And just when you thought things couldn't get any crazier...
COCKPIT WEAPONS -- DEVILISH DETAILS OF DEPLOYMENT: The homeland
security bill that became law late last month allows airline pilots to
carry weapons aloft, but the next step is not an easy one: Volunteers
must be recruited, training programs must be put in place and somebody
has to pay for it all. The new law stipulates that the training is to
begin by Feb. 25, but no funding is provided by Congress. Al Aitken,
spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, told the Associated Press
that he expects about 30,000 of the 100,000 airline pilots in the U.S.
will volunteer. Industry groups are now working with the government to
establish a training plan. One such proposal would consist of a five-
day, 48-hour course in which pilots would fire 2,000 rounds of
ammunition, and then participate in a simulated hijacking. Bulletproof
cockpit doors are due to be installed by April.