Murray
I am a pilot who has always carried a knife (23 years). Why? I'll tell you.
We wear a 5 point harness which come together in a single quick release fastening (QRF). Twice in my flying career this QRF had failed leaving me literally tied into the aircraft with no means of escape. The groundcrew have had to cut the harness to get me out and send the remaining bits of harness for analysis.
Now these incidents have happened, fortunately, in quiet moments at the end of a duty BUT, had they happened when the aircraft was on fire I would be dead.
So I carry it for that once in a lifetime
event that might save my life!
I do not object to security checks for for crew. After all, the baddies could well be holding my family hostage and getting me to carry something through for them, BUT GET REAL - as previously posted here, we seem to have entered a new age of the hijack and if a pilot is motivated to become a suicide 'hijacker' he/she could stroll through security in their underwear and NOTHING would stop the event taking place.
Security - YES PLEASE - but let's make it practical and not just a publicity stunt for pax and media.
