A little triva, do you know what the fix was when D.B. cooper jumped from a 727?

Question

to keep the rear stairs from coming down. this was just a few years from my time but rumor had it that the enginers were stumped and a floor mechanic came up with the idea for the fix. I have always wondered if that was true, or just factory legends

Answer 1

The rear air stairs were rarely used by most airlines and with a few exceptions the air stair were removed and the opening sealed up or the air stair was left in place but rendered inoperable by sealing off the opening from the outside. A few 727s with an operating rear airstair still are in service but are used by a few holiday charter carriers that regularly fly into small airports where they often the best way to exit the aircraft.  

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Answer 2

Sounds believable that a mechanic invented it.

Answer 3

cooper vein

Answer 4

The Cooper Vane.  It was activated by the slip-stream.  It employed an aerodynamic  wedge to prevent opening.

There's a lot of background on it here. http://www.google.com.sg/search?hl=en&q=...

Answer 5

Ahh...the Coopervane.  

It was more of a scarecrow device according to the guy who taught my 727 course.  He said the hydraulics of the rear air stair would rip it right out; but he declined to give a demonstration.