Greetings avbug:> Arming a pilot is not causing a pilot to take on a different role. The
> pilot is charged with the safe outcome of the flight, period. This
> involves decisions on avionics, aerodynamics, psyiology, meteorological
> issues, and many other topics. Safety of flight is of prime importance.
> Securing the flight deck is only one small issue.
Well, for my money, I'd rather see some person who is trained in security and anti-terrorist tactics whose sole responsible is for securing the flight deck against terrorists rather than relying on a pilot who's taken on additional training. I'm not saying that pilots shouldn't be armed if they receive the proper training and certification(s), but to use that as the only deterrent is woefully misguided IMHO.
> Was that thai cockpit crewed by US citizens who had been through a
> proper screening process? Didn't think so; doesn't apply. Hiring and
> training in many asian and pacific countries is a joke, including some
> of the more advanced locals. That's a known fact.
I'd have to agree that the system in some countries are a joke, but I hope you're not saying that the proper US screening system is infallible. I look at the America West pilots of recent and think that screening, testing and monitoring and such can only discover so much. (Actually the more I read of that story, the more it seems to me that that crew was only stopped because they refused to wait for the security supervisor.)
> Do you really think a terrorist is going to make it through the years of
> training and screening and scraping to get a chance to assault an
> airliner from inside the cockpit, when so many more simple methods will
> do just fine? Doubtful.
All I can say is no one ever expected an attack like 9/11 to happen either. I think because the stakes are so high that it would be a huge mistake to underestimate the resolve of a terrorist who believes they're doing their "god's" work, to dedicate whatever it takes to save their soul or get into their heaven (fill in the blank). One of the paradigms of fighting an enemy is sometimes the better you protect your interests, you essentially force your enemy to learn new tactics (become smarter/more sophisticated/sneakier). So you're essentially breeding smarter enemies.
> Again, if you're not a professional pilot, then
> you haven't any appreciation for what's required to get to the flight
> deck, nor the level of screening that takes place along the way. One
> cannot compare what the 9/11 terrorists went through in their paltry
> training, vs. what crewmembers go through to get where they are. Apples
> and oranges.
Perhaps today, but after 9/11, the stakes have been raised. It'll be harder, if not impossible to do what they did on 9/11 the same way they did it. However, I will wager that the terrorists have been busy thinking about how to achieve the same results again by finding other holes in our system. Hiding in plain site is a well-known tactic. Then there's alway the possibility of recruiting or blackmailing someone that's already in the system. I hate to sound paranoid, but again since the stakes are so high, all things must be considered.
> Who will monitor the pilot? That's already done now, on a regular basis
> in training, evaluation, etc. It only means more training for a pilot. A
> pilot must learn all manner of avionics and systems; adding handgun
> training to the list isn't a major workload increase.
But is it enough? Knowing how to load and fire a gun is one thing. Dealing with terrorist tactics requires years of training. I'm not so sure pilots have that kind of time to dedicate to such things to be truly effective.
> Don't forget that pilots have carried firearms on the flight deck for
> years. This isn't new. It's just mania by a misunderstanding public who
> doesn't know that what they're so concerned about is old news...for many
> decades now. The issue presently is arming US flight crews. How many US
> flight crews have used their legitimately carried (and sometimes not
> legitimately carried) firearms against other crewmembers in the cockpit?
> Hmmm.
Again, there's never been an attack like 9/11's either before 9/11. Just because it hasn't happened yet really isn't a good reason to think it never will or that the system is absolutely safe. I guess for me the bottom line is I wish the terrorists would just leave airplanes and pilots alone. Flying should be fun and all of this other stuff just makes my head hurt...
Ben
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), still get prosecuted for Drink Driving. If I goto a pub/bar and I'm designated driver its cola for me!
