Leaderboard

Makes for a good campaign slogan. "Donald Trump: Welfare Queen."

I’m sorry, you must be new here; you posted actual information instead of bluster and posturing. But it’s good information… Wendy P.

A woman in Australia used her EV to power her son's dialysis machine and save his life during a power outage. Reality! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/01/amazing-queensland-mum-uses-electric-car-to-save-sons-life-with-dialysis-during-power-outage

The Spectre, particularly larger ones (I.e. lower wing loading for you) is widely selected for its docile openings. But there are no guarantees; any canopy can spank you. Wendy P.

So random bad-ass DB Cooper is sitting around one day and thinks, "You know what I'd like to do is read me some good ole "'Ladies Home Journal.'" Maybe he's in the doctor's office and there's one there. Maybe he's eating donuts and has an urge. Either way, he secures a copy of the woman's magazine. Being an open-minded 50-year-old in 1971, sort of an OG Wokey, he thinks, "I'm curious to know the plight of 'Wives Who Run Away.'" He reads the article entitled this and is ENTRANCED!! CAPTIVATED!! "THIS IS THE GREATEST ARTICLE I'VE EVER READ!" he thinks. "It reminds me of an article I read 10 years ago that made such an impression on me that I've never forgotten the exact spelling and punctuation of the title! Neither war nor work nor wandering nor woman nor wee ones have shaken my completely accurate memory of this article and its title, which I can replicate down to the hyphen, all these years later. But that article was by the World's Greatest Anonymous Magazine author, whose name is known to me, random person in the world, to be Max Gunther. I wonder who wrote this AMAZING ARTICLE ABOUT WIVES WHO LEAVE FROM THIS WOMAN'S MAGAZINE!!" Imagine random bad-ass Cooper's squeals of glee as he discovers that this amazing article was also by his favorite anonymous magazine writer. He thinks, "You know, I was going to keep this skyjacking to myself since it's a very recent crime that will definitely get me thrown into prison for life. But the heck with it. Someone who writes two articles that I like would never turn me in! This is the guy I will tell my story to! He'll understand me and would never betray me." So this is what he does. He writes a letter that reveals that the anonymous magazine writer has CHANGED HIS WHOLE LIFE, and includes, as the longest paragraph of that letter, a correctly-spelled career retrospective of that writer. Because he knows that if you compliment people they never turn you in for federal crimes. For good measure, he also sends the letter to two other people, just because the world is a trustworthy place and they would never betray him either. Nevermind the whole reason he sent it to Gunther is because of these LIFE-CHANGING ARTICLES. The other guys would probably have changed his life too if they'd ever had the chance. The important thing, if you're a wanted criminal, is to trust everyone and tell your story every chance you get. Also, Cooper is shrewd. Somehow he knows to send his other letters only to people Gunther knows, and somehow he also knows that they'll die before anyone ever asks them about the letters. And he knows that after they die, those letters will never be found. Most good reporters, when handed a blockbuster exclusive about a high-profile crime, never tell anyone about it or do anything about it. What's a career when there are turkey sandwiches to eat and crossword puzzles to do. Then years go by and Cooper's story is related to this trustworthy anonymous magazine writer. And wouldn't you know it. Of all the Coopers in all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, this Cooper turns out not just to have lived in all the places the magazine writer lived, but shared multiple biographical details with that magazine writer. It's fate!! Kismet!! A match made in a doctor's office waiting room. Even the typo in the letter matches the author's wife's name. Insane!! Then, after the story is over--a story that bears no mention of any kind of "accomplice" or "two-man operation" or friend or anything--someone finds a picture of a completely different person at the place our Cooper worked, and figures out what must have happened. It was TWO PEOPLE. Obviously! This is not some guy in the world who looks, as an old man, how the sketched Cooper might be imagined to look. This is obviously THE ACTUAL COOPER, which was apparently a different person than the one who wrote the letters or called the author, and even though this new guy's story doesn't match the biography of the version of Cooper in the book--the one that matches the author's own life details--the only logical conclusion is that the new guy is really Cooper and the whole thing was an elaborate ruse to tell...wait a minute. To tell a whole different story than the real one? But wasn't the whole point supposed to be to get the "real" story out there through an anonymous magazine author that the hijacker trusted and connected with? Nevermind, the point is, LOOK AT THAT PICTURE OF THE NICE OLD MAN IN THE SWEATER. If that's not Cooper, I don't know who is. Or the whole thing could have been the exact thing it looks like, which is fiction written by Gunther. But what are the chances of that??

For those not on Facebook, I posted this. February 1971 Ladies Home Journal mentioned in the first Gunther letter. A very similar story to the one he wrote in True in 1962. I suspect it was this 1971 article that triggered something and maybe made someone remember the 1962 article. For those who are looking for someone who ran away and never came back, this is where it came from. The Gunther letters indicate someone not totally satisfied with middle class suburban life. So to rule someone out who never actually disappeared shows a lack of creative thinking, poor knowledge of the book or having not read it at all, or not understanding Gunther’s previous articles. I had actually made a similar mistake when I first started, but once I was set straight by another researcher, I realized these articles existed. That was a few weeks into my research. Yet there are still people parroting this same angle after years of knowing about these articles. I’ll write more over at DZ. BREAK Some additional thoughts. The anti Gunther and anti Smith team continue to grasp at straws. I’ve heard the term “victimized” used to describe one of Smith’s family members, yet it was a member that is not me who has been posting screen shots with her name. He is using her for his own personal vendetta and I believe she may be too trusting to understand what is going on. This anti Smith team could easily have made contact five years ago when The Oregonian article came out, but they didn’t. They are not in it to help the Smith family, only help themselves. Remember, the Oregonian thought the Gunther connections were pretty good, as do many others. But, I digress. Rather than bury their head in the sand like is happening, I would suggest asking about some of the coincidences in Gunther’s book. Once you take away the hijack and disappearance section, you’re not left with many details. I’d be asking why the following items made it into a book. And contrary to statements made by biased, uninformed and low level thinkers, not everyone’s life can be made to fit this book. Also, in 1982 there were just not ways to cross check this info like we have now. In 1982 we only just got hold of the 1910 census. No Facebook no military records etc. like we have now. So. How do these items make it into the book and family does not wonder what is going on? Dan Clair’s son saw the connections. He’s a bright guy. A connection to NYC through post marks and knowing the phone booth at the Pan Am Building. Wife’s birthday of March 2. Born in Canada goes to Newark joins Army Gets a camera as a gift as a kid and his hobby is taking pics at his high school. **This one should give Smith’s family pause. A family property by a small lake. How many families can say their father and mother’s families had lake property on the same lake? A family member who goes on a long trip overseas. A scar on his hand, enough to note it. Again, Smith’s family should think. Someone in their life named Paul Cotton. Not too many in the US in the 1920s-40s. Yet one lived in Bloomfield, NJ. Oh, and a Clara named hospital right near Smiths’s house. Most suspects are ruled out quickly by age, or looks, or a number of other things. When this doesn’t happen, it’s time to maybe sit and think that maybe there is more going on. Maybe it’s denial, maybe it’s more, maybe some people will begin to think on their own and not be manipulated by a couple Cooperites with their own vendettas. A few of us have offered to do all of this behind the scenes and keep quiet, but I wonder now if that time has passed. Threats, veiled threats, and attempting to cost someone their job and career are quite over the line. Someone out there was DB Cooper.

Trying to close out Height so if I missed something please kick in a reference. I welcome any critiques. Previous Height REF- DZ post #62990 https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/56036-db-cooper/?do=findComment&comment=5024687 Previous Height Update REF- DZ post #63008 https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/56036-db-cooper/?do=findComment&comment=5024826 Sorry for the long post but just trying to be exhaustive on height.. Height Update Final Verified Standing Observations: Flo - 6'0 in her interview Flo - 6'1 cockpit notes and in the teletype at 3:54 Tina - 5'10 - 6' first Interview Reno Tina - 6' second interview Philly Hal Williams - Gate agent - 6'1+ Denis Lysne - ticket agent - 5'10 or 5’11 Nancy House - No recorded statement of height Likely Standing Observation : Alice - 6'1 Verified Seated Observations: Bill Mitchell - 5'9 to 5'10 Robert Gregory - 5'9 Labissoniere - 5'10 Cord Spreckel - 5'10 Ckret- 5'10 to 6'1 Overall take on height : Cooper’s Height is clearly segmented. With the exception of Denis Lynse, those that observed Cooper standing put him at 6' - 6’1. Tina in her initial Reno interview provided a range of 5’10-6' but ultimately provided no range just a flat 6' in her final Philly interview. Hal, Flo and Alice all at one time put Cooper at 6’1. Flo revised her initial reported 6’1 in her notes lowering him to 6ft from her SEA- TAC interview. Flow and Alice’s estimates of height were in all likelihood provided within 1 hour of being in Coopers presence. Where Tina's initial recall on height was provided more than 3+ hours after last contact. Those that observed Cooper seated place him at roughly 5’10. Robert Gregory the only witness whom put him on the low side of 5’9 noted that he observed Cooper in a posture of being sunk-down in his seat, slouched. Bill Mitchell whom provided a range of 5’9-5’10 predominantly observed Cooper from the vantage of looking across one empty seat, an isle, and past Tina to see Cooper seated in the middle seat. There is nothing that indicates Bill observed Cooper other than form a seated position. Both Robert Gregory and Labissoniere observed Cooper while they went to the lavatory. Estimated Duration and Quality of Observation Hal Williams – 5 to 35+ minutes between 2:05- 2:40+ – Observation was people watching. This is almost exclusively an observation. This appears to be an idle moment where Hal was not occupied with servicing customers. Standing by the gate Hal is observing the passengers to pass the time, “people watching”. His full attention appears to have been on Cooper as he singled Cooper out from the crowd specifically for his dress and for his demeaner. This means Hal established a base line observation of the crowd and isolated Cooper by his attire and by his behavior relative to the crowd. Possibly of all the witnesses, Hal’s observation on Cooper’s height was the longest. We do not know how much time Hal himself was at the gate nor do we know how much time Cooper was at the gate. The perspective of Hal’s observation was relative to others and without a scale distortion from inside the cabin. There was potentially an observation relative to Himself as Cooper exited the gate area at boarding, or handed Hal his ticket to rip out a stub. Denis Lynse – 2-5 minutes. Observation was a service interaction. Sometime after 2pm and likely concluding within 3-5 minutes. Denis has a perspective relative to oneself at a distance of 2-3 ft form behind a ticket counter. The position of a ticket agent is about service and thru put. You process passengers and collect fares. There was a “Long line” noted as having formed prior to this interaction with Cooper. Lynse in qualifying a Long line in his statement was likely running behind and very expeditious in handling Cooper. As lines build there is a natural urgency to process individuals quicker. This interaction began with a greeting, Cooper stating destination, Denis asking is that one way or round trip, Any bags, your name, that’ll be $20, Cooper reaching into pocket- billfold and providing exact change, one of them filling out the Ticket name, adding Dan Cooper to a flight manifest, print/stamp /issue the ticket, concluding with Denis directing the passenger to the gate. I think it is safe to presume that under normal conditions this interaction could have been accomplished well under 5 minutes and under rushed conditions likely between 2-3 minutes. This was not as much of an observation as it was an ordinary customer interaction. Flo 1 – 5+ minutes - Observation was a Greeting, conversation & fitting harness. Flo’s perspective was on the tarmac - in the open, upon approach and relative to oneself. Greeting of 2 -10+ seconds @ boarding Asking questions while putting on Harness/parachute maybe within the 2 -5+ minute range Cooper was putting on the parachute in front of Flo and likely in front of Alice. Flo may have been asking him questions about his final destination and if the girls were going with him or could get off. This conversation may have occurred while he was putting on the harness for the chute which may be why she indicates his attention dropped from her questioning. Also there are several moments where Cooper may have been standing in her presence. When she observed him acting child like, when he told Flo to pick up the ransom, when he reached into his pocket and tried to hand flow a tip. After he had put on the harness and back parachute he likely did not take a seat immediately. Tina 1- 3+ minutes, she observed Coops standing 3 times minimum. 1) In her initial statement Tina said she only saw him stand when he went to the lavatory. It’s possible she was sitting next to him, isle seat, and had to get up to let him out for his trip to the lavatory. 2) In her second interview she stated that they both went to the airstairs control panel at takeoff. Standing next to him Tina gave him instructions and they both took their seats. 3) Last observation was seeing him “standing in the isle” as she drew the curtain and pleaded with him to take the bomb or disarm it. Although this is at a distance and presumed under dim lighting conditions. There are also moments of Tinas interaction which have enough movement to be interpreted as not likely being conducted form a seated position. Wrapping the bank bag, cutting up the parachute, inspecting the 4 chutes, there is quite a bit of movement in these actions. It is hard to imagine removing a parachute and paracord from a container without standing up. further it is hard to imagine wrapping 14 feet of paracord around a bag top to bottom side to side, form a seated position. I personally have an image of him kneeling in the isle to cannibalize these shroud lines with his pocket knife. But that’s my imagination. Tina may have seen him stand during these actions. Also his isle became quite crowded as Tina brought him more stuff, his Case, a harness, 4 parachutes ,the ransom, an unpacked parachute. It’s natural to think that he may have stood up spread these items out a bit and organize himself infront of Flo or Tina. The unpacked parachute came to rest draped over Row 17 across the isle and one row up form 18E which Cooper occupied. A Back type parachute came to rest across the isle in seat 18B. there is no question Cooper stood to move these items but when during Tina’s presence or after she went to the Cabin. I also imagine, that after the harness and back parachute were on Cooper may have stood for a while or that he would have changed his posture and sat more upright on the edge of the seat rather than relaxing with the back chute on against the seat back. This changes the way in which Tina would observe his posture from being slouched to upright. Alice’s Observation may have been close to what Flo observed 1-5+ min If Flo’s interview is sequential then Alice may have been present for Florence’s questioning of Cooper on destination and if the stewardesses were going /could exit. Like Flo, Alice may have observed Cooper standing while putting on the parachute. Seated Observations – Bill Mitchell – Observation intermittent over nearly the entire duration of the flight Observation was looking across an isle and past Tina. He was not suspicious of Cooper but took an interest in him. Bill himself may have only observed Cooper while he himself was seated. Mitchell is 6’2” – 220lbs and noted that Cooper seemed smaller than him that he felt he could have yanked him out of his seat if he wanted. Cooper had a medium build. Robert Gregory 1-2 minutes Observed of Cooper in passing as he went to the lavatory. Had one hard look at him when deplaning at distance of 4+ rows. Noted Cooper appeared to be a short individual but that his posture was slouched down in seat. Labissoniere 2-5 minutes Observed Cooper in passing several as he went to the lavatory. He was blocked once coming out to the lavatory and observed an interaction between Tina, the Cowboy and Cooper. Took notice of Cooper. He is reported as having some suspicion of Cooper. Cord Spreckle – 2-4 minutes. Observed Cooper from where he was seated which was the left of the plane two rows from the rear. May have further observed Cooper when he moved seats forward while circling SEA-TAC. 10 minutes after takeoff he thought there was a problem. He indicated some suspicion in seeing Tina on the phone constantly. My take on height is still that Cooper's range is 5'11-6'1, my sweet spot is that he was 6ft. I have significantly greater confidence in those witnesses that observed him standing vs seated estimates of his height. Hal seems to have had the best observation with Flo placing second followed by Alice or Tina, IMO.

That may not be possible. 312 lbs plus the weight of the needed gear is considerably higher than any currently manufactured sport reserve canopies are rated for. It would require a tandem rig converted to single person use. Skydiving is not for everyone.