"Paul J. Adam" wrote:

The idea that "armed pilots" are more than a backstop to other security
measures is romantic but foolish - pilots have much more important tasks
than threatening passengers, and of course Bad Guys would _never_ make
their move during times of high workload.

You bring up some compelling points. I'm curious as to exactly how
an airline pilot, effectively walled-off from intruders by bulletproof
cockpit doors, is able to bring his weapon to bear against the bad
guys. Are there holes or slits in the cockpit doors (ala a Brinks or
Wells Fargo truck) to allow the pilots to poke their gun barrels
through so as to aim with precision while shooting back at the bad
guys?