Bradley S. Collins - My Father Was D.B. Cooper: An American Story

Copyright 2017 Bradley S. Collins

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher.

Second Edition: Contains new evidence

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54390-5366

Cover Photograph: Taken on Saturday, Oct. 30th , 1971, at Seattles Renton Municipal Airport. Just prior to lunch, Jack Collins (D.B. Cooper) and his brother Bud took Jacks son, Bradley (the author) on a complete dress rehearsal of the Stunt that captivated the world just a little over 3 weeks later. Jack and Bud took Bradley flying circles over Puget Sound, then landed at Rentononly 3 miles from where the hijacked 727 jet landed at Sea-Tac Airport on the stormy night of Wednesday, November 24th , 1971. Jack (Cooper) on left. Bud on the Right. Photograph taken by Bradley Collins.

Brad Collins was born in 1957 in Seattle, Washington. One of eight children born to Jack and Grace Collins, he has very fond memories of growing up, beaches, trout fishing, crabbing, gardening, and mountaineering were common activities of him and those who he grew up with, as well as plenty of aviation activities. He spent years in business, but later married and took up ranching and writing, his true passions. He lives on a beautiful ranch in the Olympic mountains with his wife Robin near Sequim, Washington.

The Real Ballad of D.B. Cooper

Did they do it just for the money

Or just for the thrill

Few knew when it happened

Soon to find out it was real.

They planned the caper for monthsperhaps a year

Never they figuredto end in tears.

The younger brother BudHe flew those passenger planes

But to make the weekly gain

The older brother, named Jack

He stepped into the stormy darkness with the cash!

Did their pretty wives find out

But never approved because of lots of mouths to feed.

Their employersThey loved their work,

Never suspecting the acts of greed.

Buds boss the famous Howard Hughes may have felt the same

You mean one of my pilots and his crazy brother used one of my own planes!

NextFinancialyes gains were made

New homes, cars, vacations, charities, and old debts and back taxes are paid.

They thought they had it made in the shade.

But as time went onDoubt began to creep in

The older brother, the Jumping Jack, he kept his cool

But the younger brotherBud, he got scaredand thin

And he felt like a foolOne of the wives wondered what might happen next

As the children went off to school

There was an early death for the younger brother

A suicide is what it would be

And sad at times was the older brotherFor the rest of his life was he.

Original copyright 2010

Ill tell you how this case will someday get solved! For somewhere in the world there had to be somebody who knew, or at least guess, who the hijacker really was and where he came from. The man had been somebody before he became D.B. Cooper. Sooner or later, one of those family members, or acquaintances would come forward with a story. I believe thats how the case will get solved.

Special Agent Ralph Himmelsbach

In 1985, interviewed by author Max Gunther

D.B. Cooper, what really happened. 1985

I always thought your father was Cooperand you can put this in your bookhe was crazy enough to try itsmart enough also to get away with it.

Jody and I always suspected your father was D.B. Cooper

My Daddyand some of the other jumpers wondered whether your father really was D.B. Cooper

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Grace Ivy Collins, who urged me to write it And my Father Jack Albert Collins Jumping Jack Cash who did it 24th November 1971. You still go down as one of historys highest paid stuntmen.

A large portion of the proceeds, 15%, of the sale of this book will be donated to Operation Smile (operationsmile.org) a world-wide charity that provides for medical operations to fix children born with cleft mouths.

After that, Ill see how many solar panels I can afford for my small ranch in the beautiful Olympic mountains . (See the link on our website and follow our progress).

Thank you for purchasing and recommending this title to others.

Bradley

Acknowledgements

If anyone was to have watched television, or read magazines, or listened to the radio over the last 40 yearsyouve undoubtedly heard about D.B. Cooper. The questions always evade us: Just who was this mystery of a man? How well did he plan what he did? Did he have help or was he all on his own? And did he actually survive his own stunt? And if he did survive, what became of him and all of the cash?

These are all good questions and my book will cover them all. After I wrote most of my story in one night (In around 9 hours) (plus one of two poems) I set out to find more photographs and evidence, and boy did I uncover lots of it. In addition to many new photographs relating to the crime, I also acquired my fathers parachute log booksbecause in addition to becoming D.B. Cooper he was also a highly skilled professional parachutist and pilot. In fact, (when he high jacked the jet in 1971 he was a parachuting stuntman known as Jumping Jack Flash.

Id like to take a moment to say thank you to all of the great people who heard my story and helped me finally to get it published. My wife Robin has been immeasurably helpful, having herself already been a published author. To my brother Norm and my sister Theresa for both the lost photographs and Dads parachuting and flight log books.

A very special thank you to my Dads brother, Buds Widow, Aunt Nancys successful efforts to meet me at Anaheim airport with new photographs that turned up all these years latermany that will appear in this book.

To Don Woods, my respected friend and retired Army Intelligence Officer for telling me early on that Dad was Cooper (Even though I knew it since the day of the high jacking) Thank you again, Don.

To the Farringtons, Jeff, Jessie, and Andy of Kapowsin Parachute Center of Shelton, Washington. Jessie met me twice, providing some additional proof about my Dads actions and motives. If you feel a great need to make a parachute jump, go see them. The chances are excellent that youll survive to talk about it.

Also, a special thank you to Mike at the Toledo, Washington Parachute Center for being cool and professional during my visit there.

Next, a very special thanks to the late Donna Elliots sons Byron and Jack, current owners of the Aerial Tavern and Store, home of the annual D.B. Cooper party held every Saturday after Thanksgiving for over 40 years. It is a lot of fun; the place is more like a D.B. Cooper museum than a tavern. I urge anyone to stop by and have a cold Rainier beer. Thats also beautiful country.