as "Director of Flying, Western Region, NWA". On page 28 of Himmelsbachs book, Al Lee is described as "Seattle Operations Manager". On page 11 of Tosaw's book, Al Lee is described as "Chief Pilot" at Seattle. Al Lee appears to be the only NWA contact that the flight crew of 305 had during the time they were on the ground at SEATAC.
Third, while I can't find the pictures of the FBI drop tests personnel at this moment, if my memory is correct then Al Lee was the 727 pilot on those tests and Sonderland was the co-pilot.
Fourth, I don't remember anyone ever being described as "Chief of Ground Operations" for NWA at SEATAC.
Finally, we have discussed the matter of the two backpack parachutes just recently and, again, I refer you to pages 96 and 97 of the second edition of your own book. My copy of that book was printed in San Bernardino, CA on March 30, 2016.
Further to the above, if Shutter is successful in getting a rigger to open the WSHM parachute, please ask the rigger to proofread anything that you write before you publish it. This should prevent any further confusion about that parachute.
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