Wednesday, January 23, 2002
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Wednesday, January 23, 2002 |
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Arm trained pilots to deter would-be hijackers I am a 23-year captain with a major airline. I am writing in support of a volunteer program to arm specially trained and qualified pilots with firearms to protect the flight deck as a last line of defense. I submit the following thoughts for consideration: 1. Under current operating conditions, if an intruder successfully takes control of my cockpit, my aircraft will likely be shot down by a military fighter jet. This is certain doom for my passengers and crew, and possibly many others on the ground. I want to be able to defend my aircraft against this threat. 2. With the devastating results of intentionally crashing civilian airliners into buildings, I think it is quite likely to be attempted again, perhaps during the final portion of an approach. We must be able to use deadly force to stop that scenario. 3. With the current shortage of air marshals, we could add many thousands of trained pilot federal agents nearly overnight. It would have a tremendous deterrent effect against acts of air piracy. 4. Current procedures allow many different types of law enforcement officers to carry firearms aboard commercial aircraft with no training in air piracy prevention. A hijacker could possibly overpower any person in the cabin with a firearm and use it against the crew. A properly trained armed pilot could defend the cockpit against that type of scenario. 5. There have been instances, even since Sept. 11, where handguns have been carried through security without detection. Many persons have access to aircraft that could plant weapons for later use by terrorists. We need to have the means to deal with the threat of armed hijackers. 6. The pilot volunteers would pay for their own weapons and attend FBI training courses on their own time. This is a zero-cost item to the government and the airlines. There are likely many travelers that would resume flying once their safety was increased by armed pilots on board. 7. The new aviation security law that allows for arming volunteer pilots with firearms was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress. There is widespread, bipartisan support for this new law. This provision of the aviation security act needs to be implemented without further delay. The threat is real. We must be prepared. Captain J. Mark Davis markdavis@peoplepc.com
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