Well, how should we protect an airplane?

i myself am none too pleased with the results of this recent flight incident. but i don't really have an interest in going through all the current posts, i'm sure burning like rome under nero, and trying to ask this. i think there's a better way than what we are doing now -- and i'm sure many of you out there have ideas how we can do better too. so let's stop picking nits and start formulating better ways to do things. that way we can end bickering conversations like these because we'd "have a better mousetrap" as it were (or whatever someone's PC minded little heart wants to call it). if there's a better solution out there, there's no reason to ever let a tragedy (whether you believe it's right or wrong -- and at this exhausted point i frankly don't care to hear it anymore) like this happen again.

let's nip this in the bud with real ideas.

i'll expose myself to criticism first.

my idea:
1. lock the cockpit from both inside and outside -- naturally supply a restroom to the pilots in some way. i'm not fully up to date but i hear israeli flights do something similar currently. i'd appreciate more info.

2. no ballistic guns on the plane. period. don't need 'em. no real access to the cockpit, no need. tranquilizer guns.... ;) well, now i'd gladly debate that. sounds like fun.

3. better detectors for passengers entering a plane. if there's a current heightened or red alert (whatever that means), search everybody before boarding - no half assed random checks. if they can do it before a concert, sport event, rave, conventions, etc. that deal with 100,000s of fans then we can do if for a flight of around 300 or less. shit, traveling through customs in foreign countries we've had whole flights of people checked before getting on and before leaving. if other countries w/ less money can do it with just more manpower, so can we.

4. better detectors for cargo entering plane. same logic as for #3. basically once you stop guns and bombs (and swords, and cannons, and RPGs...) from entering planes there's no reason to have anything equivalent on the plane held by security. no powerful weapons allowed in by anybody, no real worry about powerful weapons on plane. no sense having an arms race on the airplane. besides, planes are easier to manage as a closed market than like... cities and countries. there's really little excuse.

5. no expectations of perfection -- an impossibility in this world. expectations of minimizing probability fully encouraged.

did i miss anything?

oh and no stupid "what if the whole system fails? what're you gonna do then?" questions. bad logic. if everything fails then what makes you think your suggestion will succeed when "everything fails"? let's try to keep this productive, k? :D

ready, set, go! :toast:

:shrug:

If they don't behave, then they will need to wear orange/white striped outfits or jumpsuits.......:scared:

The passengers should be able to take care of things themselves. Survival of the fittest in the air and on the ground.

Those were some great ideas, some of which are being looked at. I was always against guns in the cockpit as was my husband a pilot for American. Different measure for flights departing from different areas of the world. Cargo screening is important, as well as catering. This gentleman had already been on the aircraft, came from the rear, backpack on his chest instead of back, who was to know whether he retrieved a gun from the aft lav or aft galley? We need to wait and see what the results of the investigation are.

I flew well Ted (United without First Class) and LOL, the both pilots had to walk the dog. :) They have a system in place on their Airbuses. I was up front and watched this. First they get the biggest flight attendent and she moves the drink cart sideways blocking the aisle between the paxs and the bathroom right outside the cockpit. Next she stands there giving everybody the evil eye. First one pilot comes out and walks the dog, then he keys (only weak part I could see) a number into a keypad to open the door. A couple minutes later the second pilot comes out and repeats the process. By this time I have the number to the key pad door lock. Only then does Miss Evil eye move the cart and life goes back to normal....

i guess it'd cost a lot to revamp the planes to accomodate certain functions, but i'm of the opinion that it might be worth it compared to relying on drink carts and intimidating eyebrows (unless it's Divine... all heed Divine's eyebrows :rofl:).

into the space of your average airliner, I've said for a long time that it would be far more humane to sedate the passengers for the duration of the flight and stack them like cordwood. It would probably be less unpleasant than coach currently is.

But from a security standpoint, it would make sense, too.

i might have to agree with you on this one. 9 hours conscious on a flight with my knees being crushed and not getting enough alcohol to go numb... i think you might have the most humane solution here. :7

i remember a family friend with the idea that all you gotta do is load the airplane with some sort of sleeping gas and keep the cockpit locked (or remote controlled). someone starts to get all weird, hit the panic button, gas everyone, land the flight. everyone lands at the next airport safely, gets a nice rest, and no gets shot or listen to screaming children/drunk adults.

to be honest, i'm finding myself in favor of these options more and more i think about it. though i doubt it'll ever happen. nothing that fun ever happens.

:evilfrown:

On second thought, remembering the last person I sat next to on a plane, never mind...

That will minimize casualties in the event of a terrorist attack.

First, this suggestion will do nothing for mad bombers, but it WILL stop hijacking completely.

Modern computers can fly a plane better than a pilot, and land it better too. Still keep the pilots, but have the computer monitor the flight path. Have a method by which a crew member can tell the computer to take over, or if the plane deviates beyond a certain amount from the flight plan, then the computer takes over and emergency lands the plane at one of ten airports closest to the plane (that can handle the plane of course) when the emergency happens. Flight plan changes for diverts around weather, or to alternate airports, and such could be entered from the ground.

Naturally, one paragraph can not fully describe such a system. It would have to be able to handle other situations too. The idea is that the terrorists would not be able to tell the plane where to go, even if they managed to take over. So the plane would be next to useless to them, thereby removing the incentive to hijack one.