My point was that if a terrorist is going to impersonate a pilot with fake ID etc, (or pressure a real pilot into smuggling something for him), he will not do it in order to smuggle a pennknife. But, he might do it to smuggle a gun or a bomb airside. Therefore, as I said, I think itīs sufficient to screen us pilots for bombs and guns, not nailclippers. That way security will also stop the possibility of pressuring real pilots into smuggling things that they have to hand over to terrorists airside (or else, their wife and kids will be killed).
US pilots who carry guns must surely have some kind of license for that so it will not be any more of a problem than it is today.
I know that I donīt need a gun to do harm with my aircraft, but the only argument for screening pilots that I find understandable is that pilots can be pressured into smuggling things airside. Terrorists can take a pilots family hostage and coerce the pilot into smuggling something through security and handing it over to another terrorist who is waiting inside the security zone.
If pilots werenīt screened at all, they would become a loophole that terrorists could use. Todays solution to that problem is the ridicilous screening that we now have to live with every day at work. What Iīm suggesting is a more sensible solution that would make life much easier for us pilots, without creating a loophole for the terrorists. Wouldnīt that be nice enough, Johnny767?
Unfortunately, I think that we will have to accept some level of screening of pilots even if we have total control of the aircraft.
Last edited by Ladusvala; 25th Sep 2008 at 20:48.