sailshaw

Bob Blevins: In your post "Gutt has said twice now that KC has never been checked out by the FBI because they think he doesn't fit the description. " That says a lot that the FBI does not believe KC fits the description. Such as wrong height at 5 ft 8 in, wrong color of skin and not olive, and wrong color of eyes blue and not brown. That is "three strikes and he is out"!!! Now Blevins is time to pull your book off the for sale rack and find a real suspect. I and ,I believe, the rest of us are tired of you continuing to push KC as a believable candidate. KC was not DB. KC was not DB, KC was not DB, KC was not DB Bob sailshaw

Bruce: In your physical description of Sheridan Peterson, you left out the most important feature that DB had was his OLIVE SKIN COLOR. Sheridan too had a telling olive skin color (not a suntan) which none of the other suspects have. Bob sailshaw

Farflung: You say: Oh no!!! "I found another source for Cooper’s seat, what Oh what, is one to do? Cooper was in seat 18C, an aisle seat, according to living witness and former FBI agent Ralph Himmelsbach. Here you can see for yourself from (13:55 – 14:05): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7taFf09hofI" ____________________________________________________ I believe the info from Ralph H. is correct. DB sat in seat 18C (an aisle seat on the port side) when he gave the Flight Attendant the note. However, when on the flight to "Mexico" he sat in 18E with Tina in 18F starboard side. With no other passengers in the back of the plane, he had his choice of seats. By sitting were he did he was not an easy target for FBI snipers outside the plane (Tina was in between he and the outside and pinned in place). Bob sailshaw

ROBERT99: You say "Mr. Blevins, That is an excellent observation. However, I strongly suspect that some people here only desire to sell books. You have claimed numerous times that the first two editions of "Blast" almost drove Adventure Books into bankruptcy. But I bet you have already started thinking about a fourth edition." REPLY: Robert you have really hit the nail on the head. Blevins promised us to pull his book if KC was proved to not be a suspect. I pointed out to Blevins that there are three facts that prove KC was not DB. The eye color, the skin color, and his height. In other words, DB had brown eyes and not blue, DB had an olive skin color and not a white color, and finally KC was Tooooo short at 5ft 8in and no where near DB at 6ft tall. Now we see he is trying to sell a new addition. I hope it is avoided by the book buyers like the plague that it is and hopefully becomes a big loss of income for Blevins. Possibly the real DB will publish his book that tells the whole revenge plan of the cape ("The Grudge and the Revenge" the novel about DB Cooper). Bob sailshaw

Jo you say "I actually would like to meet Petersen before he meets the Creator - he is the only person in this Cooper saga - I do want to meet. Because of his history - there are so many questions I want to ask him....not about Cooper or skyjackings, but about himself and his life." REPLY: What do you have in mind Jo? Cozy up to Sheridan and marrage? Then you could hedge your bet to being Mrs DB Cooper and he could whisper in your ear on his death bed " I am Dan Cooooper". I that your plan? Bob

GEORGER You say: Uh, since when is jumping out of the back of a 727 at 10,000 feet, "fooling the FBI" !? Its been him on the run or dead, ever since. No trace of his existence except for a little money. Not even a rotten parachute or a pair of shoes? So much for the glamour of D.B. Cooper. Just idiots like Bob Knoss to tell the tale! That is really "fooling the FBI"! RESPONSE: Some of the many ways DB fooled the FBI are: 1) He picked a Thanksgiving day and night that the FBI would have trouble responding and making chase after him. They did not really get into the chase until the next day. 2) "Take me to Mexico" fooled them to take him where he wanted to go (PDX) without letting them know where he planed to jump. With stairs down, flaps down, the plane was flying as slow as possible and best condition for his jump. 3) Asking for four chutes fooled the FBI into thinking he might jump with some of the crew. 4} He wiped the airplane clean of finger prints and left nothing behind. Fooling the FBI again. 5) There are many more thing but the best is his perfect alibi of where he was at the time of the Caper. They fell for that story, hook line and sinker. Sorry GREORGER but I don't buy you train of thought. Possibly, you have listened to too much FBI spin. Bob sailshaw

MRSHUTTER45: in your reply "I strongly disagree with planning this for ten years, he didn't know how to open the aft door, he didn't notice the reserve chute was a demonstration chute? I kind of think after 10 years of planning he would know the 727 from front to back and would have more experience with chutes! just to mention a few problems he had." REPLY: You probably haven't read all the past Posts that describe how DB made use of the Flight Attendant as she had more experience with stuck aftairstairs than even the pilots. The stuck door could of been from the residual air pressure difference (inside/outside) and the use of the Flight Attendant shows that he was smart enough to have her resolve the slight problem. This slight problem would not have been in the manuals that DB had available to him at Boeing but would have been discovered by the Flight Attendants that used the Airstairs all the time with lot's of practice. The reserve chute was easy for him to notice and he probably threw it out with a laugh as he got his experience to be a Skydiving Instructor at Issaquah Sky Sports where he had seen the dummy chute many times before the Caper.. He did know the 727 very well and even better than the Pilots a far as the Airstairs could be down (even during takeoff and landing). The Flight Attendant described DB a quite knowing of how to put on the main chute he used. Like he had done it many time before. As 377 (Mark) noted, DB picked the best chute to use for the job of possibly jumping into a forest as he had three years of USFS Smoke Jumping experience. We now think (at least some of us) that he did not jump into the forest but into a field north of Vancouver.. So, he did know the Caper quite well which indicates a lot of planning and caused the FBI to do everything but solve the Case. Don't let the FBI myth of DB as not very smart fool you. He was very smart and totally fooled the FBI. Bob sailshaw

BobKoss: You are falling for the FBI story that DB did not survive. They say that as that gives them relief from having to solve the crime. Ralph H. especially spins that story as he wanted to put an end to the case before he retired. Jerry goes along with Ralph H. because they are great friends and Jerry believes anything Ralph says. The real story is that DB did survive and has confused the FBI smart guys at each encounter. I believe he was at least ten years in the planning of the most perfect crime of how to "design the system to beat the system". That hint is in the third letter sent to the Portland news papers after the caper. That shows that he made it and survived and is healthy. The jump was so easy for him with his skills that I call it a cake walk. The jump took less than five minutes of his time to get safely to the ground. The big surprise to DB was when he actually got and had the money in his hands. He was said to get a little giddy when he received the money. He is getting old now and hopefully will release his book of how he did it before he passes on to skydiving heaven. He is the folk hero who has out smarted the FBI's smartest guys. Bob

Robert99: You say "You have been pushing a Cooper candidate as hard as anyone else on this thread but the candidate you propose can be completely eliminated by your own recent admissions." Question Robert: What "recent admission" (of mine) would eliminate Sheridan Peterson? He does fit the descriptions (DB profile) and the only thing that has stopped the FBI is his perfect alibi of being in Nepal and writing his book in a mud hut. Are you trying to discredit what I post? You should work to make this thread move forward and stop your constant jiberish to accomplish nothing but noise. As has been said you are just using-up the bandwidth of the thread. Bob sailshaw

Robert99: You say: "Sailshaw, YOU are hardly the one to accuse other people of having thick skulls." Robert: I really don't care what you think and you are welcome to your own opinion. I notice you seem to have a problem understanding many posts on this thread and if mine is just another you have a problem with, then so be it. I don't really care, I don't really care, I don't really care. Bob Sailshaw

Blevins: You wrote: "Geoff Gray, as we know, got a look at the FBI files on Cooper, including the witness descriptions. In reality, the witnesses were all over the place with the descriptions and agreed on very little. See his book, pg 92-95. Also, Christiansen was heavily tanned. I have more than a dozen photos that show this to be true. Also a letter where Christiansen speaks of being 'tanned brown as a potato chip' from hanging out at the beaches in Japan." I spoke with Geoff Gray about the three facts that prove Kenny Christensen was not BD Cooper at his book signing in Seattle. Geoff was over protective of Christensen and bent the truth about the three facts to support his conclusion about K.C. However, to say 5 ft 8 in is close enough to 6 ft, that blue eyes sometimes look hazel and almost brown, and that he could have been wearing olive skin make-up is little too much BS. Here Blevins expects us to think a sun tan is an olive skin color is more BS. The olive skin color of a person from Greek parents does not look like a sun tan. So I don't think repeating it three times can get through to Blevins as he has stuck his candidate out too far to retract him as being DB. We will have to wait for the future disclosure of the real Cooper to prove it to Blevins and Gray. Bob Sailshaw

Blevins You say "It's time to either verify the Christiansen story or eliminate him once and for all. I'm tired of this go-around. The truth is, I have better things to do. And I can live with the results, no matter which way it goes." You can eliminate Kenney Christansen by the three following outstanding facts about him and the FBI probably have even more reasons. 1) K.C. is too short, too short, too short at 5 ft 8 in and DB was 6 ft or more. 2) K.C. had blue eyes, the wrong color, the wrong color, the wrong color as DB's were brown. 3) K.C. had white a skin color, the wrong color of skin, the wrong color of skin, the wrong color of skin, as DB's skin color was olive. Any one of the above facts would rule out K.C. and all three make it an absolute conclusion and the FBI knows it so Bob why don't you give it up and admit you are wrong and pull your book off the sales racks and get over it. Maybe repeating the above three times will sink into your thick skull. Bob Sailshaw

Dear Robert99: I am so sorry that I made a gross mistake in assuming the cloud layer was below 5,000 ft when actually the FBI tells us it was from 5,000 ft to 10,000 ft. So, when DB stepped off the 727 the plane was quickly out of his frame of reference (sight) right a way as he jumped into the cloud layer. Therefore, I believe he only had one frame of reference and that was the wind on his body. Again, I am truly sorry to you and the DropZone. My thinking must have been that I normally fly above the cloud layer and that DB had clear air down to 5,000 ft. when the reverse was true (clouds down to 5,000 ft) Bob sailshaw

Dear Robert99 Your post leads me to believe that you really did bang your head very hard on the vertical wind tunnel and now you and you posts come out senseless!!! You say: "Sailshaw, Seriously, you need to start reading the other posts on this thread before posting your nonsense. It would also be nice if you made some attempts to gain some knowledge of aerodynamics, dynamics, gravity, and other physical science subjects." Robert, you seem to not be able to understand what I write, so I will not even try to respond to your jibberish. Get 377 to explain it to you. He knows my background (science and engineering) and I find out from Jerry you actually did only a couple of jumps in the 60's. So why are you not publishing your two jumps in your experience profile? In your mind two jumps probably makes you an expert but not to the rest of us, eh? Bob sailshaw

To Robert99: Robert99: You say "What was visible to Cooper when he jumped? I mean below him to say 5000feet. Around him in the air/sky? Above him standing on the stairs? " DB did have wind rushing past him (at least 180 knots) to use as a frame of reference as to which way down was and be able to arch his body into a stable position (belly down. Spinning could be detected by an experienced skydiver and by use of arms and legs could change direction of spin and quite possibly stopped the spin. As 377 points out, by pulling the rip cord, the spin would stop anyway and get everything in control. Bob sailshaw Sailshaw and everyone else who has not made a free fall, somewhere on DZ.com there is probably a list of vertical wind tunnels. Find one in your area and give them a call. Tell them that you want to see how easy it is to control your body position during a free fall. The tunnel people can probably arrange a few minutes in their tunnel for around $150 per person. You could make it a family affair. The experience is well worth it in my judgment. I have spent a few minutes in the tunnel at the Casa Grande, AZ facility. In the preparation for going into the tunnel, we were shown a video of four kids (I believe both boys and girls) in their tunnel. These kids were about 10 years old and had their own team jump suits, etc.. They did controlled formation turns and other things and were always under control. But looks can be deceiving. In my particular case, I found that I could no long go into an arc position without getting leg cramps. When I straightened out the legs to stop the cramping, I would go head first into the wall. Basically, I spent my tunnel time just banging my head against the wall. -------------------------------------------------------------- Robert99: I notice you have no hours posted as a skydiver. So, by definition "YOU ARE A WOOFO". How do you justify being critical of anyone saying what they think if based upon logical information? I suggest that you have no freefall time other than your failed attempt in the vertical wind tunnel and your absolute statement that DB had no references when he jumped is just plane BS. He had the direction of wind acting upon his body and actually he had another reference for a little while. He had about one minute to keep the 727 airplane in site and visible before he hit the cloud layer at 5,000 ft. So, he had two frames of reference, especially if he backed down the stairs as Bob Blevin proposed and remained facing the same direction as the airplane. Possibly you banged you head too hard on the walls of the vertical wind tunnel you tried? Bob Sailshaw

Robert99: You say "What was visible to Cooper when he jumped? I mean below him to say 5000feet. Around him in the air/sky? Above him standing on the stairs? " DB did have wind rushing past him (at least 180 knots) to use as a frame of reference as to which way down was and be able to arch his body into a stable position (belly down. Spinning could be detected by an experienced skydiver and by use of arms and legs could change direction of spin and quite possibly stopped the spin. As 377 points out, by pulling the rip cord, the spin would stop anyway and get everything in control. Bob sailshaw

Bruce: Your statement "That's what Rataczak told me. Perhaps I should ask for confirmation from Everett Johnson, the 727 pilot with World Airways that Sailshaw and I had lunch with about three months ago. Also, I believe that Bill told me that there was a pre-setting for 15 degrees. I'll check my notes at some point to confirm." Bruce, I checked with Everett and he remembers 727 settings of 15 deg, 25 deg, 30 deg and full flap at 40 deg. To check this out with another 727 Captain Reid Imus, I got similar but different answers of: 2 deg normal and max airspeed of 240 Knots, 5 deg and max airspeed of 160 Knots, 15 deg and max airspeed of 160 Knots 25/30 with max airspeed of 140 Knots and full flap of 40 deg. So, I conclude that asking for 15 deg by DB Cooper was to insure a controllable airspeed max of 160 Knots and a knowledge of the 727 flying characteristics. This would have given better fuel economy than 25/30 deg which would have produced the slowest airspeed max of 140 Knots but burn more fuel. What DB requested was the correct thing and that is why the pilot was impressed with DB's knowledge. Each setting is a detent so that the same setting is known and what the max limitations are on airspeed. Bob Sailshaw

Yep. Sheridan Peterson, who has a lot more provable Cooper skills than LD was only ruled out by a DNA test. LD has been ruled out on DNA, has no provable Cooper skills (unless surveying is one) yet the FBI allegedly is still pursuing him as a suspect. What's the reason for the difference in evidentiary criteria? Hot blonde. Can that explain it? 377 377 - Sheridan Peterson was ruled out on the DNA on the tie bar which is probably not DB's anyway. A person helping him put the tie on could have held the tie bar in their mouth while fixing the location of the tie. Then the tie bar is put on the tie/shirt to hold the tie in place, but without DB's DNA. Sheridan was ruled out at the time of the skyjacking, his perfect alibi was that he was in Nepal (only a day's flight from the PDX Portland) and could not have "done the job". Sheridan actually used the words "lets get this show on the road" which he used in his book written after the DB caper. Only Sheridan and DB had the olive complection, were expert skydivers (including Instructor certification at Issaquah Sky Sports) and were the right age, height and worked at Boeing in the late 60's. None of the others fit the profile like Sheridan. If the FBI would check the DNA on the envelopes/stamps of the four letters written to the news papers (including the Portland Oregonian). they would really be able to solve this case. Why won't the FBI move forward and check the DNA from the Envelopes/stamps? Are they hiding the truth and solution of the crime because Sheridan/DB was CIA.? Bob Sailshaw

So if you're implying that he parked a car near the Portland Airport he wouldn't have had a way to walk back to it if he'd landed on the north side of the Columbia River. Au contraire... I have walked across the pedestrian lanes on each side of the I-5 bridge NUMEROUS times and evenwalked out on the east side lane to watch the 4th of July fireworks for the Fort Vancouver celebration. Bridge Piccie I have riden my bike across the bridge quite a few times when I lived in Vancouver and when I had my boat at Pier 99. Even the new I-205 has a pedestrian lane betwixt the lanes. Amazon: I think DB parked his car somewhere in Vancouver and walked to PDX and then after the jump, walked to his car for the get-a-way. Bob

377 I know you like radio but DB was a loaner and jumped within 12 miles of his car he left near the Portland airport. That was an easy walk to the car and safe get-a-way for a one time Smoke Jumper that was trained to walk out from anywhere. Bob

Dont bother looking up the address. It proves nothing related to Norjack. Zero. Nada. Zip. There is no evidence showing that those letters came from Cooper. Sailshaw has urged the FBI to test the letters envelopes and stamps for DNA, but it has not been done. 377 The DNA from the envelops/stamps would help tie this case up and the FBI just sits on it. They would rather waste time and money on Marla which we all know to be just BS and help her promote "Her new book"? Why do the FBI have to be so tied-up in doing nothing? Getting the DNA from the envelopes/stamps is really their kind of work and what they should be doing. sailshaw/Bob

377 there is more qualification that Sheridan meets: 1) Sheridan started the Boeing Sky Diving Club 2) He worked at Boeing in Document rewriting and might have been layed-off when the SST was canceled and that could have been the Gruge reason. 3) His skin color was a definite olive color and his eyes were brown. 4) He was always talking about devising a system to beat the system. 5) Deep in debt from divorce 6) Drank burbon and smoked a lot 7) Got his Instructor certification in Skydiving at Issaquah Skysports. Probably knew Cossey. 8) He was very interested in the 727 Aftstairs and I was only in planning of testing the 737 side door airstair. at the time. 9) He was a calm, cool, and collected guy. 10) The FBI had traced him to my address as they were checking out Smoke Jumpers. They then visited him to take DNA swabs and then interviewed him again when the results were negative. The agent remarking Sheridan was a very interesting suspect. So the FBI have contacted him at least three times. 11) Also, Sheridan is about 6 ft 1 inch in height. Bob

Quote 377: The Pilot that Jerry refers to is not trained in how to operate the 727 Aft Airstair but does know how it functions in general. However, the Flight Attendants are trained in how to operate the airstair. They are the ones that do operate the airstair and know the little operating problems and how to cope with them on a daily basis. Cooper could have read the manuals and known as much as a pilot but he needed the Flight Attendant when he could not get possibly the door to open due to slight pressure differential. Bob

377 Tie Tanium (very nice pun) Both Sheridan and myself could have received Ti dust from the shop area when examining parts made in the shop. The machine operator would have not been allowed to wear a tie but Engineers and Aides commonly wore ties in the shop areas. We did have to wear protective glasses in some areas. Bob

Blevins: I believe DB must of had two rolls of ACE bandages in the paper bag so he could wrap his foot and pant leg and beef-up the area that jump boots normally takes care of. Then with the raincoat top flap folded over and buttoned down, he had almost the protection of a smoke jump suit. He had plenty of time in the restroom to do all the above and get ready. I believe he was a military jumper with smoke-jumping ecperience and picked the right chute. Bob