Remember that pilot who's pistol discharged...

[Wayne Maybury]

767

I know that you have much more experience and knowledge on this subject than I do. I will not argue with you.

All I am saying is that I feel much safer up there with no guns on the plane compared to the good guys having guns. I know it is a very rare occurance but look at the Air Canada pilot that had some sort of nervous break down while in the air several weeks ago. He came out of the cockpit screaming and asking for God. If he had a gun, what could have happened?

Worse still, what if there are bad guys on an aircraft. If security is doing their job, there is no way that a bad guy can get a gun on a plane. But maybe, just maybe, he could wrestle a gun away from a pilot now you have an armed bad guy.

I am all in favor of shooting terrorists, I just don't like the idea of it happening while up in the air. I think that far too many things could go wrong.

That must have been one scary landing in that convertible 737 in Hawaii.

Wayne

[767Jockey]

All sorts of things can happen Wayne. The chair your sitting in can get struck by lightning and so on. The fact is there is a MUCH better chance of a terrorist getting into the cockpit and taking over the plane than there is in a pilot going nuts, especially one in the program.

I have to word this VERY carefully, so bear with me. Any pilot who carries a gun is strictly forbidden to reveal that he or she is in the program. That being said, I now a little bit about this subject. Pilots who are authorized to get into this program are subject to very thorough background checks, and also to psychiatric screening. There is virtually no chance that a pilot in the program is going to go crazy, they've been analyzed, checked out every which way to Sunday, and gone through extensive training.

My question, when people express their very understandable reservations about the program, is:
Knowing what we know now, how many passengers and crew on the four planes lost on 9/11 would like to have the pilots armed if they could have a re- do on that days events? I'd bet if you were on one of those planes, you would too!

As I said earlier, this isn't so simple. Most people don't realize the vast level of screening and training these guys go through. They're not exactly handing out guns in the lunchroom. Trust me, you WANT these guys on your plane. As Martha Stewart says, "That's a GOOD thing."

[HI Cobra]

767,
I am with you 100% on this. I would hate to hear of some sheet head with
a plastic/ceramic knife trying a repeat of 9/11 with the same results because
no one could stop him.

[meat]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

As a frequent flyer I would prefer no guns what-so-ever in commercial aircraft. I cannot imagine that there is any safe way to discharge a firearm in a pressurized aluminum tube filled with people going 500 mph, 7 miles above the earth.

Sure there is: hit the bad guy with what comes out of the business end of the handgun.

Originally Posted by HI Cobra

I am with you 100% on this. I would hate to hear of some sheet head with a plastic/ceramic knife trying a repeat of 9/11 with the same results because no one could stop him.

While I agree that a repeat of 9/11 would be a bad thing, I'm also of the opinion that you can't tell a terrorist by what they wear on their head...it's what's going on in their head that's the issue.

Your pal,
Meat.

[Cobrabill]

Originally Posted by Wayne Maybury

767

I know that you have much more experience and knowledge on this subject than I do. I will not argue with you.

All I am saying is that I feel much safer up there with no guns on the plane compared to the good guys having guns. I know it is a very rare occurance but look at the Air Canada pilot that had some sort of nervous break down while in the air several weeks ago. He came out of the cockpit screaming and asking for God. If he had a gun, what could have happened?

Worse still, what if there are bad guys on an aircraft. If security is doing their job, there is no way that a bad guy can get a gun on a plane. But maybe, just maybe, he could wrestle a gun away from a pilot now you have an armed bad guy.

I am all in favor of shooting terrorists, I just don't like the idea of it happening while up in the air. I think that far too many things could go wrong.

That must have been one scary landing in that convertible 737 in Hawaii.

Wayne

The problem would not have been the gun(if there was one)-it was would have been the pilot.If there were guns on the planes on 9/11-things would have been VERY different.