"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in
. com:

Jim Yanik wrote:
Cockpit defense need not be rocket science.


The biggest mistake I see people making in the discussion of cockpit
defense is the assumption that any one obstacle will be adequate,
combined with a rather rigid assumption of probable conditions.

I have no argument with any of these,but only one can be implemented in a
short period of time,and with the added benefit of little expense.

Cockpit defense should begin with a good screening of passengers.
Skip the old ladies and the blonde hair/blue eyed crowd. Right now
the enemy is of Middle Eastern descent. Concentrate efforts on those
who fit the profile; forget any crap about what's fair and what's not.
We're not playing football here.

Air marshalls in the cabin should be the second line of defense. I
recognize there are nowhere near enough of them now, but it should be
a goal. I'm not opposed to police officers and those with concealed
carry permits carrying guns in the cabin either. Every one of them
has had an extensive background check. We need to mix a few porcupines
in with the wolves. We can't afford to all be sheep anymore.

The armored cockpit door should be the next layer. I know they are
not bulletproof, but if they can help keep out the hordes, so much the
better.

The final layer should be the pilot. I've heard it said numerous
times that a pilot's time is best spent flying, but that's a difficult
thing to do with his throat cut. The possibility that he may hit an
innocent has to balanced against the probable deaths of all aboard if
the hijack is not stopped (and God knows how many on the ground).
I'll take my chances with a hull puncture... once again, the
alternative is too costly to consider.

There's also TWO pilots,one for flying,and one for shooting. 8-)

The TSA needs to get up off its collective ass and get the program
running... not continue to practice passive resistance to the intent
of Congress.

Let's face it: the days of the "peaceful" hijack are over. Nobody
wants to go to Cuba anymore. Hijacking now lead to the deaths of all
aboard if they're successful. We can't allow that.

If the airlines don't trust their pilots with guns, why did they hire
them?

Frankly, if the passengers don't trust their pilot with a gun, why
would they be on a plane? I'm sure they could find an unarmed bus
driver or train engineer more to their liking.

Time to get up off the dime!






--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net