Ideas for ways to make planes more terrorist proof. Good, Bad, needs work?

[Freejack2]

What they should do is train and equip the cockpit crew with fast acting tranquilizer guns. This way the terrorists hijack the flight, the cockpit crew puts some darts in the hijackers and the hijackers wake up in a jail cell.
Some important measures would have to be taken though. The cockpit door should be closed and locked from the time the plane pulls away from the terminal until the time the plane pulls into the destination terminal. If the stewards are going to be serving the cockpit crew on the flight, the stewards may not like this but at least one member of the cockpit crew would be pointing a dart gun at whoever entered the cockpit until the cockpit door was locked again. This would prevent terrorists from walking in behind the stewards. Besides should they accidentally shoot, the steward would be taking a nice nap for the rest of the trip and the cockpit crew member would just feel really stupid. The cost of this would be cockpit crew training, and the dart guns.

Another good but more expensive option is to put knockout gas vents into the cabin of the plane. Should terrorists take over the plane and threaten to kill people if they aren't let into the cockpit, the crew just has to turn on the knockout gas. Yeah, unfortunately the passengers are asleep too, but the important thing is no one gets hurt, and the terrorists once again wake up in a jail cell. Airport security would of course have to scan for gas masks on carryons.

 

[Monel Funkawitz]

Put a large bomb on every plane. If it gets hijacked, they push the button on the ground and KABOOM.

Sad, but its going to come to this someday.

 

[Wallydraigle]

There's been a few threads about this already. Many fine thoughts can be gleaned from those threads.

 

[jpsj82]

i have a better idea. has anyone seen the movies us marshels, with tommy lee jones? do you remember how they locked everyone in, we should do that on all plane flights now. that way the terriost can't get out of their seats.

 

[palad]

Do it like Con Air -- just shackle each passenger to their seat.

 

[Aenygma]

Double locked doors to cockpit. Air Marshels. Defensive training for pilots and crew.

 

[mrCide]

lock em in.. so if it goes down in water they cant get out.. sure

i like the idea of marshalls/armed guards on the plane, with a locked door to the cockpit which cant be shot through/blown through.

 

[Lars]

People should only be able to access the cockpits from the ground when the plane is at the airport. So the only thing you need is an extra door that opens to the outside and a toilet especially for the cockpit, and of course a coffee machine. Can't be much safer.

 

[dc]

yup, seal off the cockpit area completely, give them a bathroom and a kitchen. no one gets in or out of cockpit once it takes off.

 

[miniMUNCH]

The isolated cockpit idea has been in the minds of designers for a long time (this from my Air Force friend)...it has been waiting for reason to be pushed into reality.

I think this is it...future designed commerical transit aircraft will probably have isolated cockpits (w/bathroom and food service).

 

[Freejack2]

All these ideas cost a small fortune and as for locking everyone in. Won't happen. Most flyers do not want to feel like a prisoner on a flight.
The idea of having a cockpit that can only be entered on the ground is a good idea for any new planes to be built but is a rather expensive thing to do. If I recall correctly on some planes the entrance to the plane is right behind the cockpit. In these cases any modifications would require that door to be moved...