Breaking News - 727 Hi-Jacked !!

[Jetranger]

Breaking News Bullitin :

A Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 Jetliner has been Hi Jacked, the Hi-Jacker demanding $200,000 dollars and 3 parachutes !

The year was November 24th 1971

Suspect identified as a DB Cooper.

Thank You for watching !

Sincerely, DBC.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKYPr80lAs

[Jetranger]

More interesting info about the DB Cooper Saga

http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/NWA305-DBCooper.htm

http://aerotoons.com/blog/2013/10/

[Hawkeye07]

As a side note to this thread....I started as an A&P Mechanic at Northwest Airlines in 1992. I was assigned to perform maintenance inspections and repairs on the B727-200's in the NWA fleet.
(Now the interesting part) On the structure of the airstairs opening was what looked like a 6" metal bar with a small paddle attached to it at a right angle. It was spring loaded so that in flight the bar would be forced by the airstream and paddle to reposition itself over the airstairs and thereby prevent the airstairs from opening while airborne. This mechanism was installed as a prevention against D.B.Cooper copycats. It was appropiately named "The Cooper Lock"

[Jetranger]

I Heard, (Rumors), that DB Cooper, the Famous Hi Jacker, yet to be seen or heard from since 1971, is filing a Law Suit to have those bars removed from those 727 Jetliners and also in a separate lawsuit, for Using his name as reference to those bars , the Cooper Lock bar or whatever.

but then again,, ya know how rumors are

Kinda bout' 40 years too late, since you'd have a hard time even trying to find a commercial passenger 727 Jet flying now days, at least not in the USA anyways.

I don't think DB Cooper ever jumped out of that plane, personally,,,

I'll bet he took some money and a parachute, and threw it out the back, to make it look like he jumped out of that 727.

Then switched clothes, and walked right by all those FBI Agents and cops at the airport, and that's why his body has never ever been found, just some loot, found in 1980 by an 8 year old kid.

Walked right off that plane, and right by all those law enforcement agents, smiling from ear to ear, thinking you dumb idiots, you really think I'd jump out of an airplane in the dark, in a storm at 10,000 feet ??

What ya think I am, Stupid !!

The Blind, leadin the Blind !

Well, somebody fell for the BS Charade !

Makes for good Folklore tho !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKYPr80lAs

[Hawkeye07]

Jetranger, your 40 years comment might be a tad premature... by about 30 years. NWA retired it's last B727 in June of 2003. Delta retired it's last '27 in April of 2003.

[PhantomTweak]

Just a couple of 727 asides:

1) My father, a UAL pilot for many many years out of SFO, and one of the investigative team for the UAL DC-10 that crashed into the corn outside KC, Mo. (saw him on the news that night getting off an aircraft at the airport involved in the crash), never did like flying the 727, especially in a crosswind landing. He said, altho I've never simmed it, that they get all kinds of squirrley (his words!) during crosswind landings. By the same token, most of his early carreer and training were in the Stretch 8's (DC8-62 and -63's) where he had the yaw authority of the #'s 1 and 4 (the two outboard engines) at his disposal for crosswind landings, which the 727 obviously lacks. His major complaint was that just a little corsswind got under that big tall horizontal stab and the aircraft became.....interesting....to fly. Differential thrust for the win! By the way, you haven't LIVED till you've been in a DC-8-63 at miidnight 1/2 way to Hawaii, cloudless, moonless, no real horizion per se, just a slightly darker area below and stars above, when you see the stars are now BELOW , then back above again!! Turns out the -63 barrell rolls for a treat! But dad could get flashbacks to his Navy days at times....Try landing a minipig (737), that's full of passengers and just filled up at SFO, at Portland and making the taxiway without backtaxiing! Makes for some....heavy braking!

And 2) I am resposible for a major shake up of the UAL flight crew training regime: When I was probably 13 or 14 during one of our annual Hawaiian vacations, I pointed out something that none of the crew, nor the maintennance types around knew about. To wit: Centered in the cabin ceiling, about 1/2 way down what was then called the coach cabin of 727's, was a small, red, mushroom shaped pull switch. No one I asked, from Stewardesses to Captains, including the then utilized flight engineers, had any idea WHAT it was or what it did! My theory was that in the event of a ditching, they could pull the little red switch, and the plane would split down the roof and inflate liferafts from the ceiling areas, thus ensuring the maximum survival chances of all the passengers. Unlikely, I realize, but at the time no one could tell me any different either! Never did get an answer to that one that I can recall either.... odd....

Anywhow, there's my 2 cents worth on 727s!

Have fun all!

Pat~