Warbird Information Exchange

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

I'm not so sure that's it.
I believe that by 1971, parachutes had to be nylon and not use any cotton webbing. Cotton deteriorates and the nylon gave people a much better chance of not falling apart over time. A 1946 dated parachute would certainly be constructed with cotton webbing, though it is possible the webbing was replaced with nylon, it is highly unlikely.
My guess is an ex-military chute that was either used during an actual bailout and left in the woods, or it's from a 1946 crash site.
My two cents.

Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Jerry, where are you getting 1946 from, I don't see it in the story?
Some years ago at Oshkosh I was introduced to the First Officer of the plane that Cooper hijacked. He is Bill Radachak?( forgive the spelling) and he wrote a book about the event. He was a Northwest pilot from Minnesota and since I was going to the CAF show at Holman, he flew back to Minneapolis with me, and told me some about the event. They handled it pretty cooly, no swat teams with bullhorns, and nobody got hurt. Bill never saw the hijacker, all communication was through the stewardesses. They gave him four military type chutes, I don't think Cooper made any threats against the flight crew, but that probably kept the FBI from furnishing defective chutes for worry that he might force the crew to jump. I think I read later they put a tracking device in the chute, but I am not sure and never read of any success in tracking Cooper. Bill said he thought Cooper did not survive, but he had no real facts to support that theory. I think he knew exactly what he was doing and pulled it off most likely. Allowing all passengers to get off at the first stop when he got the chutes and the money lowered the threat level and showed he was probably a thief and not just a nut. There have been a number of T V shows on it and seems there were two main suspects, both of which have since died. One was a ex military guy who had a jump school out near Nevada. He seemed likely, but they never got the evidence. There was a copycat thief who did the same thing and pulled it off but was clumsy and caught within days. He was a pilot, and skydiver. These days, with inflation you'd have to ask for than $200k!

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

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Don't touch my junk!!

Bill;
Click on the photo of the close-up with the olive drab canvas and then you can read the photo's caption, which has the 1946 date in it.
Very interesting story on your ride from OSH. Thanks for sharing!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

what was the point of 4 parachutes for 1 hijacker??

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Cooper wanted the authorities to think that he was going to make the crew jump also. So, they wouldn't give him a sabotaged chute. The guy was very smart!!!

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Don't touch my junk!!

Notice the first control wheel...

http://www.angelfire.com/il2/aphs/wheels/wheels.html

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

the black widow is the coolest lookin!

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."

Looks like Jerry nailed it:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344529,00.html

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ATC: "Oscar 2, cleared to engage wildlife at your discretion..."

Can't fool you WIX guys, as Jerry said. A story in USA Today confirms that chute is silk and dated 1946. The four given to Dan Cooper were the more modern nylon type according to the man who packed them back then.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK