Robert H. Edwards's Blog: Great 20th century mysteries, page 8

I received this review of D. B. Cooper and Flight 305 from the chairman of the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame:

"I have to hand it to you for the total amount of research you did and your very analytical theories. ... Schiffer did a beautiful job on the book too.

Owen "Lee" Gossett, a former Air America pilot and since 2011, a member of the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor, reviewed "D. B. Cooper and Flight 305" on amazon:

"5 stars - amazing amount of research and detail in this book.
I personally know all the Air America kickers [air freight specialists] that participated in the trial parachute jump out of the Boeing 727 in Thailand [in 1968]. It could be done and it had been done."
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...

Owen Gossett worked as a smokejumper for six seasons with the US Forest Service. In the early 1960s he worked as an air freight specialist with Air America in Laos, followed by a second stint with Air America starting 1966, flying out of Vietnam and Laos.

Gene Rhea Tucker reviewed "D. B. Cooper and Flight 305" on Amazon:

5 stars ... "An excellent, scientific, and thorough account of the skyjacking, without any zany crackpottery ... This is the book on the skyjacking I have been hoping for ..."

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...

Robert Blevins, of Adventure Books of Seattle, kindly endorsed "D. B. Cooper and Flight 305":

" ... the most well-researched book so far on D.B. Cooper"

https://thedbcooperhijacking.wordpres...

Dobs reviewed "D. B. Cooper and Flight 305" on amazon UK:

"Forensic Analysis
... a microscopic analysis of one of the most intriguing events of modern times, a hijacking and disappearance that has never been resolved.
... 45 years on[,] the FBI gave up; the author suggests they should not have done so because he considers they were looking in the wrong place. As for Mr 'Cooper,' did he survive the jump from the plane, or did he not?
This book is a classic."

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-...

Titus Nelson, author of "Las Vegas Insider's Guide", reviewed "D. B. Cooper and Flight 305":

"D.B. Cooper and Flight 305 by Robert H. Edwards is one of the most complete books on the subject focusing on data not speculation. ... There are enough books filled with speculation, so this one is a breath of fresh air. I easily fell into the character of an FBI agent trying to solve this incredible hijacking.
... This book is a must for anyone looking for the lost money or parachute hardware. It will be easy to use the statistics and increase probabilities of narrowing the search areas.
... This book is also a must for the FBI as a study requirement. This is how data should be collected and looked at. ... I would also strongly suggest this book for criminal science college classes."

Full review coming soon on GoodReads ...

Nick Stroud reviewed "D. B. Cooper and Flight 305" in the April 2022 issue of The Aviation Historian:

"a masterpiece of sedulous research ...
... everything - literally everything - you could ever need to know, to form your own theory about this fascinating episode, is included here."

Emery Songer reviewed D. B. Cooper and Flight 305 on Twitter:

"Finished "D.B. Cooper and Flight 305" by @DrBobEdwards1. Great detail and organization makes you feel like you've actually pored over all the evidence in the FBI file and beyond. I've been curious about this event for years and this was a great book that left no stone unturned."

https://twitter.com/EmerySonger/statu...

Once in a while, my Freedom of Information requests got lucky. Here's a pro-active response from the US Army Corps of Engineers:

"This responds to the subject Freedom of Information request ... for “higher resolution copies of images from a former dredging at Tena Bar, Columbia River in 1974 ... referring to photographs furnished by Waterways Maintenance Branch, Navigation Division, U.S. Army Engineer District, 319 S.W. Pine, Portland, Oregon." All images the Portland District has relative to your requested area are attached. I trust the documents fully satisfies your request. ... Due to the time required to process your request, all associated costs above the two-hour threshold were waived."

Those images did indeed fulfil my request, and more. They greatly enhanced my understanding of the changing shape of Tena Bar between 1974 and the present day. That became part of the story of Chapter 11 "Tena Bar".

Readers of some of my previous posts might have concluded that my interactions with the Freedom Of Information Act were all pain and no gain. Here however is a counter-example, by courtesy of the good people at the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, DC:

"After a little searching we have found the answer to your query. The final rule was published on July 7, 1964. Section 71.5 established the width of 4 miles either side of centerline. Section 71.19 adopts nautical miles as the measurement. Both sections are on page 8472 of the rule, which I have attached above."

The FAA's response established beyond doubt that as of November 24, 1971, the Victor 23 corridor extended up to, but no further than, 4 nautical miles (4.6 statute miles) on either side of the centerline. This determination helped me to form my view of the track of Flight 305, which I set out in Chapter 5 "The Flight Path".