To all the Americans out there who think that the only terroorist attack in the world ever happened in New York last year. I have seen first hand the aftermath of terrorist attacks in the UK and N Ireland. I lived in Manchester at the time of the bombing there and actually heard it go off. I was in my house 9 miles away at the time. Good luck and a bit of hard work on behalf of the local police and fire services meant no one was killed, although many were seriously injured. Later I moved to Ealing. The IRA promptly blew up the town centre there. And the railway line. I have comforted and Irish friend after he has seen the devastation and death on the TV of people from his home town bombed, and have worked in Portadown and had to stop work because I was prevented by burning cars from driving down the street. (I feel angry enough to make the comment here that a great deal of the IRA's funding came and is STILL being provided by Christian Americans who seemingly think the death of UK citizens is somehow different to the death of US citizens.) We have learnt over the years that terrorism is the result of a bunch of breakaway fanatics. That going to their country of origin and shooting all of their families will not work. After trying to deal with a difficult situation for decades we then get Bill Clinton striding round telling us how terrorism should be deal with. And when it isn't happening to his own country you can bet your bottom dollar he didn't advocate violence and war.
The world has changed for the worse since last year. There is no doubt about that. Americans thinks so, Europeans thinks so, certainly your average Afghan in the street thinks so. And yet still the US has not looked inside itself to think about why the Arab world hates it so much. I can tell you one thing for nothing. US gunships strafing weddings doesn't help.
So in the end the US will arm its pilots to prevent a hijack happening again. The terrorists are intelligent. They have probably already moved on. We know in Britain that even without killing people the entire destruction of the centre of a major city can have a devastating effect on the economy. And these people just want to hurt America. They could attack so many things that are not even aviation linked and still kill thousands of people in one go. America was so convinced of its own invulnerability at the time that it did not even check hand luggage. Be aware they have probably already identified other weaknesses.
I, for one, will never support the introduction of guns onto the flight deck. However being an oiky European not used to handling guns I probably wouldn't be allowed one anyway. As I mentioned before - it is ludicrous to arm one group of pilots with guns when another lot isn't even allowed a proper metal spoon to eat breakfast with. If the flight deck and guns are going to be so secure why can't I even have a firkin spoon?
One last thing for the US pilots out there - where is the 't' in Bovingdon?