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[snowmman]

Hi georger,
What's with the slam towards me?
Let's just have it out, and see who gets banned first.
I'll take the first shot.
Attached is a message you sent me Nov 26, 2008 at Dropzone.com
I'm assuming the sentiments expressed then are no longer true? I'm sad.

I'm reminded of the old saw
"You're drunk and ugly"
"So are you"
"Yes, but I'll be sober in the morning"

[snowmman]

Oh there was another paragraph where Emrick's wife also chimed in, agreeing about who they thought was the hijacker.
Also more detail on how Emrick picked the chutes.

"The middle-aged hijacker, described by the F.B.I as about six feet in height, 170 to 180 pounds and dark brown or black hair, may be an experienced jumper Emrick has known."

Hmm...interesting they say "has known". Not "knows"..i.e. it's someone he knew in the past.

"Emrick's wife also believes the man is the same person who is being hunted near Woodland in Clark County"

Also in the article, it says the Washington Aeronautic Commission had called Emrick Wed. afternoon requesting "four parachutes for two hijackers in Seattle"

"The head of the local jump center then learned that a Renton firm supplied the two backpack chutes and only chest pack chutes would be needed.

He first looked for a pair of older-type chutes because, Emrick said, he knew he "would never get them back again." He didn't have two of the older chutes, so Emrick gave them training parachutes.

UNKNOWN to him at the time was the fact that one chute was for ground training only and was non-functional"

So yeah, it's weird. Not clear if Emrick gave what he thought were both training parachutes, or didn't realize or what.

If it wasn't known to Emrick at the time, then who told him? Someone else at Issaquah Sky Sports the next day? or what? And who said for sure it was a non-functional training chute. Not Emrick I guess? And not FBI and not Cooper.

[Shutter]

It's my understanding that Cossey was not around during the hijacking..when he returned is when they found out that one of the chutes were bad...

[EU]

Oh there was another paragraph where Emrick's wife also chimed in, agreeing about who they thought was the hijacker.
Also more detail on how Emrick picked the chutes.

"The middle-aged hijacker, described by the F.B.I as about six feet in height, 170 to 180 pounds and dark brown or black hair, may be an experienced jumper Emrick has known."

Hmm...interesting they say "has known". Not "knows"..i.e. it's someone he knew in the past.

"Emrick's wife also believes the man is the same person who is being hunted near Woodland in Clark County"

Also in the article, it says the Washington Aeronautic Commission had called Emrick Wed. afternoon requesting "four parachutes for two hijackers in Seattle"

"The head of the local jump center then learned that a Renton firm supplied the two backpack chutes and only chest pack chutes would be needed.

He first looked for a pair of older-type chutes because, Emrick said, he knew he "would never get them back again." He didn't have two of the older chutes, so Emrick gave them training parachutes.

UNKNOWN to him at the time was the fact that one chute was for ground training only and was non-functional"

So yeah, it's weird. Not clear if Emrick gave what he thought were both training parachutes, or didn't realize or what.

If it wasn't known to Emrick at the time, then who told him? Someone else at Issaquah Sky Sports the next day? or what? And who said for sure it was a non-functional training chute. Not Emrick I guess? And not FBI and not Cooper.

I spoke with Emrich's wife the day before yesterday (and it is spelled Emrich). I asked her about their suspect. I found the conversation somewhat odd. She could not (or would not) confirm anyone. Nonetheless, Sheridan plays a role in this.

[Bruce A. Smith]

Very surprising - and thus interesting.

[Shutter]

I seem to recall while on the DZ that most of the jumpers suspected some guy who ended up in Hawaii or something like that...it was discussed several times..even a photo of the guy was shown.

[Bruce A. Smith]

I vaguely remember that as well.

[Shutter]

I vaguely remember that as well.

I think 377 brought up this suspect...

[fcastle866]

Shutter-The most users online ever used to be around 76 back in April of 2017, but on October 15th, last Monday, there were 81.  Did something big happen that I missed, or is a spike normal this time of year?

[Shutter]

Shutter-The most users online ever used to be around 76 back in April of 2017, but on October 15th, last Monday, there were 81.  Did something big happen that I missed, or is a spike normal this time of year?

Yes, China. they have been attacking for several weeks now trying to get in...

[Shutter]

Okay, after reading some of the recent threads, and several PM's I can say that I'm not very pleased.

The insults need to stop, especially when they come out of nowhere..

stay on topic, post in the correct threads and try to get along..

We have a conference coming up and should be working together instead of against each other..If it continues, then that member will no longer be here, it's that simple..

Shutter

[snowmman]

Any time there's a misrepresentation of details, the offending party is bound to be insulted.

Any contact by ckret in 2009  to sheridan, if it happened, was due to me. 377 can confirm that as the most likely thing.

All talk about sheridan bank accounts is spinning something big from something small. 377 can confirm.

Rather than take those as insults, take them as exposing what I believe is blevins/skyjack71 behavior.

Ban me for that? Go right ahead.

[377]

I seem to recall while on the DZ that most of the jumpers suspected some guy who ended up in Hawaii or something like that...it was discussed several times..even a photo of the guy was shown.

That guy was Norton Thomas, a jumper, ace pilot and Hells Angels biker gang member. I jumped at the Pope Valley Parachute Ranch where Norton jumped. He didn't look like the sketch (blonde) and was too young as well. I don't recall anyone thinking he was DB Cooper.  Sometime later Norton Thomas disappeared ferrying a plane from CA to HI. No wreckage was ever found. That raised some eyebrows and there was talk of a staged "death".

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377

[Shutter]

02-06-2009, 07:56 PM
Several of us "old timers" in the sport believe we know D.B. Cooper's true identity.

oh? do tell...

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MVM02-06-2009, 09:02 PM
C'mon and fess up. Who is he?

As an aside: There used to be a bar in San Jose (CA) called DB Cooper's. Over the dance floor they had a mannequin suspended spread eagled from a parachute above him that was attached to the ceiling.

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chetlaw02-07-2009, 07:42 AM
His name is (or was) Norton Thomas. He dissapeared about 20 years ago while ferrying a Beech D18 to Hawaii. His dissapearance was, to say the least, pretty suspicious; He reported engine problems to the other Beechcraft accompanying him and just dissapeared. This happened at night and those of us who knew Norton like to believe he headed for South America with the money.

Anyway, Norton was from California, but moved to the Northwest about 5 years before the highjacking. He was a highly experienced skydiver and pilot. He was a colorful and fun-loving character who knew a lot of low people in high places as well as high people in low places. He was a lawyer who either had been, or at least had connections with the Hells Angels out of Oakland. His girlfriend, Jeannie McCombs, was a national skydiving champion who was killed in a skydiving accident in Elsinore California shortly after working on the film "Private Benjamin."

When I saw the composite drawing of D.B. Cooper, the first thing I thought was "that's Norton Thomas." He was a dead-ringer for the composit. Evidently the FBI thought so too because they questioned him more than once. He never admitted it to me or anyone I know, but he never denied it either (except, of course to the FBI). As far as I know, the consensus of those who knew him is that he was the one most likely to have pulled it off.

The skydiving community is pretty small and was much smaller back in 1971. For D.B. Cooper to have pulled it off, he would have had to have had some skills and knowledge (or, just maybe have been awfully lucky). Norton had those skills and knowledge and was just nuts enough to have done it.

I haven't thought of Norton in years, thanks for asking.

[Shutter]

In 1981, I worked on the movie "Pursuit of D.B. Cooper." I doubled Treat Williams for the skydiving scene. I, and four other stunt doubles, jumped from a 727 over a town named "Groveland" just east of Yosemite, CA. We each made two jumps from the 727 from 8,000 feet. I have no doubt D.B. Cooper made it. Several of us "old timers" in the sport believe we know D.B. Cooper's true identity.
__________________
Chet
MK II 427 Windsor, Dual Quads, TKO 600, Three link


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