The recent case of the Air Canada Jazz CRJ where the first officer and/or flight attendant in the cockpit had to take the cockpit door off its hinges to allow the captain back in, along with the article “It Won’t Happen to You, of Course...But What if it Does?” by Bob Merrick in Transport Canada’s Aviation Safety Letter 3/2006 brought this thread to mind. Anyone who has read that article will no doubt be wondering exactly what the first officer and/or flight attendant used to remove the hinges. For those who have not read it, the article strongly makes the case that in the event of a forced landing or crash the occupants of a plane might be dependant for survival and safety solely on what is in their pockets or on their person. Flight crews and pax should be appropriately dressed and should carry on their person the necessary survival gear. As he states: “Sure, there is survival gear in the aircraft, but sometimes airplanes burn following unusual landings, the survival stuff goes with it, and you’re left with what you have on your back and in your pockets.”
Apart from wearing suitable clothing, a pilot should have on him such items as matches in a waterproof container, mosquito repellent, a signalling mirror, a Mini Maglite and of course a Swiss Army knife or similar multi-purpose tool. Was it a Swiss Army knife that the CRJ crew used? I presume a CRJ’s cockpit does not normally contain a tool kit with suitable screwdrivers as part of its standard equipment. A crash axe would probably be too big to undo the sort of screws used for hinges. This would seem to indicate a Swiss Army knife or similar tool was used. If so, well done to the crew for being properly equipped. It supports the case that pilots should always carry Swiss Army knives and Mini Maglites on their belts. You never know when you might have to remove the cockpit door!
What about airport security personnel objecting to pilots carrying Swiss Army knives? Transport Canada has supplied the answer. Pilots have a duty and responsibility to themselves and their passengers to carry essential survival equipment on their person! Where I fly in Africa it is normal for both professional pilots and the smarter private types, such as farmers and missionaries, to carry a Swiss Army knife and Mini Maglite on their belts. As far as we are concerned these are no-go items, an essential part of our job equipment. Apart from possible survival use to build a fire to keep hungry wild animals (hyenas and lions here and bears in Canada) at bay or for warmth or to create smoke or for cooking or boiling water, I always check round the plane at each stop and find that the screwdriver blades of my Wenger Ranger knife come in handy from time to time to tighten loose fasteners or screws on various panels or the engine cowlings. Twice at remote locations I have been unable to start one engine and the boss and his engineering staff have had to come to the rescue in another aircraft. On both occasions at his request, because he knew I carried a Swiss Army knife, I was able to save considerable time by using my knife’s screwdriver blades to undo the myriad of fasteners and screws to remove the offending engine’s cowlings and covers before they arrived.
In several years in Africa, flying through numerous international airports in different countries as well as the bush strips, I have not heard of any pilot carrying a Swiss Army knife or similar tool having a problem with over-zealous security personnel. Security personnel here apply some common sense and intelligence to the carrying out of their duties. Most countries have laws regarding unlawful interference with air traffic or obstruction of aircrews in the performance of their duties. Trying to deprive aircrews of essential small repair and survival equipment would fall under this. If bothered by such obstruction, refuse to go without the necessary items, call the police and insist that the offending security person be charged. Make sure your dispatch knows the situation. Take note of the ID of both the security person and the cop and ensure that the matter is followed up. Security personnel are supposed to be there to help flight crews and air operators conduct a safe flight, not hinder them!