I've read one or two media reports stating that Cooper rejected military chutes from McChord, however, I have never read anything official concerning such an event. To the contrary, everything I've read in the FBI files seems pretty straightforward and suggests that the only chutes delivered came from Issaquah and Hayden.

Where is there anything credible that shows DBC actually rejected McChord rigs? This strikes me as another "The dummy reserve was marked with a red X" story.

I'm trying to imagine I'm Cooper, and I'm planning the whole operation.  I expect to demand parachutes to arrive at SEATAC.  What am I thinking?  It's 1971, not 1991, so even some of the civilian rigs are likely not truly "civilian" or "sport" in that they are likely combinations of a military backpack, with civilian chute, or the other way around. Or, the chutes are military, but modified for civilian use.  377 and others-am I seeing this how it was?

So what does Cooper think he will get?
1.  A full civilian rig.  Container and canopy are both sport models.
2.  A military rig, of these possible configurations:
 a. Static line for paratroopers (Did Fort Lewis have airborne troops then?)
 b. Bail out rig for a jet pilot (not ideal for a regular jump, how do you even pull the ripcord on this?)
 c. Bail out rig for an air crew (what planes were at McChord at the time that would have these?)
 d. A reserve chute for a static jump or bail out.

My question is this: What did Cooper think he would get? Experience or no experience, he may not have known what he was getting.  How do you mitigate the risk on this? Do you ask for a couple sets just so you can pick? I've read and been told that some air crews would plan on using a reserve type chute to bail out.  They would fly with a harness already on, and then quickly attach the reserve chute versus trying to put on a backpack chute.  I've read that Cooper wanted D rings on the chutes.

Cooper got what he reportedly asked for but it obviously wasn't what he thought he was asking for.  The only thing he could have expected, based on what he is said to have ask for, is an ex-military emergency back pack and a reserve chest pack.  Both of those would have been WW2 surplus equipment and not modified to be steerable.

The first "sport" chute to gain a following was apparently the ParaCommander which appeared in the mid-1960s and was quite expensive relative to the military surplus modified equipment.  If my memory is correct, a complete ParaCommander rig (backpack plus front reserve) cost about $800 in the mid-1960s compared to probably less than $100 for a complete military surplus modified rig.  In todays dollars, that translates into about $5000 for the Paracommander rig.  I think someone donated ParaCommanders to the US National Skydiving Team so they could use them in a World Competiton. 

Emergency parachutes for jet aircraft usually have ripcords, but I personally know of probable exceptions for a couple of research/experimental aircraft programs.  The exception was for an ejection seat that had the parachute mounted on the side of the ejection seat.  There was no over-the-side capability for this seat.  If the ejection seat didn't fire, then the pilot was coming down with the aircraft.  I am aware of this seat being used four times in research aircraft with two fatalities and two saves.  The saves bordered on the miraculous as they were a dual ejection from a research aircraft that was upside down, wings level, and 395 feet above ground level as measured by a theodolite.

Quick attach chest type parachutes were used mainly in WW2 for crew members who were in confined work areas or maybe other reasons.  They crew member wore the harness and the parachute pack itself was mounted near their work station so that they had immediate access to it.

Based on the way Cooper handled the parachute matter, I am personally convinced that he was not a jumper but probably had some experience wearing a parachute as an aircraft crew member.

I've read one or two media reports stating that Cooper rejected military chutes from McChord, however, I have never read anything official concerning such an event. To the contrary, everything I've read in the FBI files seems pretty straightforward and suggests that the only chutes delivered came from Issaquah and Hayden.

Where is there anything credible that shows DBC actually rejected McChord rigs? This strikes me as another "The dummy reserve was marked with a red X" story.

Apologies if I misunderstood the post, Nicky. Believed you were referring to his choice once the chutes were delivered.

Yeah, I recall reading that, but chalked it up to "I wouldn't want the military involved in any way, either."

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I've read one or two media reports stating that Cooper rejected military chutes from McChord, however, I have never read anything official concerning such an event. To the contrary, everything I've read in the FBI files seems pretty straightforward and suggests that the only chutes delivered came from Issaquah and Hayden.

Where is there anything credible that shows DBC actually rejected McChord rigs? This strikes me as another "The dummy reserve was marked with a red X" story.

Apologies if I misunderstood the post, Nicky. Believed you were referring to his choice once the chutes were delivered.

Yeah, I recall reading that, but chalked it up to "I wouldn't want the military involved in any way, either."

Yeah it could have also been that requesting Civilian chutes would of insured that they had manually operated rip cords and not static line chutes.

... My wife's mother thinks he was abducted by aliens. I can't say that anyone else shares that opinion though. A sad story nonetheless.

Now we're talking! I've been abducted by Aliens, but I came back. Lucky me, I guess. Hope this kid shows up someday.

More specifically, I had thought for over 30 years that my lucid drams about being abducted were real. Now, I think they were something else. My current understanding is that they were a kind of "Wake-Up Call" from beings who are like Jesus, Buddha, Ramtha, etc. - Beings From Elsewhere (BFEs) who help humans become greater than what they have been. Expand one's mind. See a bigger picture. Get out of our socially conditioned smaller view of reality.

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I have thought for awhile that the dummy reserve did not have an "X" or "red X" painted on it. In fact, I have never seen anything official that mentions anything about any type of X on the dummy reserve. Yet it is widely accepted that an X was on the canister of the dummy reserve and the DBC was a fool for not noticing--not to mention Emerick also not noticing.

I don't know whether it had a red X or not, but standard protocol at any parachute school would be that any dummy training device would be clearly marked, for obvious reasons. I remember printed labels saying 'training device' or 'do not jump' that would be sewn on. It should also have been kept in the training area, nowhere near the actual rigs. How that got sent is certainly a good question. One possibility that I've considered is that Emerick sent it on purpose. When he was asked for parachutes for a hijacker, he would have had no idea about 'Cooper' or the saga that it would become. In those days there were a fair amount of politically motivated hijackings done by terrorist types. So he may have given that training dummy because it's the cheapest thing he's got, and who cares if the guy goes in. "Take me to Havana? Here's your Havana."

So Emerick was a serial murderer ?

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... My wife's mother thinks he was abducted by aliens. I can't say that anyone else shares that opinion though. A sad story nonetheless.

Now we're talking! I've been abducted by Aliens, but I came back. Lucky me, I guess. Hope this kid shows up someday.

More specifically, I had thought for over 30 years that my lucid drams about being abducted were real. Now, I think they were something else. My current understanding is that they were a kind of "Wake-Up Call" from beings who are like Jesus, Buddha, Ramtha, etc. - Beings From Elsewhere (BFEs) who help humans become greater than what they have been. Expand one's mind. See a bigger picture. Get out of our socially conditioned smaller view of reality.

Bruce, I hope that you got a good nights sleep and returned successfully from Elsewhere.  Have they heard of D.B. Cooper in Elsewhere?