37 years ago today, a man who came to be known as D B Cooper, pulled off one of the most audacious robberies in the history of aviation when he not only hijacked a 727, but parachuted from the plane with the $200,000 ransom money before vanishing without a trace.
Like many others since, I’ve long been fascinated by the story, and was delighted last year when the superb, but short-lived series Journeyman paid homage to the events in the episode The legend of Dylan McCleen. That episode puts a positive spin on the tale, supposing that the actions of the hijacker might have been for truly selfless ends, although I suspect that’s just wishful thinking.
Whatever the motives of Cooper, though, I cant help but be impressed by someone who could not only plan such a heist, but execute it to a level of perfection that it would leave the authorities scratching their collective heads. To this day, his true identity remains a mystery and the case is unsolved.