**ARM OUR PILOTS NOW!**

[tdponder]

ARM OUR AIRLINE PILOTS NOW!

According to news reports the Bush Administration has made a
decision not to allow Airline pilots to protect themselves, their
crews and their passengers with firearms.

The Administration and the Congress should realize now that WHEN
more airliners are hijacked and used as missiles against Americans then
we shall be getting only what we did not prevent!

The administration and Congress are loosing their voters' trust by not taking all appropriate steps to see that the tragedy of 9-11 is not repeated. You think there is political unrest now, think about charges after 9-11 happens again! Voters will hold President George W. Bush and his Administration and members of the Congress personally responsible.

If a significant number of AIRLINE PILOTS REFUSED TO FLY UNARMED then this incredibly wrong decision would be reversed overnight! Passengers also should demand to have armed pilots.

The notion that pilots would shoot their own flight instruments is absurd in that a pilot would be shooting always and without exception toward the cockpit door BEHIND his pilot seat. Already Air Marshals are flying armed with pistols that have special ammo that does not penetrate the aircraft fuselage. What's the difference between first class and the cockpit, 10 to 15 feet?

How many more airline pilots must die by having their throats sliced open before the necessity of arming our pilots and making them the last stop in thwarting a devastating hijack is understood?

In the name of the security of our country I urge you to contact your members of Congress and to notify President Bush that you support the reversal of this decision immediately!

T. D. Ponder
Airline Transport Pilot
Birmingham, AL

tdponder@juno.com

Contact Email Addresses:

president@whitehouse.gov

vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Congress

http://www.mrsmith.com/index2.html

FAA:

9-awa-aoa-consumer@faa.gov

[ecvsteve]

Yep

With the new smart gun technology IE: that new finger print lock on I think its Colt and the bullet technology, I think we could give a pilot a gun that would be safe enough to have in that cockpit and have enough fire power stop a guy in his tracks long enough for a passanger to beat him senseless.
The Damn polititians can't think anything out, its either a Gattling Gun or nothing attitude that sucks.

[MattB]

What about securing the cockpit?

If no guns then what about securing the cockpit. At least we dont turn aircraft into missles.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: What about securing the cockpit?

Originally posted by MattB
If no guns then what about securing the cockpit. At least we dont turn aircraft into missles.

If you've flown recently, you'll notice that they have put *some* measures on the cockpit doors to make it take a bit longer to get in..

However, and I know that active air crew take different stances on this.. As a passenger, even knowing that a decompression incident is dangerous.. I'll go with what one very notable airline captain told me at reno.. "give us guns and let it be known that anyone comes through that door gets killed.. "

There is another *however* to this... , hoever, I think most air crew are aware that they can kill all of us (unbelted) passengers fairly easily anyway... I've also been told by unnamed airline crew that if there were a hijacking in progress.. it would be best to be in your seat and be ready for the ride of your life..

The best course of action, I think, is NOT for our President to make a totally public statement that pilots are *not* armed...

"Gee.. this is good to know Achmed... now we don't hava to worry abouta da pilots!"

Yea.. arm em! Train em first, but arm em and make it known.. there are armed guards on the airplane, and there are armed pilots waiting for the chance to test their mettle against anyone who comes through thier cockpit door..

As a quick aside to anyone who might be tempted to enter the cockpit who might be reading this... (we do go out to the world after all...) guns or not.. I'm not totally sure I would be able to tell the difference between a fire axe planted several inches in my skull or a bullet.... would you???

The pilots are currently armed, as best they can be with current rules governing them.. I'd not be too quick to go knocking on that door! In other words.. in flight cockpit tours are a definate not gonna happen anytime soon....

Wayne

[ecvsteve]

Yes sir.

I think thats a good idea as well, even to the point of cockpit access only thru the wall of the aircraft. no access from cockpit to cabin at all.
but I like the copilot wandering thru the cabin at times and saying hello to the passangers.
I really dont like the idea of getting on a plane and not knowing who has the weapon on board, air marshall or not.
It's one bad situtation and we'll be paying in time and money for it no matter which way it goes.

[AAFO_WSagar]

I really hate to even talk about this stuff in an open forum, as I don't like to even think about giving any of them any ideas if they happened to read this.. but suffice it to say: I seriously doubt that any highjacker in his right mind would even begin to imagine that they could get away with what they did last year with us all knowing what we do now.... We ain't gonna sit there and let anyone drive us into the ground or a building or whatever and neither are the air crew..

Let's just say that I think it a really good idea for anything with wings to be securely locked up at night... And for those who might think about regulating flying small airplanes.. they are much safer when they are in the air with a ligit pilot in them than they are on the ground..

So... that said.. nuff said..

Wayne

[Unregistered]

Gee...and if the airplane is successfully hijacked, a F-XX (insert your choice of 14, 15, 16, 18) will be scrambled to "take it out". Hard to believe there would be any survivors...I think I would rather take my chances with an armed pilot...