OTP - Pilot's onboard announcement (Wash Times)
it is short for Andrea
From the Washington Times
Aboard Flight 564
Peter Hannaford
As it was at most U.S. airports, last Saturday was the first near-normal day
at Denver International since the terrorist attacks. On United's Flight 564
the door had just been locked and the plane was about to pull out of the
gate when the captain came on the public address system.
"I want to thank you brave folks for coming out today. We don't have any
new instructions from the federal government, so from now on we're on our
own."
The passengers listened in total silence. He explained that airport security
measures had pretty much solved the problem of firearms being carried
aboard, but not weapons of the type the terrorists apparently used, plastic
knives or those fashioned from wood or ceramics.
"Sometimes a potential hijacker will announce that he has a bomb. There are
no bombs on this aircraft and if someone were to get up and make that claim,
don't believe him. "If someone were to stand up, brandish something such as
a plastic knife and say 'This is a hijacking'
or words to that effect here is what you should do:
Every one of you should stand up and immediately throw things at that
person - pillows, books, magazines, eyeglasses, shoes- anything that will
throw him off balance and distract his attention. If he has a confederate or
two, do the same with them. Most important: get a
blanket over him, then wrestle him to floor and keep him there. We'll land
the plane at the
nearest airport and the authorities will take it from there."
"Remember, there will be one of him and maybe a few confederates, but there
are 200 of you. You can overwhelm them. "The Declaration of Independence"
says 'We, the people' and that's just what it is when we're up in the air:
we, the people, vs. would-be terrorists. I don't think we are going to have
any such problem today or tomorrow or for a while, but some time down the
road, it is going to happen again and I want you to know what to do.
"Now, since we're a family for the new few hours, I'll ask you to turn to
the person next to you, introduce yourself, tell them a little about
yourself and ask them to do the same."
The end of this remarkable speech brought sustained clapping from the
passengers. He had put the matter in perspective. If only the passengers on
those ill-fated flights last Tuesday had been given the same talk, I
thought, they might be alive today. One group on United Flight 93, which
crashed in a Pennsylvania field, apparently rushed the hijackers in an
attempt to wrest control from them. While they perished, they succeeded in
preventing the terrorist from
attacking his intended goal, possibly the White House or the Capitol.
Procedures for dealing with hijackers were conceived in a time when the
hijackers were usually seeking the release of jailed comrades or a large
amount of money. Mass murder was not their goal.
That short talk last Saturday by the pilot of Flight 564 should set a new
standard of realism. Every passenger should learn the simple - but
potentially life-saving - procedure he outlined. He showed his passengers
that a hijacking does not have to result in hopelessness and terror, but
victory over the perpetrators.
(Peter Hannaford is a public affairs consultant.)
Full article at
http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20010919-6357240.htm
Best regards,
LadyAndy2 in Los Angeles, CA (remove "nospam" to reply)
Jo Firey
whether pilots should be allowed to carry weapons. Come on, we trust them with
the airplane right? And they are extremely well aware of what happens if a
weapon is discharged on the flight deck right? As a practical matter I don't
think arming the pilot is going to do a lot of good. But surely they can be
trusted with a weapon?
I am however not too thrilled with the idea that the security checkpoints in the
airports may be frisking passengers to find objects too small for the metal
detectors to pick up. I do NOT trust the judgment and discretion of the
employees I've seen in that position. That one could stop me from flying.
--
Jo
"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be
called research, would it?" - Albert Einstein
"it is short for Andrea" <lady...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20010927130428...@mb-bh.aol.com...
Maybull2
Char
"Remember, I'm pulling for ya'.
We're all in this together." Red Green
Harvey R.Stone
Jo Firey wrote:
>
> There is one debate going on that I really fail to understand. The one as to
> whether pilots should be allowed to carry weapons. Come on, we trust them with
> the airplane right? And they are extremely well aware of what happens if a
> weapon is discharged on the flight deck right? As a practical matter I don't
> think arming the pilot is going to do a lot of good. But surely they can be
> trusted with a weapon?
>
> I am however not too thrilled with the idea that the security checkpoints in the
> airports may be frisking passengers to find objects too small for the metal
> detectors to pick up. I do NOT trust the judgment and discretion of the
> employees I've seen in that position. That one could stop me from flying.
>
> --
> Jo
Hi Jo, You make some good points. I am afraid that we get back to
lawsuit time. If small caliber bullets are going to bouncing around,
its all about having something left for the pilot to retire
on,,,,something the airlines has left to run an airlines. Lawyers...
lawyers and lawsuits. Its not about killing terrorists and saving
the lives of everyone on the airplane and the buildings on the
terrorists hit list with the people that work in them. It is about
getting a federal person on the other side of the door THAT CAN NOT BE
SUED. JMO
Harv
Becky Ratliff
then s/he is flying a weapon. Better have your seatbelt fastened, because
if anybody else stands up and yells hijacking, that plane is likely to be
doing some things Mr. Boeing never even dreamed of. Imagine the wannabee
hijacker flying around the cabin like a pingpong ball.
Becky
Harvey R.Stone <hrs...@swbell.net> wrote in message
news:3BB3C2C8...@swbell.net...