The D.B. Cooper thing.

[Animal]

There were computers back then, but whatever. The FBI recorded the serial number of every note he was given, that information was made publicly available, it still is, with a reward in the tens of thousands for finding one. And the FBI kept the investigation going for 45 years, long after there were much better computers. Fairly safe to say the notes he was given never circulated.

I didn't hear the part about him specifying a location in mexico and negotiating a refueling stop, etc. It just seems that for a guy to have such a seemingly well thought out plan, (ie. the exact type of plane, how to lower the door, exactly 4 parachutes, $200,000 in $20 dollar bills, etc.) that he would have had more of an end game plan than just to randomly jump out after only a few minutes.

Part of your plan could be to tell them you want to go to mexico when, in fact, that's not at all where you want to go. only in the direction you want to go. There's no two ways about it though, that was a very dangerous jump. What i heard was the the temps at that altitude on that night were 20 degrees, not minus 20, if that makes any difference. And the planes speed would have been about 200 mph at 10,000 feet. They said at that altitutde, you would need to count about 35 seconds before you slow to terminal velocity (in a diving position) before pulling the chute (otherwise it would be ripped to pieces).

I can only assume, since this was sort of the main event in his plan, that he had done that much research.

[Antknot]

Everybody assumes he went out near the time the aft stairs opened. How do they know he didn't wait till later to jump?

[Animal]

Everybody assumes he went out near the time the aft stairs opened. How do they know he didn't wait till later to jump?

Well, according to what i saw, they know the "window of time" that he jumped because the alarm went off when the door opened, and they felt a pressure drop. then they said when the door shut, there was a huge pressure change in the plane. I think it sort of springs shut, but not really sure how that works.

Oh, they also said that he instructed the pilots to fly with the gear down and the wing flaps at 15 degrees. that doesn't exactly sound like a request from someone wanting to fly to mexico.

[AnalHamster]

There were computers back then, but whatever. The FBI recorded the serial number of every note he was given, that information was made publicly available, it still is, with a reward in the tens of thousands for finding one. And the FBI kept the investigation going for 45 years, long after there were much better computers. Fairly safe to say the notes he was given never circulated.

I didn't hear the part about him specifying a location in mexico and negotiating a refueling stop, etc. It just seems that for a guy to have such a seemingly well thought out plan, (ie. the exact type of plane, how to lower the door, exactly 4 parachutes, $200,000 in $20 dollar bills, etc.) that he would have had more of an end game plan than just to randomly jump out after only a few minutes.

Part of your plan could be to tell them you want to go to mexico when, in fact, that's not at all where you want to go. only in the direction you want to go. There's no two ways about it though, that was a very dangerous jump. What i heard was the the temps at that altitude on that night were 20 degrees, not minus 20, if that makes any difference. And the planes speed would have been about 200 mph at 10,000 feet. They said at that altitutde, you would need to count about 35 seconds before you slow to terminal velocity (in a diving position) before pulling the chute (otherwise it would be ripped to pieces).

I can only assume, since this was sort of the main event in his plan, that he had done that much research.

The four chutes thing is a bit of a mystery, maybe he wanted to tear one apart to examine if it would work, but he only needed 2 and took the dud reserve without being able to determine it was a dud. It was about 20 F, but -20C with windchill, pretty fatal pretty quick without specialist gear.

It was a good plan in parts, but that doesn't mean it was a complete plan. He needed to have an accomplice on the ground or gear stashed for that jump to have made sense, and there's no way he could have known the location he jumped at with any precision. That means his best case scenario is being lost in the snowy frozen woods wearing a suit and loafers.

[WestTexasCrude]

Another person with balls that I still laugh about today- Lawnchair Larry. 1982 LA- I'm sure alcohol wasn't involved. Strapped 40 helium filled weather balloons to his metal lawnchair and took off with a loaded BB gun in his lap. Got up very rapid to near 20,000 feet until he started shooting the balloons to stop the ascent. By that time he had drifted over LAX flight paths and pilots were reporting they were passing some guy in a lawn chair at 15,000 feet. When the FAA got ahold of him, charged him with "flying without a license", Flying without a pre-approved flight plan, etc. etc. Legendary.

[Animal]

The four chutes thing is a bit of a mystery, maybe he wanted to tear one apart to examine if it would work, but he only needed 2 and took the dud reserve without being able to determine it was a dud. It was about 20 F, but -20C with windchill, pretty fatal pretty quick without specialist gear.

It was a good plan in parts, but that doesn't mean it was a complete plan. He needed to have an accomplice on the ground or gear stashed for that jump to have made sense, and there's no way he could have known the location he jumped at with any precision. That means his best case scenario is being lost in the snowy frozen woods wearing a suit and loafers.

The date was Nov 24, 1971. So, i'm not sure what the snow conditions in washington would be. I can't imagine any of the plan involved a hidden car or clothes or what not on the ground anywhere, because, like you said, even with his best plan he couldn't have been certain within 50 miles of where he would land. It would seem that he would have a general location planned and then use his watch to time the flight and hope to be somewhere close to it.

googling seattle weather says that the average temps in november are highs of 50 and lows of 40. it was a thunderstorm, so not snowing that night.

[AnalHamster]

The four chutes thing is a bit of a mystery, maybe he wanted to tear one apart to examine if it would work, but he only needed 2 and took the dud reserve without being able to determine it was a dud. It was about 20 F, but -20C with windchill, pretty fatal pretty quick without specialist gear.

It was a good plan in parts, but that doesn't mean it was a complete plan. He needed to have an accomplice on the ground or gear stashed for that jump to have made sense, and there's no way he could have known the location he jumped at with any precision. That means his best case scenario is being lost in the snowy frozen woods wearing a suit and loafers.

The date was Nov 24, 1971. So, i'm not sure what the snow conditions in washington would be. I can't imagine any of the plan involved a hidden car or clothes or what not on the ground anywhere, because, like you said, even with his best plan he couldn't have been certain within 50 miles of where he would land. It would seem that he would have a general location planned and then use his watch to time the flight and hope to be somewhere close to it.

googling seattle weather says that the average temps in november are highs of 50 and lows of 40. it was a thunderstorm, so not snowing that night.

He bailed out over frozen forest, per reports from the time. Suit and loafers is not the gear needed if he landed alive, but would have been better suited to his initial plan of bailing out over Mexico. The ground support was only needed because of the hostile conditions he was jumping into, and somewhere close to it wouldn't have done. If he'd had a precise landing zone in mind he could have fixed his position and heading and speed precisely by making the flight crew tell him, but he didn't even chose the heading.

[WestTexasCrude]

I still consider maybe the key evidence, if your trying to figure out where he came down (corpse/ bones in the woods) the discovery in the late 70's by a deer hunter in the woods of a laminated placecard with details on how to open the aft-lift door on the exact type plane he was on. No way that's anything else. Had the instructions in hand, opened lift and dropped it and jumped sometime after that.