<\/p>\n
Most people have heard of D. B. Cooper, the mysterious skyjacker who hijacked a plane from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, in 1971.<\/p>\n
He told the crew he had a bomb, and demanded $200,000 in ransom, along with four parachutes. After he parachuted to a wooded area, he never was seen again, nor has he ever been found.<\/p>\n
After that, there were \u201ccopycat \u201d incidents, including a skyjacking perpetrated by Martin \u201cMac\u201d McNally. I remember seeing McNally on TV, looking cool and smiling as he continued to make national headines. He hijacked a plane in St. Louis that he diverted to Indiana, whereupon he parachuted out with $500,000 in ransom.<\/p>\n
It turns out that McNally and I both think this is a terrific documentary. \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic movie,\u201d he told me a few days ago via Zoom.<\/p>\n
He should know. He\u2019s the \u201cstar\u201d of the film that uses reenactments and lots of McNally\u2019s own recollections about his escape, subsequent arrest and decades in prison (he now lives quietly in Michigan.)<\/p>\n
McNally\u2019s story is full of intrigue and surprises \u2013 it involves a coincidence that\u2019s so wild I don\u2019t think I\u2019d believe it in a feature film, and it wouldn\u2019t be fair to tell you what it is before you see the film.<\/p>\n
What I can tell you is this the real-life story of a man who dropped out of high school, then became inspired by the D. B. Cooper tale to try it himself. This wasn\u2019t his first flight \u2013 far from it. McNally told me he served in the Navy and was used to being airborne.<\/p>\n
It was the parachute part that he never had experienced. In the movie, McNally talks about that, and how his ransom note to a fight attendance included a demand for $500,000 and parachutes.<\/p>\n