The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - *How do you defend yourself against a terrorist on a plane with a knife?*

Cal4D4 · September 28, 2001, 12:55 AM

When your plane gets hijacked, you will be sitting in a window seat eating your smoked almonds and sipping your half can of cola. Some loonie is going to be running down the aisle toward the cockpit - probably a 10 - 20 second journey - bashing and slashing aisle seat people with whatever and screaming about his bomb when he gets up front.

As you climb over Rosie O'Donnell and Congresscritter Natter to end this miscreant's pain you will be stopped by good minded passengers responding to the stewardess' screams as the terrorist applies lethal levels of distortion or slashing to her neck as he warns you to get back. At least for the first few moments most are going to be surprised, confused and demoralized. This is all that is needed at first.

Cockpit doors are designed to yield at 40# of force so cockpit can be an escape route, just in case. If that door doesn't yield and the pilot has the stones he can make life marginal for anyone not strapped in.

Give the engineer a video monitor on the cargo and the aircrew a panic button. FAA can work out approved barrel rolls and whoop de doos. "Attention passengers, please put on your seatbelts, you have a hijacker standing in 1st class and I am about to start evasive maneuvers". If the perp straps in, have the air crew halt the drill and beat the perp to mush a la the panicky woman in "Airport".

As for air marshals, 10,000 flights /day. El Al, 1-2000 flights/year.

September 28, 2001, 12:55 AM	#64
Cal4D4 Senior Member Join Date: June 18, 2001 Location: southern california Posts: 679	Reaction/reaction time When your plane gets hijacked, you will be sitting in a window seat eating your smoked almonds and sipping your half can of cola. Some loonie is going to be running down the aisle toward the cockpit - probably a 10 - 20 second journey - bashing and slashing aisle seat people with whatever and screaming about his bomb when he gets up front. As you climb over Rosie O'Donnell and Congresscritter Natter to end this miscreant's pain you will be stopped by good minded passengers responding to the stewardess' screams as the terrorist applies lethal levels of distortion or slashing to her neck as he warns you to get back. At least for the first few moments most are going to be surprised, confused and demoralized. This is all that is needed at first. Cockpit doors are designed to yield at 40# of force so cockpit can be an escape route, just in case. If that door doesn't yield and the pilot has the stones he can make life marginal for anyone not strapped in. Give the engineer a video monitor on the cargo and the aircrew a panic button. FAA can work out approved barrel rolls and whoop de doos. "Attention passengers, please put on your seatbelts, you have a hijacker standing in 1st class and I am about to start evasive maneuvers". If the perp straps in, have the air crew halt the drill and beat the perp to mush a la the panicky woman in "Airport". As for air marshals, 10,000 flights /day. El Al, 1-2000 flights/year.