As a mere airline pilot with no experience at all of things which flash or go bang, can someone please enlighten me? Every time I pass through our crew security process on the way to work, I'm compelled to remove my footwear ("Shoes, Captain, Shoes!") when the metal detector bleeps alarmingly (which is 99% of the time due to the medical-certificate-supported steel pin in my leg) . I've always assumed that this is a result of the "Shoe Bomber" and his activities, but surely, the material he had concealed in his shoe would not have been detected by a metal-detector? So why the shoe removal, even for pax? An explanation would make me much better disposed to the security guys....who have so far been unable to give me a plausible one
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7B