Here's a question worth pondering:
What was Cooper's Plan A?
After all, it seems apparent that Cooper had to improvise quite a bit and that his original plan called for jumping near Seattle. Therefore, if he had executed his plan flawlessly, what would that have looked like? More importantly, what does that tell us about him?
Cheers!
Since very few actual facts are known, let’s debate your opinion that Cooper’s original plan called for jumping near Seattle. I find that to be an interesting theory but I don’t see it any more logical or likely than many other’s theories.
Since you like to debate, let’s hear your theory of why you think it was apparent that his original plan was to jump near Seattle !
Kermit, in the now 11 years that I have been on the Cooper thread on DropZone and Shutter's thread, everyone who has examined the evidence seems to have come to the conclusion that Cooper planned to jump as soon as possible after take off and that would be near Seattle.
Since the evidence and Cooper's actions supporting a jump near Seattle have been discussed at length both here and on DZ, there is no reason to post them here again. All you have to do is read the posts for yourself.
The jump near Seattle idea is not something that popped up last week. And we don't have to "debate" everything again for each new poster that turns up on these threads. Just read the posts.
Robert: Who is everyone? I've examined the evidence and I believe he jumped pretty much where he wanted to. I also believe that he was surprised he got as far as he did in the heist, but that he still had a general plan as to where to jump.
I acknowledge at one time I believed he likely wanted to jump as soon as possible, but with the questions still around as to if he wanted the stairs down for takeoff, and if in fact he wanted them down, was it because he wanted an early jump, or was it for a different reason?
I could argue that he wanted to jump soon after takeoff, but I could also argue that he jumped where he wanted.
The one sticky point on jumping after takeoff is "Where does he land?" Does he land in the city limits (he is south of the city, but it is still the city)? On concrete, on a busy road, near a factory, near a rail yard, on top of an apartment building? Where do you think he planned to land?
Cooper chose and put on a chute as soon as chutes were brought on board. He then issued a brand new list of demands conveyed through Tina to the cockpit which required discussion and resolution. In that confusion he also complained the fueling was taking too long and the knapsack had not been provided so ... he tried to fabricate a container for the money he could tie to his chute or himself ... all the while negotiating the stews leaving and getting the rear door open and stairs down. Long passage of time required. Sun and Moon going down!
If he had intended or needed to jump 'near Seattle' all he had to do was
bypass HIS new list of demands, put on a chute, get passengers off the plane, skip refueling, get the rear hole opened, get airborne, and jump! The plane landed with enough fuel to get back airborne immediately as soon as chutes were delivered, if that is what Cooper wanted and intended.
Cooper did none of that because he never intended to jump 'near Seattle'!
Jumping near Seattle is as "jumping near Seattle" DOES! Cooper's plan and intentions are clearly demonstrated by WHAT HE DID! And in the order he did it. Cooper had a straight path to landing and getting back in the air quickly and jumping near Seattle if that's what he wanted. He did the exact opposite.
Larry Carr's assumption was that Cooper was an idiot and had no control over events. Cooper was not an idiot and he did exactly what he originally wanted to do in the order he wanted to do it in (his original plan) - he consumed time and allowed time to pass! - which he could have avoided completely if he had wanted to get back airborne and jump near Seattle!
Knowledge/plan = Performance. Those are the well tested principles of Psychology & Testing refined over 100 years of psychological testing. Everything else people propose is bullshit.