They would have to be close to Portland to make any ground detection..8:05 is way out of the area to see lights with heavy cloud cover..

Does your simulator adjust for sky glow from cities and cloud cover under and over the plane ?

So if Rataczak is to be believed, 305 was north of the metro Portland area when Cooper jumped. Therefore, one can logically conclude that Cooper did not land in the Columbia River south of Tena Bar. After all, jumping near PDX is in the middle of the Portland metro area.

All of that said, how does the money arrive at Tena Bar if the FBI Flight Path is correct, and Cooper did not land in the Columbia River?

The only logical conclusion would be that he walked.

Well, there are a few major flaws with this scenario.

1) It entails Cooper travelling a good 30 to 40 miles that evening.

2) It necessitates Cooper walking through populated areas carrying a large white 20 lbs. bag of cash.

3) Even if he utilized the railroad tracks, he would have to literally travel through downtown Vancouver before either continuing north up to Ridgefield, where he would then have to cross over Lake River via the River "S" Bridge before walking another 8 miles south to Tena Bar...or he would have to walk 8  miles north up to Tena Bar from the Vancouver railroad yard, all the while avoiding cars and people while carrying the aforementioned 20 lbs of ransom before walking the same 8 miles back to Vancouver to leave the area.

BZZZZZZ.

None of that makes any sense.

What does make sense is that the jet flew the Western Flight Path, he jumped near the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, he walked south via the only road out of the area which coincidentally brought him to Tena Bar, he temporarily buried the ransom before he walked into town, and the rest is history.

By the way, regarding the testimony of some who claim that they heard 305 fly right over their homes...perhaps what they actually heard were the F-106s which were--you guessed it--tracking 305 from a position several miles east of the airliner.

R's statement says nothing about when Cooper jumped. R's statement is: “ No, we did not see those lights (of Vancouver-Portland) that night; only their glow. "

My guess is, Carr's statement  about Rataczak was pulled from some 302 Carr found, which interprets Rataczak's earlier testimony to the FBI .... ? 

Tell us more, Kerm.

So if Rataczak is to be believed, 305 was north of the metro Portland area when Cooper jumped. Therefore, one can logically conclude that Cooper did not land in the Columbia River south of Tena Bar. After all, jumping near PDX is in the middle of the Portland metro area.

All of that said, how does the money arrive at Tena Bar if the FBI Flight Path is correct, and Cooper did not land in the Columbia River?

The only logical conclusion would be that he walked.

Well, there are a few major flaws with this scenario.

1) It entails Cooper travelling a good 30 to 40 miles that evening.

2) It necessitates Cooper walking through populated areas carrying a large white 20 lbs. bag of cash.

3) Even if he utilized the railroad tracks, he would have to literally travel through downtown Vancouver before either continuing north up to Ridgefield, where he would then have to cross over Lake River via the River "S" Bridge before walking another 8 miles south to Tena Bar...or he would have to walk 8  miles north up to Tena Bar from the Vancouver railroad yard, all the while avoiding cars and people while carrying the aforementioned 20 lbs of ransom before walking the same 8 miles back to Vancouver to leave the area.

BZZZZZZ.

None of that makes any sense.

What does make sense is that the jet flew the Western Flight Path, he jumped near the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, he walked south via the only road out of the area which coincidentally brought him to Tena Bar, he temporarily buried the ransom before he walked into town, and the rest is history.

By the way, regarding the testimony of some who claim that they heard 305 fly right over their homes...perhaps what they actually heard were the F-106s which were--you guessed it--tracking 305 from a position several miles east of the airliner.

The easy answer to your question is that he did, in fact, land in the Columbia River.

The central flight path is accurate, but Cooper jumped just south of Battle Ground, splashed own in the river, and the money traveled along the river and ended up on Tena Bar.

I think it’s much more logical to assume that the flight path was accurate and the jump was a few miles south, than to suggest that the jump spot was accurate but the flight path was off by dozens of miles.

The easy answer to your question is that he did, in fact, land in the Columbia River.

The central flight path is accurate, but Cooper jumped just south of Battle Ground, splashed own in the river, and the money traveled along the river and ended up on Tena Bar.

Ah, my Dear Chaucer, can you explain how DBC jumped "just south of Battleground" and then ended up in the Columbia? Those of us 'blowing in the wind' from the SW with gusts to 15 mph, are a-wonderin'.

Ah, that is why I speak - and write - with so much relativistic wordage. You ain't never gonna catch me saying, "the central flight path is accurate."

Rather, I say things like:

1. The central flight path is accurate, according to the FBI.
2. The CFP is accurate, according to Tom Kaye in his presentation at the 2011 Symposium, even though Cliff Ammerman, the ATC handling Flight 305 at the time of the jump, has stated to several researchers that Cooper was in the westernmost part of Victor-23 when he exited his aircraft.
3. The CFP is considered accurate by many researchers despite the lack of any corroboration, as not even radar transcripts from the FAA and SAGE have ever been made public. Further, Captain Scott has publically stated that 305 was over Woodland, WA and flew west of Portland in the time frame when Cooper jumped.

Etc.

It's not a complaint, Chauce. Only a request for all to check their absolute-ness at the Door to Cooper World before entering...

But can you prove the central flight path is accurate?

What can you PROVE?  Anything?

Thanks, georger. That’s high praise coming from you.

I think you have to begin with the Tena Bar find and work backwards. How did it end up there? It was either intentionally placed there or ended up there by chance. If it was intentionally placed there, then you have to explain how and why Cooper jumped where most think he did and then travel all the way to Tena Bar to bury the money. And for what purpose? To “throw off the feds”? He’d already gotten away with it. Why provide the feds more evidence? And if you did want to plant evidence to throw off the feds, then why use a nice portion of the money you just risked your life to acquire? You simply can’t square a jump spot along the FBI flight path and the money ending up on Tena Bar without some very low probability circumstances taking place.

Yes, you could move the flight path dozens of miles west, but isn’t easier and more likely to just assume that Cooper jumped three or four minutes later than is guessed?

If you start with Tena Bar and work back, keeping your eye on all the known evidence about the money, then I think it becomes clear that the most likely scenario is that Cooper jumped a little farther south than believed and splashed down in the Columbia, losing the money and probably his life in the process. Outside of that, you become mired in unlikely and, in some cases, outlandish theories to reconcile an Ariel/Hockinson drop zone and the Tena Bar money find.

I’m certainly open to hearing evidence that contradicts my theory.