Quote

After Cooper argued with Rataczak about taking off with the stairs down, Cooper agreed to leave them up for the takeoff but he reportedly told Tina that he knew that the airliner could takeoff with the stairs down.  And he was right on that point.  That indicates prior knowledge of the stairs.

In all the accounts I read, Cooper was very confident the stairs weren't going to be a problem whether down or up at takeoff, which suggests prior knowledge. His understanding of the flap settings implies prior knowledge. Knowing the 727 flies slow enough to jump from safely, implies prior knowledge. Knowing the technical names of the stairs, and of the plane's phone system, implies prior knowledge. Add on his apparent comfort in putting on a parachute harness, you have a lot of knowledge to account for.

While the prior hijackings were in the news, it's asking a lot for someone like Lepsy to learn all those things in 11 days. In order to plan this hijacking so quickly, Cooper would have to already know a bunch of stuff. Even ignoring the particle evidence on the tie that eliminates them as suspects, Lepsy and Wilson are over their heads. Perhaps Lepsy and Wilson could copy the hijacking after someone else did it to completion; the fact Cooper was the first to actually jump out of the aircraft puts him at a higher level.

I agree, I have very little doubt Wilson could put most everything in this heist together. Not sure he could cover all that ground in two weeks. None of the other copycats were able to do it that fast.

I'm not a thrift-shop kind of guy, and maybe I've made this point before, but wouldn't a thrift shop sell the tie and tie clasp separately? I honestly don't know. Is the tie clasp gold-filled or gold plate, or is it so cheap that someone wouldn't bother separating the two?

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Quote

After Cooper argued with Rataczak about taking off with the stairs down, Cooper agreed to leave them up for the takeoff but he reportedly told Tina that he knew that the airliner could takeoff with the stairs down.  And he was right on that point.  That indicates prior knowledge of the stairs.

In all the accounts I read, Cooper was very confident the stairs weren't going to be a problem whether down or up at takeoff, which suggests prior knowledge. His understanding of the flap settings implies prior knowledge. Knowing the 727 flies slow enough to jump from safely, implies prior knowledge. Knowing the technical names of the stairs, and of the plane's phone system, implies prior knowledge. Add on his apparent comfort in putting on a parachute harness, you have a lot of knowledge to account for.

While the prior hijackings were in the news, it's asking a lot for someone like Lepsy to learn all those things in 11 days. In order to plan this hijacking so quickly, Cooper would have to already know a bunch of stuff. Even ignoring the particle evidence on the tie that eliminates them as suspects, Lepsy and Wilson are over their heads. Perhaps Lepsy and Wilson could copy the hijacking after someone else did it to completion; the fact Cooper was the first to actually jump out of the aircraft puts him at a higher level.

The "knowing" of the technical terms could be the flight attendant using the correct name of the stairs and the phone. They were the ones relaying the messages from Cooper to the cockpit. However, it does not take a rocket surgeon to read a sign posted nearby.



Then there is the tie. Was it Cooper's? Where did he get it? Carr said it looked cheap. Thrift store purchase beforehand? How could it eliminate anyone if they do not know the source of the tie?

This might be a question for NMIWrecks, but is putting on a parachute harness similar to donning scuba gear?

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

I agree, I have very little doubt Wilson could put most everything in this heist together. Not sure he could cover all that ground in two weeks. None of the other copycats were able to do it that fast.

I'm not a thrift-shop kind of guy, and maybe I've made this point before, but wouldn't a thrift shop sell the tie and tie clasp separately? I honestly don't know. Is the tie clasp gold-filled or gold plate, or is it so cheap that someone wouldn't bother separating the two?

Most everything my mother purchased for our family was from a thrift shop. He may have "made" the money, but my mom did not have it to spend. In 1968, we moved from a mobile home park in St. Paul,  to the park next to the DQ in St. Cloud, then a few months later in 1969 to Brainerd. My dad was a bartender at Pauline's nightclub before he returned to St. Paul in 1970 to his "print shop" and his job at Mayflower Moving and Storage.

Shutter did research on the tie clasp. It was a cheap men's gift set.

If you followed the first hi-jacking, it was a year prior to Paul Cini. He was found incompetent to stand trial in November 1971 for the hijacking the year prior.

Quote

The "knowing" of the technical terms could be the flight attendant using the correct name of the stairs and the phone. They were the ones relaying the messages from Cooper to the cockpit. However, it does not take a rocket surgeon to read a sign posted nearby.

Vicki, Do you know the source of the picture of the placard in your post?  Based on my not-always-correct memory, that placard is not the one that is discussed on Tom Kaye's web page as having come off in flight.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

None. Not in 1971.

The information on the 727 and its requirements for a jump was top secret. Even after the DBC jump I understand that a FOIA request only provided a small amount, and that ultimately 10,000 pages of Boeing materials were delivered.

The only person I know who says he was familiar with the metrics before Cooper was Sailshaw. He hasn't said he knew the 727 could be jumped in 1971, he just knows where that information was available at Boeing. Apparently there was an aft stairs lab at the Renton plant.

However, Paul Cini planned a hi-jacking (in an alcohol induced state) two weeks prior to Cooper's jump. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

In addition, Arthur Brinkley, hijacked a plane on June 4, 1970. He was found incompetent to stand trial in November of 1971.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

How much information was published in the newspapers, or on the nightly news? 

Smokin99...can you use your magic and find old newspaper articles from these incidents?