hangdiver

As always...Farflung...keeping the train on the tracks... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Hey Bruce...very nice writeup on Petey...I haven't had much time lately for Cooper...well...for many reasons...one...it's summer in Nor Cal in January!!! Nothing like a January tan!!! Check back later... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Happy Holidays to all here on DZ and to those who celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah or whatever it is you celebrate this time of year. I personally celebrate the Winter Solstice as I'm glad the days are getting longer. I'm still in the process of moving to my ranch...known as the Xranch...it's been 10 years since I've lived here and feels good to be back. I don't have much time right now for Cooper Sleuthing but I will soon after I'm settled in. Here's the sunrise on my 59th birthday the other day over the Xranch... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

ATT decided to hook me up...after I made calls to the north western supervisor...whew!!! Watcha doin up so early/late??? eta: guess I missed the Marla show... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

How did you know...???...I drive 3 wide and pass on the outside... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Thanks 377...and...yeah, had one for a number of years. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Well...sittin here in Cottage Grove...pondering the FBI...I realize the world of Cooper has had a hiccup as I sat in Terwilleger Springs hot pool Wednesday afternoon. I was incommunicado with the wired www for a couple of glorious days. I made some connections that I would never had made if it wasn't for raspberrymoon dragging me kicking and screaming into the woods of Oregon. We got an invite to China along with some very interesting business connections...I'm a bit of an inventor and have been looking for a China connection...the Universe works in mysterious ways... Thanks again Geoff for the wonderful time and Donna for completing the experience...Raz and I enjoyed meeting everyone and you all know who you are...thanks for taking the time to talk with us...it was a special time for both Raz and I...it will never be forgotten...sorry georger...I'm feeling a bit nostalgic this morning...I hope you won't take offense...I really missed georger, snowmman, Sluggo, Amazon and had a chance to meet you Robert B. but obviously missed it. My shop is nothing like Hayden's shop...and...I'm in the middle of moving it but had to make it to the Cooper Symposium...I'm really not looking forward to going back to my reality...moving...but can't be on the road forever...damn...!!! pic attached of me working in my old shop...don't laugh...!!!...okay...have a laugh... I just had to include the Arizona plate they gave me in the 90's...my friends all said..."how did you get that plate and how much did it cost?" I said..."I dunno...just went and registered my truck and paid the fee." They said "did you even read what the plate said?" I was like "no...I just screwed it on and drove back to the DZ" The plate should be self explanatory... Well it's just about time to hit the road...I don't know when I'll have another chance to post...I'm supposed to have DSL at my new place but already spent three days on it before the trip and still nothing... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I think the "spot" is the most important...I could name off my other priorities...like a knife...a light to "check canopy"...that's what the knife is for...a bit of in air rigging if required. I hope the Universe gives you some relief from the day to day shit...I know I'm in the middle of a life direction change myself...sorry to here about your wife... I have an open mind about the Cooper Caper and will consider any and all suspects...but they have to pass the logic test. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Hey 377, Raz. here, was wondering if ya really liked my company or if you just want my shirt? !! Please tell your lovely better-half I truly enjoyed our brief conversation Sat. evening. Hope we can all get together again soon on home turf. Blue Skies, Raz "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Thanks georger...we all need a refresher from time to time...I know I don't have a photographic memory...isn't that what google is for...???... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I do as well...as much as you(Blevins)irritate me online...I'm sure you're a great person and a good guy in person...but you know you have the "Cooper Curse" like the rest of us...the first part of recovery is to stop the denial... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I totally agree DDan...the Army Airborne don't get steerable chutes...last I knew...for some of the same reasons...my son has says he has jumped so low he hit the ground before being able to release his rucksack on the lanyard. A steerable canopy on Cooper's jump was definitely a disadvantage...as long as you were confident with your spot...if ya know what I mean...there is a shitload of water around the alleged DZ...ya know jumpers...we'll land on anything...even if it's the only power pole around...I know the odds are against that...but where there's a chance...it happens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6_1tpF79lI ya she was a student...but us jumpers have seen it...time after time...steerable can kill you...ahh...isn't that how we're doing it now...dying under fully inflated, functional canopies...???...couldn't do that with a non-steerable round. One of my flight instructors told me this..."if you have a forced off field landing at night...turn your landing light on...if you don't like what you see...turn it off!!!" that's probably better than a stall/spin... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I'm wondering the same thing...what aircraft did they hear??? I haven't forgotten 377...and yes it is a possibility. Now I just need to get back home...of course the long way...ha ha... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Today raspberrymoon and I went cruising in the local area to check out where Cooper may have landed. We started out in Woodland and cruised East on 503 which loops around Lake Merwin to Amboy...then took NE Cedar Creek Road back to Woodland. We stopped at the Ariel Tavern for lunch but they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays...but we did talk to Jack who said he was Donna's son. Saturday night I was at the bar...as all real skydivers should be...raspberrymoon and I stalked the stools at the end of the bar until we could swoop the two end stools. I really just needed somewhere to sit down, rest my knee, talk over the day with Raz and have a cold Rainier. I met a woman at the bar who related a story to me about the night of the Cooper hijacking. She remembers that night well...her father was out hunting while her and her mother were scrubbing the kitchen floor listening to the radio. While scrubbing the floor they heard a jet fly over and apparently didn't think much about it until some time later when they heard on the radio that there had been a hijacking. Now...I'm just relating this story and have absolutely no proof whatsoever that this event actually happened...but it peaked my interest. I asked Jack(who by the way, Raz recognized from a TV interview)if he knew the woman I had spoken with and he told me he did. I also asked Jack if he had heard an airplane that night...his answer was no...but his mother who was in Amboy had heard one. I asked him if he thought his mother and the woman from the bar could have heard the same aircraft...his answer was yes...the woman's house was right inline with where both people described hearing the plane that night. During the conversation with the woman I met at the bar, I asked her if she had ever heard a jet fly over the house before or after the night of the hijacking...her answer was no...she had never heard one before or after...like the one they heard that night. We also stopped at Speelyai Bay Recreation Area to get a feel for the surrounding terrain and I was really struck with how much water there is in this vicinity. Raz and I continued on to Amboy to find a place to eat lunch...well if you've ever been to Amboy...the place to eat is Nick's Bar and Grill. The woman that waited on us was quite eager to tell us her thoughts on Cooper as was another gentleman who Raz talked to. The woman remembers a helicopter landing in her pasture scaring her animals with the occupants asking her where they were...she thinks it's kinda funny now and wonders how competent the FBI and searchers actually were. The gentleman Raz talked to remembers the FBI shutting the Grist Mill down for three days looking for Cooper. We didn't find Cooper but got a good feel for the alleged DZ. I'm still digesting all that I've learned on this trip but realize how hard it would be to find a "no pull" in this terrain and even a parachute. To the East of Amboy and Lake Merwin the terrain gets much more rugged, just as Jerry describes...I took some photo's of what the area looks like and still need time to look at them all but saw many logging roads crisscrossing the mountains. I'm not convinced Cooper survived...but if he pulled and didn't land in the water I'm pretty sure he could have survived...oh...all the locals I spoke with today...hoped he survived...just for the record. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Thanks for the kind words 377... and... wish me luck... raspberrymoon thanks you as well...together we three achieved a dream of starting our own Drop Zone in 1993...many mistakes were made but today we still all care a great deal about each other. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

georger...I'm still sitting in my room in Woodland, Wa. I have an excursion planned today to check out some clues about the flight path that I will post later. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Yep..."raspberrymoon" and I attended the Cooper Symposium...what an adventure to get there. We didn't know if either one of us were going until the last minute...we both had issues we needed to resolve before we could leave. We drove up from Nor Cal on Wednesday and planned to enjoy Terwilliger hot springs on Thanksgiving day...well that didn't happen. We got to Cougar Dam late Wednesday night and just crashed in the back of the VUE. When we woke up Thanksgiving day raspberrymoon took us to one of her favorite camping spots on the lake...I did ask her if she thought we would be able to drive out and she advised me she had been down this 300' downhill road many times ...even in the snow and always got out... Well it rained all day Thursday...by the time we were ready to drive out to the hot spring for a soak the road out was impassable with the 2 wheel drive VUE...three tries by her and two by me...after that the road was a mess to say the least...so we drank and partied in the rain...wondering how long we would be there before we would be able to get out. Thankfully the rain stopped early Friday morning. I got up at the crack of ridiculous, started a fire with dry oak wine barrel staves, made some coffee and pondered our dilemma. When the low clouds cleared we could see fresh snow on the peaks surrounding us...the ducks and ravens were having a great time after the storm...the views were spectacular!!! After finding out the cables for the tires were three sizes too small I realized I would need to rebuild the road if we had any chance to get out...five hours later the road was fixed to my satisfaction...done with a finish hammer and a folding shovel...I was trashed...not to mention having a couple of conversations with Raz(code for arguing)about how and why we weren't going to make it to the Cooper Symposium. When we finally got out we both needed a soak so we stopped in at Terwilliger hot springs for about an hour of oh so nice soaking in the wonderful pools after a concert on guitar from "Eppie" the caretaker. We finally arrived in Portland around 10:00pm and got in our room around 12:00am...yes we were late and missed 377's presentation. to be continued... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I know how to use a search function...about 30 seconds... eta: I climb ladders to base jump...when I really want to get altitude I ride turbines... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Bold by hangdiver post#22608 Feb 24, 2011 Poor, poor Blevins...you are on DZ...I doubt anyone wants to be you...I will just say...wuffo...and I mean that in a nice way...but a wuffo of life as well... poor, poor, underachiever...better start building a taller ladder... hangdiver I really hate having to quote myself...NOT...!!! hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I've been the first to jump a bounced rig...I won't mention his name...it was a no pull due to being knocked unconscious in freefall...I was his friend and his best friend selling the rig wanted it jumped at least once before selling it. That Stiletto 150 opened sweet and flew nice...I had a little conversation with my friend who had died in the rig...it was a good feeling...all things considered. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Bryan has always had sage advice...he's given some to me that's saved my life. The problem is...we all think we're not that "guy" or "gal"...just ask Sangi... Addendum to Murphy's Law...if you figure for every scenario...there will inevitably be at least one more you didn't think of... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Now that's funny...any Skydiver worth his Wings knows what a "Skydivers Drug Test" is...ha...ha... PS: CC you're on p1147...you can calculate @25 posts per page unless you change settings... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Thanks Jerry for the info...will you be giving a presentation on Wilson? I have the same question as 377...did Wilson have any jump history...???...or is that info being saved for the Symposium and the Show? hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4204201;search_string=braden;#4204201 Just thought I'd quote myself... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I do believe there are a few in the 300mph club...it's no easy task...ask Bryan Burke...he knows...and I would guess Amazon as well... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan