hangdiver

Why are some skydivers such pussies...??? Who the fuck held a gun at their head and made them get on the plane...??? The packer...??? You're jumping out of a god damned airplane... What could possibly go wrong...??? aahh...I dunno... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Where did you get the "dark piercing brown"...??? Do you have a link...??? Here is snowmman's post that quotes Mucklow's and Schaffner's descriptions. I'm pretty sure he got it from the transcripts somewhere...I doubt snowmman made this quote up. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3648502;search_string=med%20to%20dark%20complexion;#3648502 I also read Sluggo's remark about going down rabbit trails... Sluggo quote post #12378 I believe he was talking about looking at Braden... How's that been working out for finding Cooper...??? hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

These attached pictures are just an example of eye color changes in the same subject with different lighting... These photos were all taken within 10 minutes of each other... What color are they...??? What color would they be in a dimly lit aircraft...??? hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

That's really not how to make friends... just go join the fun...never go in...

- got it! Yup, agree. Does lend an interesting twist....that CIA thought/suspected/knew but rivalry and possible egg on their own faces meant they kept quiet... Wheeeeewwww...............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! eta: It sounds so much better when Orange1 says it...!!!...lol hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

This may give you some insight... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/could/ciafbi.html hangdiver If anything that link only confirms that there was no love lost between the agencies and makes it even less likely that the FBI would have kowtowed to the CIA? Hey Orange, all I'm saying is Braden was never on the FBI's list of suspects and the CIA was surely not going to give them his name. IMHO hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

This may give you some insight... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/could/ciafbi.html hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

What doesn't make sense to me about these types of theories is that the FBI spent so much energy trying to track down Cooper. If they knew who he was and had to hide it (if you like a conspiracy theory) why bother? Even if you had to look like you were doing something...it seems they would have gone over the top trying to cover up that they were covering up. Nah, doesn't wash with me. Farflung...is there a reason you left out Paul and Ringo? After all, Paul had.... Wings.... I was really just thinking and posting... I'm not a huge conspiracy fan myself...but I have some friends that have some experience with the alphabet agencies... eta: if there was a conspiracy...the FBI was not in on it...my thoughts are...the CIA is not going to call Hoover and tell him we have your guy...we trained him...arrested him and let him go...now he is running around...jacking airliners and trucks... why wasn't Braden court martialed...???... was that a conspiracy...???... Paul and Ringo are still alive... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

My point in saying who signs the FBI paychecks... The CIA surely wouldn't want the FBI to embarrass them... did I post that...???...or...am I just thinking out loud...???... eta: I'm surprised that Braden didn't die of a heart attack or by some other accident(to clarify...I meant earlier in life)... once in...never out... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Thanks smokin99, I haven't read the book and it's been a while since I've read the transcripts...nice info...current descriptions versus old memories...which would I go with...probably the...then...current info... I kinda figured Cossey either sold or assembled those rigs...just reading what he had to say about them... I've known a rigger or two in my journeys... eta: so Cossey gave them rigs he had already sold to Hayden...and had just repacked and assembled...I wonder if Hayden had ever been in possession of them yet...???... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I've been giving the eye color thing some thought... My eyes will change colors...my daughter had brown eyes all her life...I had lunch with her a couple of weeks ago and noticed her eyes are now green or hazel... She told me her teenage daughter asked her what color her eyes were...she said brown...her daughter laughed and said mom...don't you even know what color your eyes are...my daughter is a little shocked that her eyes are not brown anymore... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

It seems to me that Hayden was an aerobatic pilot that bought some pilot emergency bailout rigs and had Cossey assemble or repack them. Cossey may not remember exactly what they were and may have even sold them to Hayden or was in the process of making the sale at the time of the hijacking. This is all pure speculation...I think Jerry is the guy in the area to go see Cossey and Hayden and he should take a current rigger with him that knows the old gear. Just my two cents... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Jerry, I think we need someone with jump experience to settle this parachute mystery... I know neither Jerry or Bruce...but...a writer, that is not a jumper, investigating parachutes, has never turned out too good in my experience. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

After reading the Ramparts article I have reinforced some of my insights... I already posted that if I had the "mad skills" to do that job I would for sure not dress anything like I knew what I was doing...actually I'd dress the opposite...like Cooper...all business... I've video taped thousands of first time jumpers...having said that...there is no way someone wouldn't be nervous and scared shitless doing that jump...unless you had a death wish or had done it many times before... Were you nervous before your jet jump??? Braden may not be the guy...but...I bet he knew him... The FBI already missed the boat...who signs their paycheck...??? I'm going with a SOG profile...no load master...no none jumper...I am fairly certain Cooper had jump experience and the only place to get the experience to do that jump was where...???...the military or para-military...I think you already know that though... just thinking about Braden right now...if he didn't do that job...don't you think he would have been pissed it wasn't him...???... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

So...are you saying that because of eye color the FBI will not consider a suspect with a different eye color...??? hangdiver Wasn't that their main reason for not bothering to look at Christiansen? I'll go out on a limb here...and say...the FBI is using the wrong criteria to look for Cooper... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

So...are you saying that because of eye color the FBI will not consider a suspect with a different eye color...??? hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

+1 (More proxy coming up when I have a few mins to get it together) +3 hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

That's real sad news 377...my condolences to all... Also...RIP Dan Wheldon... BSBD hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Snow would like this info looked at again... Update from Snow on info posted above I'm happy to pass this on Snow...keep up the "outside the box" thinking... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

What specific records are you referencing...???... If you have a timeline please post it. ETA: also give us the evidence that Duane actually had jump experience. I think no one would be that calm doing that jump without extensive prior experience. just sayin... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

From a request by Snow... All we need to find is that single piece of evidence that connects all the dots...I'm confident we will...sooner or later... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

I don't know if he did or not...my question was "did he?" because I know someone I could track down that used to jump there... if Braden spent time in the bay area he surely new about Calistoga... I don't even know if the time frame would be correct... I'm just trying to find that one piece of the puzzle that opens up the whole picture. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

Your info on Braden is great...my post about trucker tells got Snow thinking and that's dangerous...I'm waiting for an okay to post his thoughts on the tells he has come up with that a trucker might give...very thought provoking...did Braden ever sport jump in northern California...Calistoga...to be precise...??? No one...and I mean no one(ask 377)would be as calm as Cooper doing their first jet jump without the experience of someone like Braden...no one...!!! My dad was 503rd in WW II...first army airborne unit...I'll repost the photos I have of his stuff I have. ETA: that shin strap is a reproduction...I couldn't find the original...but I remember seeing it as a kid...we still have a bunch of stuff to go through so I still might find the original one someday. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

A quote out of the Ramparts article about Braden... "I need work and I don't mean driving somebody's truck" Just thought that quote was interesting...seeing how he(the alleged SOG Braden) was driving trucks later... Did Cooper have any "tells" that a truck driver would do? If I recall correctly...he knew how long it should take to fuel the plane and the truck shuffling he spotted right off...am I recalling correctly...???... hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan

377, if I was Braden with mad skills and well known to those in the biz...I would put on a show as well...to conceal my true skills. I would not bring my own gear...because that would be a tell for sure...I would dress as Cooper did...to look the opposite of what I really was...or the G Men would know in an instant it was me. It also sounds like Braden always wanted the easy dollar...the truck jacking thing is also very interesting that Bruce talks about. I don't have a favorite suspect...but to the Braden of SOG...the Cooper jump was a cakewalk. Melvin Wilson does sound interesting as well...I can't recall...did he have any jumping history? Thanks Snow...I'm still reading that article from Ramparts...fascinating read by the way. hangdiver "Mans got to know his limitations" Harry Callahan