Are Airline Pilots Allowed Handguns In The Cockpits Of the Aircraft?
Filed on Monday, March 8th, 2010 under Aviation Safety By aviator
Just been wondering seeing as I’m taking a pretty long flight in the near future. It’d make me feel alot safer flying if I knew whether or not it was legal for pilots to carry handguns in the cockpits when in flight.
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Tags: Aircraft, Airline, Allowed, cockpits, Handguns, pilots
March 8th, 2010 at 12:48 am
Yes, however special training and certification is needed. They are know as Federal Flight Deck Officers.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:05 am
despite what you think, it would be incredibly unsafe. if a weapon was discharged in flight while the aircraft is in a pressurized state the bullet would penetrate the fuselage, weaken the structural integrity or even cause a structural failure. Also, that bullet could even sever hydraulic lines or electrical wiring hiding behind the cabin walls which are vital for the safe operation of that aircraft.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:05 am
Wise question. The answer is no – pilots will hardly ever use it as hijackings are now virtually non-existent in the western world. As for flight marshalls, they are indeed armed and trained to disable any human threat on an aircraft, though flight marshalls are undercover and usually sit within the cabin and act like an ordinary passenger. Some airlines do not use flight marshalls on all long haul flights though (BA have them for their JFK route).
I guess the gun happy Americans think flying would be safer if the flight deck crew were also armed. Then again, guns are supposed to make society safe… that’s true if you exclude the vast amount of high school shootings and public space shootings they’ve had within the past decade.
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EDITED
I agree Walt, only us, Rob and Jason know what we’re talking about. GJ needs to learn to read properly.
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Grumpy, I was speaking for Britain – not USA. As for Federal Flight Deck Officers, they aren’t heard of in the UK (so Walt was correct with his Federal Marshals comment), but this just goes to show that airline pilots should NOT be equipped with weapons.
SOURCE @ WIKIPEDIA:
“On March 24, 2008, a US Airways pilot’s gun accidentally went off on Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte, North Carolina. The pilot was a Federal Flight Deck Officer and was authorized to carry the weapon by the US Transportation Security Administration. No one was injured and the aircraft landed safely.[5] According to the pilot, the gun fired while he was trying to stow it. The bullet went through the floor of the cockpit and tore a small hole in the exterior of the plane. The plane was pulled from service for repairs.[6]”
Once again, Americans are too gun happy. Look at Britain – a fine example of gun control. How long will it take for Obama to clear up guns off the streets? God only knows.
Rob G makes an excellent point. Passengers should take action during a hijacking! Look at the 757 which was hijacked off the coast of East Africa – the passengers did nothing. Look at 9/11 – on 3 of the 4 flights, the passengers did nothing.
Americans are too quick in thinking that guns solve everything when in reality they do not. You can disagree with this old Brit who fought his ass off in the Falklands and Gulf War, but you will >never< win. What are the chances of 9/11 ever occurring again anyway?
March 8th, 2010 at 2:04 am
um, watch a film “snakes on a plane” every aircraft fanatic has stumbled across that movie on foxtel.
the story goes that the plane is full of venomous snakes their biting every one, that will smith (or look a bit like) guy has a gun and he shoots the side of the aircraft, every one is tried to the ground and theirs this big wooshy noise and the snakes fall out along with half the side of the aircraft and the fat annoying kid. Now that was as it was coming into land. do you think it would be all that wise to have a gun in the pilots back pocket? I think that the plain clothes cops that are on most flights do but the whole plane would be screwed if it went off in a pressurized cabin.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Guns in the cockpit are not the answer. I have been out of the loop for a couple of years, but at least back then, there was a program pilots could go through that would allow them to carry a gun. The real reason many pilots went through it was because it allowed them to skip the airport security altogether. Very few actually took the gun out, during flight, and kept it on their hip.
Think of it this way. Pilots are strapped in to their seat with a 5 point harness. Let’s pretend they have a gun on their hip. Now imagine someone surprising them and breaking into the cockpit with a weapon (fire extinguisher, portable O2 bottle, etc.). Would you be quick enough to get the gun out, turn around, aim and fire without hitting, say the first officer?
If the pilots get surprised by someone breaking into the cockpit, it’s already too late. The cockpits are too small and the attacker has a big advantage (he/she is standing up and already has a weapon ready). The answer is to prevent them from ever getting in… and that’s where the passengers come in.
An even worse scenario would be one where a pilot walks out of the cockpit, gun drawn, to try to stop something. That’s only going to result in passengers getting hurt/killed. There are better ways to stop things from happening.
Guns suck, especially in an airplane.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:18 am
GJ is the only one who knows what he’s talking about here.
The only eligible candidates for the FFDO program are airline pilots. Perhaps those here claiming to be airline pilots had better learn to read.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:48 am
Ahh.. a fellow republican…
yes, federal flight marshall
don’t let hte liberals take away our guns!
March 8th, 2010 at 3:25 am
GJ is right, they’re called FFDOs.
And nobody wears a five-point the whole flight.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:01 am
Sure, in the United States many are.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:41 am
Yeah.. I don’t know what “airline” Rob flew for… but I have 25,000 hours and 30+ years in the industry… you release your shoulder straps almost immediately after take off. Furthermore… even if I WAS belted in, and someone came through that door I would STILL want to be able to defend my crew and aircraft. If ANY one of those crews on September 11th had been armed, they would still be alive today.
THAT being said, take note that the Obama administration has already begun proceedings to end the FFDO program even though it has been 100% effective. Yet another piece if idiotic legislature to weaken our defenses.
WHY??? ” Because *I* WON “