Paul Salo, a 51-year-old self-described entrepreneur, doesn’t have much experience with the scientific method, nor does he, necessarily, believe that 9/11 was an inside job. But that’s not going to stop him from ramming a plane into a building to "find out what happens."
In a video posted to his website, Salo stands on a riverfront of a Thai city, seeking donations to stage "9/11 Part 2," in which he intends to fly an empty remote-controlled 747 aircraft into a high-rise building to observe the results of the crash.
"We’re going to purchase a 747 or equivalent aircraft that’s about to go out of service, we’re going to fill it full of jet fuel, we’re going to purchase a building that’s about to be torn down in the countryside…and we’re going to crash it at 500 miles per hour directly into that building using autopilot," he says.
For Salo’s project, there’s no detail too small.
"Everything that was in 9/11 we’re putting in this one," he says.
"We’re putting passports, the old passports, we’re gonna put them around the airplane," he says, as his cameraman is distracted by a passing boat.
While Salo insists he’s interested in settling the "controversy" once and for all, the frustrating thing about conspiracy theories is that they persist, regardless of any and all evidence to the contrary. Allegations that the World Trade Center attack was staged or orchestrated by the US government have been repeatedly debunked by experts, and it seems unlikely that the exploits of one business hopeful are going to appease those who still choose to believe the myth.
Salo’s method would hardly prove anything conclusively, one way or the other. Flying a plane into a building – any old building will do, the video suggests – is hardly a controlled experiment, and fails to take into account a wide range of factors that could alter the results, including building material and angle of impact.
That hasn’t stopped Salo from asking for donations for his pet project.
"If you believe in 9/11 and you want to prove this once and for all, donate to this project. If you don’t believe in this project…you want to give us money, too. We’re going to try to do this as cheaply as possible."
While Salo claims he wants to accomplish this for $300,000, the Indiegogo page is attempting to raise $1.5 million.
For a $5,000 donation, Salos promises you a “front row seat at the event,” something reminiscent of a monster truck rally promotional reel.
