OH DRONE BORE AND WHINGE>>here we go again with the age-old arming pilots debate.
Ok folks,,I understand, and can even in some ways agree with both sides of the arguments, but let me say just this..
Whenever you visit most non-UK airports, many of the ground staff (security, customs, immigration and others) all carry guns...IT's NOT A BIG DEAL !!!
We don't hear horror stories about these people all suddenly going mad with their weapons.
And what about he young troublesome boy at school who always gets into trouble with a mis-spent youth, has no qualifications, isn't particularly bright and can't find a job...he can still apply to join the army as a squaddie.
After a course of drill marching and discipline, one of th efirst things that happens is..they put a high powered guns in his hands and teach him how to kill.
With no disrespect to them, are we going to sit back and accept an argument that airline plots are less professional, less responsible than these people ?
I dare you to make such an accusation in any pilots crew room.
Of COURSE each individual would have to be trained in the various aspects of gun control etc, and would require specific carriage / storage restrictions, and so on....we don't simply give people a gun and say "Get on with it" like they do in the movies.
And it has to be said that for varous reasons of personal assessment, perhaps a few individuals would be deemed unsuitable to carry such a weapon.
One final point ... and just for the record, I have a long history of using firearms (pistols) and also making the ammunition.
I'm not by any means an expert on the subject, but I can promise you that it's easy for ammunition to me made which would flatten (not necessarily kill) a terrorist without damaging any part of the aircraft other than a slight dent if it was to miss., and would not likely kill an innocent passenger at any distance more than point blank.
This guns debate is an important one, but please, lets keep this debate based on reality, and not over-opinionated self-imposed expertise.
This website can be read by anyone, and comments like "I wouldn't fly in an airliner if the pilot had a gun" has as much use as saying "I'll never go on holiday because the airport staff there carry guns"..and such comments are not doing any justice to the vast majority of pilots who work hard at keeping their professionalism to the highest standards.
