Arming Cockpit Crews
From: [email protected]
(Doug Millard)
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2001 10:05:34 -0800 (AKDT)
To: [email protected],
[email protected]
Subject: Arming cockpit crews
Dear President Bush,
I am in favor of arming pilots.
Defensive weapons SAVE more lives than they destroy. Statistics show that where
there is access to defensive means there is less crime and vice versa. The District
of Columbia is
proof of that.
Logistically the "Sky Marshall"
program would be a nightmare. With 30 some thousand flights a day, considering
layovers and sick leave, the manpower and expense to cover just 50 percent of
those flights would be enormous. I am not in favor of a "FEEL GOOD"
approach just for show. Lets look at the reality of the situation. In earlier
days when I was in the cockpit, (52-81) hijackers were people who wanted to
go someplace and land "ALIVE". Today, they are fanatics who wish to
"DIE" for a cause and take as many innocent people as possible with
them.
To accomplish this gruesome objective,
they will populate a given flight with as many comrades as they think necessary
to complete the task. A lone sky marshal attempting to corral a "GROUP"
of death seeking religious fanatics scattered randomly throughout the plane
would stand little chance of prevailing.
In today's atmosphere, the cockpit
and control of the aircraft seems to be the objective in order to convert the
aircraft into a guided missile. Consider if you will, a plane with an impenetrable
cockpit door. Hijackers have taken command of the cabin and are demanding access
to the cockpit. To emphasis their desires, they start cutting the throats of
those in the back at the rate of one a minute starting with the flight attendants.
What Christian flight crew is going to be able to sit there while carnage is
rampantly being carried out in the cabin?
I can think of two possible solutions.
Arm the cockpit crew then allow the hijackers into the cockpit to face an equipped,
alerted and prepared crew, and or modify the aircraft so as to disable the emergency
oxygen system (in the cabin) and flood the cabin with some type of gas that
will put all cabin occupants temporarily to sleep.
There is no easy answer to the problem
but lets try some imaginative steps. Arming the cockpit is an old method that
was outlawed by the FAA in the 70's. Disarming didn't work, maybe it's time
to bring it back.
Sincerely,
Doug Millard
Capt. Wien Air Alaska, Ret.
Former ALPA Central Safety Chairman
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