"Geoffrey Barnes" wrote in message
link.net...
Let's
say that somebody notices that I am armed and calls the cops. In
fact,
let's HOPE that somebody notices that I'm armed and calls the cops.
That's
certainly what I would do if I saw someone who was carrying a gun on
the
flight line.

Why in the world would you call the cops?

Because, like what I hope is the majority of sensible pilots, I actively
participate in AOPA's Airport Watch program. A quick reading of any
material from Airport Watch (http://www.aopa.org/asn/watch.html) will tell
you that we are meant to be looking out for anything that we think is
"suspicious" when we are at the airport.

I could, of course, provide a dictionary definition of "suspicious" as
something that is, "out of the ordinary, especially when percieved to be
dangerous". I could then argue that since I have never seen any armed
pilots at any GA airport, seeing one would qualify as something "out of
the
ordinary" in my experience, and that would be enough for me to regard it
as
"suspicious".

I could also argue that if it is, as you assert, your right to carry a
weapon at all times, it is also my right to carry a cell phone and to call
the police whenever I feel that such a phone call is warranted.

But I won't make any of those arguments, because I would just get a bunch
of
static about doing so. Instead, I will simply point you to the specific
items on AOPA's Airport Watch Security Checklist
(http://www.aopa.org/asn/watch.html#use), one of which is "Dangerous cargo
or loads - explosives, chemicals, openly displayed weapons - being loaded
into an airplane."

Go ahead mate, flame away to your heart's content. I'm just trying to do
what I think is right here, but I know that won't be good enough for you.

The thought of all those armed pilots and sky marshals skulking around
airliners fills me with dread. The US authorities insisting that armed
guards should ride shotgun like on the old wild west stage coaches says it
all.

How long will we have to wait before we have the first aircraft brought down
by friendly fire.

The real answer is to stop planes taking off with terrorists on board not
shoot them when they try and hijack. To me sky marshals is a plan to fail.

Having return home from Florida today, I was appalled to see what the TSA
claims is heightened security.

The TSA at South West Florida Airport seems to be staffed with geriatrics
(seniors) who barely know what day it is let alone the job they are doing.
after a rather perfunctory pass through the security checkpoint that was
it - on to Atlanta and then onto London without another security check.
Pathetic!

Flying Delta, then the thought of some overgrown cowboy with a gun somewhere
in the plane compensating for the pathetic security on the ground was just
plain scary.

The post 911 security measures in the US are still the most hopeless I have
experienced anywhere in the world. Air travel has become a complete shambles
and I don't believe it is any safer now than before 911.

Dave