Officials say al-Qaida operatives may be fully trained airline pilots

Mutts wrote in message . ..
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/3775771/

Authorities raised the terrorist threat assessment over the weekend
after new intelligence indicated that operatives of Osama bin Laden?s
al-Qaida terror network, possibly trained and licensed to fly
passenger jets, may now be pilots for some foreign airlines, ideally
positioning them to carry out suicide attacks, U.S. officials told NBC
News on Monday.

Suprise suprise surpise. That was the first thing I said when the new
security measures were put into place. If the pilot (and maybe
they'll need to copilot to be in on it too) are IN THE COCKPIT it
doesn't matter what security measures are in place. These terrorist
organizations are patient. They'll wait the X years it takes get
someone to get properly trained to fly a large passenger jet. Maybe
he's your CFI now. Or working at your FBO, building hours here in the
US so that he can become a pilot either here or abroad. How many
years passed between the first attempt WTC bombing and 9/11? I think
it was eight years. How long does it take someone to go from the $50
discovery flight to PIC of a passenger jet flying for Mid Eastern
airline?