Secure cockpit doors?

From: Ernest <ernestls_at_home.com>
Date: Wed Sep 12 11:46:22 2001

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Sudbrink" <wh.sudbrink_at_verizon.net>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 7:10 AM
Subject: Re: OT: World Trade crash...


>
> Mike Ford [mikeford_at_socal.rr.com] wrote:
>
> > Very sadly I suspect this type of attack to be
> > repeated soon. It was simply too easy and too
> > effective, for other organizations not to try
> > it again.
>
> I doubt that. As a matter of fact, I think that
> most airline hijacking will cease to be effective.
> I think that, after this, any able bodied person
> on a hijacked plane will resist with their life.
> I know that I would, rather than die as part of
> an instrument used to kill many more.

It seem logical that, after seeing what a hijacker COULD do, the airlines
will install secure doors to the cockpit. The idea being that if a hijacker
takes the plane, the most he can do is either blow up the plane, or command
the pilots to fly to a certain destination but they would not be able to get
into the cockpit themselves. This would be expensive, and it would take time
but I think that they should consider it.

This would be emotionally hard for the pilots because certainly the hijacker
would threaten to kill passengers if the cockpit door isn't opened but all
things considered, I'm sure that the pilots and passengers would rather see
the plane go down than see a repeat of yesterday's tragedy. It seems more
likely that a few people would be injured but the damage would be contained
if the cockpit doors are secured.

Also, the news reports indicate that the hijackers had knives. Knife wounds
are not as physically tramatic, nor as fatal as gun shot wounds so I would
assume that people would attack the hijackers if they started to cut people.
Bombs and guns are not easy to smuggle onto a plane these days so it seems
logical that hijackers would have to resort to other weapons, like clubs or
knives, etc..

After what happened yesterday, I basically agree that flight hijacking will
cease to be effective. That doesn't mean that terrorists won't continue to
blow them up, etc. -they still like to kill and destroy after all but it
will be much more difficult for organized terrorist groups to think of an
airplane as a tool of mass destruction.

E.
Received on Wed Sep 12 2001 - 11:46:22 BST