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On 2/25/2003 1:58:38 AM boresight wrote:
Why even wait for an intruder to breech the flight deck door? Once the flight crew determines that somebody is attempting to breech the door, simply and radically modify the attitude of the aircraft. A would-be intruder is foiled from the get go if he is unable to remain standing on a stable platform.
"Float" the intruder into the ceiling, wall or send him rolling back down the aisle. Use the plane as a weapon against them while the non-flying pilot removes the pistol from the lock box and calls in the incident. By then the passengers have probably figured out what the heck is going on and are body slamming the crap out of the poor basta**!
Could also be practiced in the simulators easier and safer than practice drawing the gun, although that should be thoroughly trained as well.
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Abrupt maneuvers of the aircraft could be effective at dirsrupting a hijack attempt but there are limitations:
- Aircraft design limitations: Transport aircraft are not fighters and have a tighter maneuverability envelope. The verdict is still out on AA587, but the manufacturer implies that a simple reversal of flight control inputs caused structural failure. I do not necassarily endorse this position, but it is something to consider.
- Inability to differentiate whom you disable during such maneuvering. The positive or negative G forces apply to everyone onboard. If the hijackers are disabled, so are the passengers and flight attendants. You're going to hurt a lot of people in this process and the non flying pilot is not going to be retrieving anything from a cockpit lockbox while you're at it (Those GSA approved safes had me pulling my hair out when I tried to access them on the ground let alone under negative G's).
- The simulator cannot simulate G forces and would be a poor training tool for this type of tactic.
