5 October 2015 - WHO WAS D. B. COOPER?

WHO WAS D.B. COOPER?

G'day folks,

Ever heard of this man? Read on. Oh, not only but also, at the bottom of this post I've included another great review by one of Australia's best book reviewers for my latest novella - Sheeza!

The man who approached the Northwest Orient Airlines counter on the afternoon of November 24, 1971, said his name was Dan Cooper (“D.B.” was a distortion that later appeared in the press). He asked for a one-way ticket from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington—and used cash to pay for it. Wearing a dark suit, he sat in the rear of the plane, lit a cigarette and ordered a bourbon and soda. Shortly after Flight 305 took off, Cooper gave a flight attendant a note saying he had a bomb, then showed her something inside a cheap attaché case that did, indeed, resemble a bomb.

Cooper’s demands were simple: $200,000 and four parachutes. When the flight landed in Seattle, Cooper allowed the authorities to evacuate the other 36 passengers and some of the crew in exchange for the money and parachutes. According to Cooper’s instructions, the plane then took off again, heading toward Mexico City at a low altitude. Somewhere between Seattle and Reno, Nevada, Cooper jumped out of the plane into a driving thunderstorm and sub-zero air temperatures, wearing only a thin suit, a raincoat and wraparound sunglasses. The pilots landed the plane safely, but Cooper was never seen again.

According to eyewitness accounts, Cooper was a white man in his forties, between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet tall and weighing 170 to 180 pounds, with brown eyes. The FBI followed thousands of leads to find Cooper, considering more than 800 suspects in the five years following the incident. Over the years, several suspects have been seriously considered—including Kenneth Christiansen, who worked for the airline and was an experienced paratrooper—and eliminated for various reasons. To this day, it is the only unsolved skyjacking case in American aviation history.

Clancy's comment: I wonder if Mr. Cooper is reading this post today?

REVIEW FOR SHEEZA!

by

Anastasia Gonis

at Buzzwords Books

Sheeza by Clancy Tucker (Morris Publishing Australia)

PB RRP $18.00 including postage E-book$3.00

(Overseas $21.00 including postage)

ISBN 9780646935843

 

Danny has an artificial limb and wears glasses. He’s the perfect target for bullies and ‘Mad Dog’ Fletcher is out to get him. Danny can’t play sport so longs to have a dog.  Towards this end, he has been doing odd jobs for the lovely oldies in his area, and saving every penny.

He doesn’t want any dog, he wants a Kelpie, to train and enter into the sheep dog trials at the Agricultural Show. He has read every book he could find, and watched every video available in preparation for the moment he gets the go-ahead from his parents.

Joey is Danny’s best friend, confidante, and protector when things get rough. Joey is optimistic, lovable and daring. He balances Danny’s smart and responsible side well which makes for a perfect friendship.

When Danny sees the physically-challenged pup in the pet shop, he knows it’s the one. They bond immediately and training the pup, which he names Sheeza, is a breeze. They end up winning the sheep dog trials at Wanganui.

It’s when Sheeza is stolen that everyone joins the hunt to find her. Who could have taken her? Where can she be and will she ever be found? Posters, Current Affair programs, truckies with two-way radios across Australia and an informed public, set out to find and reunite the dog with the boy.

This is Clancy Tucker’s second novella. He’s a writer who loves to get his teeth into difficult themes and always manages to weave several issues into one story.

A well-researched book, Sheeza incorporates detailed information about working dogs, their training and habits. I loved this story. It kept me reading without stopping until the end. As usual, there are fantastic characters - humans and animals, bad versus good in people, and problems that are overcome due to a tight community and strong friendships. To never give up is a powerful message that flows through all the issues addressed.

BUZZWORDS BOOKS

Thank you Anastasia and Buzzwords Books. Love ya work!

PS: If you are wondering how Sheeza got her name, you will have to read the book. The answer is in the last few sentences of the book.

I'm ...

4 June 2014 - BOEING 797

BOEING 797

G'day folks,

Here is some information on a new plane ready to hit the skies. It has been a secret for some time but the photographs seen here were taken in March. What is it? what can it do? Read on ...

Boeing is preparing this 1000 passenger Jet Liner that could reshape the Air Travel Industry. Its radical "Blended Wing & Fuselage" design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with NASA Langley Research Centre. The mammoth aircraft will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to 211 feet of its 747, and it’s been designed to fit within the newly created Air Terminals for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide.

The new 797 is Boeing's direct response to the Airbus A380, which has racked up orders for 159 already. Boeing decided to kill its 747X Stretched Super Jumbo in 2003 after little interest was shown for it by Airline Companies, but continued to develop its "Ultimate Airbus Crusher", the 797 at its Phantom Works Research Facility in Long Beach, California.

The Airbus A380 had been in the works since 1999 and has accumulated $13 Billion in development costs, which gives Boeing a huge advantage. More so because Airbus is thus committed to the older style tubular structure for their aircraft for decades to come.

  There are several big advantages in the "Blended Wing & Fuselage" design, the most important being the “Lift to Drag” ratio which is expected to increase by an amazing 50%, resulting in an overall weight reduction of the aircraft by 25%, making it an estimated 33% more fuel efficient than the A380, and thus making the Airbus's $13 Billion Dollar investment look pretty shaky.

"High Airframe Rigidity" is another key factor in the "Blended Wing & Fuselage" technology. It reduces turbulence and creates less stress on the airframe which adds to fuel efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 10,000 Mile range with 1,000 passengers on board cruising comfortably at Mach 0.88 or 654 MPH, which gives it another advantage over the tube-and-wing designed A380's 570 MPH.

The exact date for introduction of the 797 is as yet unclear, but the battle lines are clearly drawn in the high-stakes war for future civilian aircraft supremacy.

Clancy's comment: Mm ... I missed out on the Concorde, but hope I can sit in one of these babies. It can comfortably fly 10,000 Miles (16,000 km) at Mach 0.88 or 654 mph (1,046 km/h) with 1000 passengers on board!
 

BUT ... This is apparently a hoax that has circulated the Internet for some time. Sorry folks. Looks and sounds good, eh?

Although Boeing may someday introduce a commercial airliner designated with the number 797, and although the company's Phantom Works (advanced research and development) unit may be researching the potential of blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft design for military applications, Boeing is not currently developing a blended-wing aircraft for commercial use, nor does the image displayed represent any aircraft (or prototype thereof) designed or produced by that company.

The image is a conceptual picture from a Popular Science article about the future of aviation (one which proved so popular that it was made available for purchase in poster form) and has been circulated since at least early 1996 in fictitious articles proclaiming it to be Boeing's response to competition from the Airbus A380 in the commercial airliner business.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/boeing797.asp#5CCDrdIKXMMmIVrH.99

Although Boeing may someday introduce a commercial airliner designated with the number 797, and although the company's Phantom Works (advanced research and development) unit may be researching the potential of blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft design for military applications, Boeing is not currently developing a blended-wing aircraft for commercial use, nor does the image displayed represent any aircraft (or prototype thereof) designed or produced by that company.

The image is a conceptual picture from a Popular Science article about the future of aviation (one which proved so popular that it was made available for purchase in poster form) and has been circulated since at least early 1996 in fictitious articles proclaiming it to be Boeing's response to competition from the Airbus A380 in the commercial airliner business.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/boeing797.asp#5CCDrdIKXMMmIVrH.99

I'm ...

Think about this!