"State of play - arming aircrews"

Monday, October 7, 2002

State of play - arming aircrews
Air Safety Week


"In an attempt to make America more safe, Congress has approved
legislation that will make flying more dangerous," wrote Dave Barger,
president and chief operating officer of JetBlue Airways in a Sept. 17
editorial in the New York Times. Of the many ways to improve security,
"introducing loaded weapons into America's airports and cockpits is not
one of them," Barger declared flatly. He was referring to recent bills
passed in Congress that would establish a program for volunteer pilots
to be armed with handguns. The U.S. House of Representatives voted
310-113 in favor of the "Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act." Similar
legislation passed Sept. 5 in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 87-6. 

The senators were not persuaded by two Sept. 5 letters, one from the Air
Transport Association and signed by 21 airline executives saying the
rush to arm pilots was "ill advised," and one from Adm. James Loy, head
of the Transportation Security Administration. Loy wrote, "If there is
to be responsible legislation establishing a program to allow guns in
the cockpit, it must address the numerous safety, security, cost and
operational issues ... [to] enable us to implement the program in a
methodical, careful, and pragmatic manner." 

Note his use of the word "responsible," suggesting that the legislation
was anything but. 

Two days after the Senate vote, the New York Times editorialized: 

"The aim of the whole aviation security effort is to keep weapons off
aircraft, except for guns carried by undercover air marshals, and to
seal off cockpits altogether ... announcing to the world that there will
be guns in the cockpit that could be commandeered is not a sensible
counterterrorist strategy." 

On the other hand, the pilots' organizations see firearms as part of a
counter terrorist effort. For example, the Air Line Pilots Association
[ALPA] hailed the Senate vote: 

"[It] demonstrates the public's overwhelming support for the creation of
a cadre of volunteer armed pilots who are going to defend the airplane
from hijacking. Our nation has suffered greatly as a result of September
11 - all because terrorists assassinated eight pilots and took over the
cockpits ... We must never leave our pilots so vulnerable again." 

What is the present state of play? A recent update to its members by the
Airline Pilots Security Alliance [APSA] lays out two options. One,
differences between the House and Senate bills are ironed out in a
conference committee. Or, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D - S.D.)
will be persuaded to bring the House bill up for a vote in the Senate. 

"If the Senate votes on the House bill, we bypass conference and take
away our opponents chance to take another cut at our work," the APSA
memorandum said, lamenting that the ATA, representing the airlines, and
Dept. of Transportation bureaucrats "view the conference committee as
their last opportunity to gut our bills." (Emphasis in original) 

While APSA believes President Bush "will not veto an armed pilot bill,"
opponents are working "to weaken our legislation before it crosses his
desk," the APSA memorandum warned darkly. 

"After the bill is signed, we can expect the administration to drag its
feet and obstruct implementing the new law," APSA dourly predicts,
adding, "We never thought we'd be fighting a Texan [Bush] for the right
to fight back." 

While the fate of the legislation hangs in the balance, a fictitious
captain's announcement, reportedly written by a pilot, is circulating on
the Internet. It is realistic, complete with the sound of rushing air
and the muted roar of the engines. The hypothetical announcement goes
like this: 

"Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking, with just a little
flight information. Coming up on the left, we're going to be catching a
glimpse of the Grand Canyon, and on the right and you'll be able to see
the Hoover Dam in just a few minutes. We're flying at an altitude of
37,000 feet and our airspeed is 400 miles an hour. Couple little facts
here. I'm packing a Colt King Cobra. That's a .357-caliber firearm with
a black rubber grip and a six-inch barrel. Also, the co-pilot is
carrying a [unclear] custom defense pistol with all the bells and
whistles you'd expect from a custom gun of that kind, with an alloy
frame and bevel treatment on the entire gun. And our chief flight
attendant, Roger, has a Ruger Bearcat, a .22 with a hand-fluted
cylinder. All three are capable of piercing body armor at a distance of
up to 27 feet and can put a hole in human bone and flesh the size of the
Grand Canyon which, by the way, is coming up on the left hand side of
the plane, so just sit back and relax and enjoy the rest of the flight."


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