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[377]

Hard to say what transpired at Elsinore. Jumpers were always scheming about jumping from unusual aircraft and looking for opportunities.

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[Robert99]

Fcastle 866 wrote: "Kermit-In other words, you agree with me.  DB Cooper did not have to work at Boeing, be a paratrooper, or be an expert."

...

I also think Cooper knew something about parachutes. Putting on an NB 6 or NB 8 harness isn't intuitively easy. The chest strap setup is weird, it involves buckling together opposing apexes of V shapes of webbing, not at all like traditional belt-like chest straps. I had a hard time doing it the first time. Folks who tried it at the Portland symposium were baffled for quite a while.

Lots of people who have donned aircrew bailout chutes and know a lot about airdrops have never jumped. Do I think Cooper was a jumper? I do, but it's possible that he was not.

A night jump over unknown terrain in bad weather is scary as hell. Cooper had balls, that's for sure. 

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My father, who had never seen an NB6 or an NB8 during his military career, was able to inspect, strap-in and adjust an NB8 within fifteen or twenty seconds of ever seeing one. (He did not, however, find the packing card.)

Military folk use the equipment given to them, regardless of how familiar it is to them. They just figure it out and go from there. Someone accustomed to specialized equipment probably has certain expectations and might be less adaptable to variation. (No offense to any skydivers reading this.)

If Annapolis types could put on an NB6/NB8 in a timely manner, you can bet that a USAFA type is not going to let them show him up.

[377]

"But he could possibly have also obtained all of his 727 information from flight manuals, not news stories, on the 727."

Not really. I had a large 727-100 manual in 1971. Nothing in it provides the in flight exit info needed for NORJACK. The FLIGHT article did give some useful info.

377

Let me add "test reports" to the above.  Is your 727-100 manual from a specific airline?  Or is it a complete description of the systems as well as the performance of that aircraft?

The speed and altitude that Cooper specified are "common knowledge" and are not specifically unique to the 727.  If Cooper had some aviation experience, then keeping the landing gear down is obvious and he could easily guess the flap setting that would be sufficient.

On the rear stairs, Cooper would need to know that he could not access those stairs if the aircraft was pressurized, this is implied in his other statements.  But he knew other things about those stairs as discussed previously.

Also, I have not seen anything that would indicate that Cooper planned to open the parachute while on the stairs or immediately after jumping.  Perhaps an experienced jumper would do it that way but an experienced jumper would also know to get a skydiver rig in the first place.  I do not see any indication that Cooper had ever jumped before.

I now have three 727 manuals. One is UA, one is Continental and the last is a photocopy of a Boeing C-22 manual, a 727 used by the Air National Guard.
They differ insignificantly on anything related to the NORJACK jump. I also have a Boeing 727 systems manual which goes into extreme detail on the door and stair systems. Nothing indicates that the door can be opened or the stairs deployed in flight. It is silent on the issue, giving no indication one way or the other. In hindsight, I see no squat switch enabled interlocks, so I'd say maybe they could be deployed in flight, but that is hindsight. Would the airstream push the stairs up so firmly that an exit wouldn't be possible? If they deployed fully, might they act as an elevator surface and impart a pitch down moment making control difficult? All unknown... except to Boeing.

Worth watching:

377

[377]

BTW I have one of these in my DBC shelf top shrine: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

In the intro to the History Channel DBC Case Closed series, you see one of these with the AFT AIRSTAIR light blinking. That's my panel. I rigged it up for their filming. Used three 9 VDC smoke alarm batteries clipped in series to give me 27 VDC for the panel, 727 aircraft DC buss voltage is 28 VDC. MacGyver at work.

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[fcastle866]

BTW I have one of these in my DBC shelf top shrine: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

In the intro to the History Channel DBC Case Closed series, you see one of these with the AFT AIRSTAIR light blinking. That's my panel. I rigged it up for their filming. Used three 9 VDC smoke alarm batteries clipped in series to give me 27 VDC for the panel, 727 aircraft DC buss voltage is 28 VDC. MacGyver at work.

377

This is cool, especially the MacGyver work clipping those batteries in series.  Talking about the panel with one of the forum posters helped me to understand the timing of the jump better.  When the lights went on, if they went on, was it the stairs that set off the light, or the door opening, etc.  Great picture.

[377]

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377

[Bruce A. Smith]

For those who were wondering, I'm back from a three-week jaunt in NY to visit my mother for her 94th birthday.

Apparently my email auto-reply failed to properly announce my three week absence, and in the interim two different police departments were called to check on my welfare, RMB and Meyer Louie came to my home at ten o'clock one night to check on my well being, and I've received a slew of phone messages to ascertain my status. So, thanks to ALL. Plus, I received a notice of a pending law suit from Georger concerning some shenanigans, apparently, at the Mountain News.

So, all is well in Cooper World, it seems.

[dice]

For those who were wondering, I'm back from a three-week jaunt in NY to visit my mother for her 94th birthday.

Apparently my email auto-reply failed to properly announce my three week absence, and in the interim two different police departments were called to check on my welfare, RMB and Meyer Louie came to my home at ten o'clock one night to check on my well being, and I've received a slew of phone messages to ascertain my status. So, thanks to ALL. Plus, I received a notice of a pending law suit from Georger concerning some shenanigans, apparently, at the Mountain News.

So, all is well in Cooper World, it seems.

No pastrami this trip?    And lawsuit?  Is this a joke ?

[EU]

For those who were wondering, I'm back from a three-week jaunt in NY to visit my mother for her 94th birthday.

Apparently my email auto-reply failed to properly announce my three week absence, and in the interim two different police departments were called to check on my welfare, RMB and Meyer Louie came to my home at ten o'clock one night to check on my well being, and I've received a slew of phone messages to ascertain my status. So, thanks to ALL. Plus, I received a notice of a pending law suit from Georger concerning some shenanigans, apparently, at the Mountain News.

So, all is well in Cooper World, it seems.

Trying to figure out what happened to you a couple of weeks back was sort of like DB Cooper 2.0.

[Bruce A. Smith]

For those who were wondering, I'm back from a three-week jaunt in NY to visit my mother for her 94th birthday.

Apparently my email auto-reply failed to properly announce my three week absence, and in the interim two different police departments were called to check on my welfare, RMB and Meyer Louie came to my home at ten o'clock one night to check on my well being, and I've received a slew of phone messages to ascertain my status. So, thanks to ALL. Plus, I received a notice of a pending law suit from Georger concerning some shenanigans, apparently, at the Mountain News.

So, all is well in Cooper World, it seems.

No pastrami this trip?    And lawsuit?  Is this a joke ?

Oops. I thought of you, though, Dice when I got a pastrami-to-go at Ben's Deli after cruising the Barnes and Noble. I'll call next time.

Lawsuit Update: no documentation, yet. Only verbal warnings via a phone call.

Speaking of which: Anyone who has a problem with the postings at the Mountain News can greatly aid me in ridding the unwanted by telling me the specifics of who, what, where and when. Last night at 5 am - my body's-time (Eastern) - I was ready to just delete the whole kitandkaboodle, as there were HUNDREDS (400-500?) of postings and I wasn't ready to read each one to ascertain the level of offense.

Thanks.

[Bruce A. Smith]

For those who were wondering, I'm back from a three-week jaunt in NY to visit my mother for her 94th birthday.

Apparently my email auto-reply failed to properly announce my three week absence, and in the interim two different police departments were called to check on my welfare, RMB and Meyer Louie came to my home at ten o'clock one night to check on my well being, and I've received a slew of phone messages to ascertain my status. So, thanks to ALL. Plus, I received a notice of a pending law suit from Georger concerning some shenanigans, apparently, at the Mountain News.

So, all is well in Cooper World, it seems.

Trying to figure out what happened to you a couple of weeks back was sort of like DB Cooper 2.0.

Consider it a practice run! (Smile).

[georger]

For those who were wondering, I'm back from a three-week jaunt in NY to visit my mother for her 94th birthday.

Apparently my email auto-reply failed to properly announce my three week absence, and in the interim two different police departments were called to check on my welfare, RMB and Meyer Louie came to my home at ten o'clock one night to check on my well being, and I've received a slew of phone messages to ascertain my status. So, thanks to ALL. Plus, I received a notice of a pending law suit from Georger concerning some shenanigans, apparently, at the Mountain News.

So, all is well in Cooper World, it seems.

No pastrami this trip?    And lawsuit?  Is this a joke ?

Oops. I thought of you, though, Dice when I got a pastrami-to-go at Ben's Deli after cruising the Barnes and Noble. I'll call next time.

Lawsuit Update: no documentation, yet. Only verbal warnings via a phone call.

Speaking of which: Anyone who has a problem with the postings at the Mountain News can greatly aid me in ridding the unwanted by telling me the specifics of who, what, where and when. Last night at 5 am - my body's-time (Eastern) - I was ready to just delete the whole kitandkaboodle, as there were HUNDREDS (400-500?) of postings and I wasn't ready to read each one to ascertain the level of offense.

Thanks.

Its always nice to appear on your website - involuntarily!

We know what Tina felt like and went through!

You talk the talk - can you walk the walk? Investigative reporter? 

[Bruce A. Smith]

Not only am I sorting through tons o' posts at the MN, but I have pages to read here, too! Not sure if this June 10 press released has reached these pages, but here is a link to Eric Ulis' announcement about Sheridan Peterson. I just posted it at the Mountain News:

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

[Bruce A. Smith]

We know what Tina felt like and went through!

As yes, G, you and Tina have so much in common - Me!

By the way, you can help me crawl, if not walk outright, through the rubble at the MN and tell me what you consider unacceptable. I've gone backwards from today to June 18, 2018 and so far I haven't seen anything too terrible. Yes, the MN appears to be mostly a message-board for our beloved RMB over the past few weeks, but some of the youngins' of Cooper World seem to be enjoying the repartee.

[Bruce A. Smith]

...I'm saying this was a borderline amateur hijacking.  There was planning, but not the type I would expect from an experienced jumper or someone with elite military training....

Okay, F Castle. But please tell us what would be the hallmarks - for you - of a skyjacking by a professional covert operative?