Something I found that I hadn't already posted,,,
Hahneman's hijacked plane landed in Merida Mexico for refuelling, then he demanded the plane fly over British Honduras (Belize) but he jumped in neighbouring Honduras. The 727 did a loop and landed back in Merida Mexico..
Of course Cooper's initial demand was the same, to fly to Mexico for refuelling.. that was re-negotioated due to configuration range..
So, Cooper's plan A may have been to jump at the end of the flight in Mexico/Central America, but his plan B became to jump where he did.
"The replacement craft--also a 727--was backed tail to tail with the hijacked plane. The hijacker, carrying his gun and encircled by stewardesses and other crew members to shield him from possible sharpshooting FBI agents, transferred his gear, including six parachutes he had demanded and received, from the one plane to the other. From New Orleans the plane flew south landing at Merida, Mexico, a city on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. After refueling it continued south over Central America. After the hijacker jumped, the aircraft returned to Merida where the crew rested for several hours before flying to Miami."
Cooper apparently didn't know the fuel range of a 727, in the configuration he also demanded. Or it was all a diversion.
who knows, Mexico was in range but not in that configuration, were his calcs just sloppy.. he seemed to be very knowledgeable in some things but not others.. IMO, he was sincere in his initial Mexico demand.
Flyjack, back in the 1960s and 1970s, there was a joke that went something like this: "Why do all the people in the world (especially Southeast Asia) hate us (meaning the USA) since we are so sincere."
Sure, but we don't know if he was sincere or not, we don't know what he was thinking. IMO, he probably was but I wouldn't claim it to be a fact or deny he wasn't. Remember, it was Cooper's first 727 jump hijacking..
So, I don't know where you are going with that..
The takeaway is the consistency of those two hijacked 727's "refuelling in Mexico" one actually happened and one was requested. Do we just reject that relationship? It is part of the knowledge base..
Actually, Cooper just wanted to go south. He probably knew that the 727 could not make it from Seattle to Mexico with the landing gear down, flaps down, and cruising at less than 200 knots. Mexico would have been about a 7 or 8 hour flight from Seattle with that configuration.
I agree with this. I'm convinced it was a red herring thrown out there by Cooper to mislead the authorities into thinking that they would have a lot of time to apprehend Cooper. Moreover, I believe that Cooper originally intended to jump over the outskirts of Seattle.
I cannot accept that Cooper was arguably very knowledgeable about the 727 regarding obscure aspects, but simply an idiot about the jet's range. No way.
I've always thought that Cooper wanted to jump immediately but also understand that you never know what goes on in somebody's head.. People can be be strange and irrational.. the Cooper Vortex is a good example. Cooper had unique 727 knowledge but also was incompetent and wrong on some things.. as though he was well read but inexperienced. So, I can also entertain the arg that Cooper's initial intention may have been "refuelling in Mexico"... not good to outright reject on an assumption.
Here's the problem with that logic; you don't get very far. In other words, you limit yourself to such a degree that progress is almost impossible.
When trying to solve a mystery conjecture and theory are useful if they're based in fact. They allow you to move ahead and try to determine what happened.
For example, it is reasonable to assume that Cooper didn't intend to actually fly to Mexico City. I base this assumption on two things. First, Cooper was on his way to Mexico City (via Reno). Two, he jumped before he got there.
This assumption enables me to avoid wasting time heading to Mexico City and trying to determine where he was going to go from there.
Another point, I've heard and read a fair amount about Cooper's incompetence and ignorance. All I know is this; he got away. Furthermore, he's the only guy ever to get away. I prefer to start with that in mind and consider him exceptionally bright until something to the contrary indicates otherwise.
More to the point, the fact that Cooper may not have known how to operate the airstairs is meaningless. After all, I know that the front entry door to an Airbus A321 opens and closes automatically. I know this because I've flown on one and seen it happen. That said, I would have to ask someone how to actually open or close the door if asked because I'm not certain which button to push or lever to pull. Nonetheless, I know the door is operable, and the fact that Cooper knew the airstairs were operable is the salient point.
Additionally, the fact that Cooper jumped with the inoperable "dummy reserve" verses the genuine reserve is also stated as "proof" that Cooper lacked knowledge. Well, not so fast...neither reserve could attach to either of the delivered mains (or emergency rig) because they both lacked "D rings." So my question is this: How does Cooper jumping with the "dummy reserve" instead of the genuine reserve indicate that he's ignorant? Perhaps, he had something else in mind when he jumped with the "dummy reserve" that made it's selection the superior choice?
