thots on how to avoid any further hijackings

[Fry]

firstly, i believe the american perception on hijackings have changed. no longer will we remain complacent while we're held at knifepoint while being told that no harm will come to us.

having said that, i believe that the airlines need to implement a redesign of airplanes themselves. it should be that the tray can be slid off so that they can be utilized to parry knife thrusts and whatnot, and you can also use these detachable tables as blunt weapons.

I'm being entirely serious on this matter, no matter how laughable this may sound.

 

[lsd]

FYI: there are portable oxygen bottles (they are green) thoughout 57's and 67's each of them near a flight attendents jumpseat. These bottles could be used to cause blunt trauma.

 

[Bitek]

For starters, bring back the sky marshalls, and make better cockpit doors, that can be securely locked, with instructions to the captains not to open the doors for anything!

How bout a button that activates an autopilot or remote operator that cannot be turned off. Ex. a highjacker comes aboard, captain hits button, highjacker says "I wanna go to Kabul," pilot says, can't, we no longer have control of the plane. Lands at nearest airport, police storm and fvk up highjacker.

Who the hell put a button that can turn off the data recorders?! Delete this option or make it inaccessable (like breaker underneath in cargo)

Start making the rest of the plane out of whatever they use for the black boxes, I want a seat in there! (joke)

Lets see what else...

 

[lsd]

<< Who the hell put a button that can turn off the data recorders?! >>



They pull the circuit breaker for the transponder. Also the only way i've seen to disable the fdr's and cvr's is to pull the circuit breakers. They are collored red and easy to spot. Why those breakers are in the cockpit is beyond me.

 

[IBhacknU]

<< They are collored red and easy to spot. Why those breakers are in the cockpit is beyond me. >>

Maybe so if it blows (for whatever reason), the circuit breaker can be replaced?

 

[OSUdrunk]

Why would you make tray tables into weapons? Then you don't even need to smuggle box cutters and plastic knives onboard to hijack a plane. All you need is 10 or 20 people to buy tickets and use their tray tables to hit unsuspecting pilots and others over the head with trays. Think about it. Our goal should be to eliminate objects that could be used as weapons, not increase them.

Just like you, I am being entirely serious. Think about it.

 

[OSUdrunk]

Also, I think it's pretty unrealistic to hit a button that automatically lands a plane at the nearest airport. That's pretty far out on the horizon. We have planes that fly themselves, but not planes that automatically land too. What would you do if the runway was blocked right before you try to land? You can't stop the plane from landing because the magic button is enabled. Tragedy waiting to happen.

However, I definitely think cockpits should have more safety features, i.e. locks on doors.

 

[lsd]

<< Maybe so if it blows (for whatever reason), the circuit breaker can be replaced >>




circuit breakers are resettable. What they can do if it pops is land at the nearest suitable airport so maintenance can reset it.



<< but not planes that automatically land too >>



Sort of wrong. There is autoland where the plane lands by itself. AFAIK only at airports with ILS enabled runways (some correct me if i'm wrong) can autoland be done. But of course the autopilot computers can just say "hey i wanna land right now" the pilot has to use the FMS to select autoland at the approiate airport.
(any pilots out there correct me if i'm wrong)

 

[Fry]

Hmmm OSUDrunk, you have a point there. In that case, maybe the airlines should be hiring martial arts experts to marshall the flights - their hands and feet serve as deadly weapons.

Seriously, I have often thought...man, what if Steven Segal were on those flights....

 

[StageLeft]

1) Sky marshalls with low-caliber guns
2) Pilots do NOT open the door

This combined with increased airport security will set us all right up.

firstly, i believe the american perception on hijackings have changed. no longer will we remain complacent while we're held at knifepoint while being told that no harm will come to us.

That too, unless a plane with very few passengers is hijacked I think there will be a brawl. Cause if you're gonna die anyway you might as well go down fighting and a plane of 100 passengers is going to make even 5 crazy mutherfvckers with knives have a bad day.

 

[LocutusX]

<< Seriously, I have often thought...man, what if Steven Segal were on those flights.... >>



Steven Seagal can't stop hijackers... remember Executive Decision?

I heard some Canadian silliness on the radio the other day... apparently, all this time, cockpit doors are always unlocked, it's only at the "first sign of trouble" that someone in the cockpit locks it (!). A wonder there havent been that many Canadian hijackings. But they seemed to have just passed a law here, requiring cockpit doors to be kept locked at all times as soon as it detaches from the gate... for all flights, domestic or foreign.

 

[HowardStern]

I say just give the pilot and co-pilot and navigator guns and made their door much better. No need for Sky Marshall.

 

[StageLeft]

I heard some Canadian silliness on the radio the other day... apparently, all this time, cockpit doors are always unlocked, it's only at the "first sign of trouble" that someone in the cockpit locks it (!).

Thats right, they have it the right way now

howard Arming the pilots was one option I heard but they have to fly the plane and have no combat training, so its probably better to give a gun to a sky marshall.

 

[venk]

I think there should be a system anestasize the entire plane except for the cockpit.

 

[Fry]

Venk! Excellent thought!

They should just fill the compartment with laughing gas or chloroform (sp?)

 

[piku]

Venk, that is a damn good idea.

The only problem is the liability airlines would then have. I mean, what if someone doesn't wake up?

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

<< Sort of wrong. There is autoland where the plane lands by itself. AFAIK only at airports with ILS enabled runways (some correct me if i'm wrong) can autoland be done. But of course the autopilot computers can just say "hey i wanna land right now" the pilot has to use the FMS to select autoland at the approiate airport. >>

correct. i was at a tech conference with some speakers from nasa and they said we have the technology (this was about 2 years ago) to completely automate the flying process. taxiing, take-off, landings, the works. the biggest problem would be passengers, would you trust a plane with no pilot?

i dont know if ILS will completely land the plane, it should take you down the glide slope but as far as final touchdown, im not sure. it make take very small corrections by a pilot to "feel" the plane down rather than have the computer just plop it down. but ILS does a majority of the work.

 

[Wallydraigle]

Of course if they enable that type of anesthetization everyone will have to sign release forms before boarding, so there might be some opposition to it, but otherwise a good idea. When they depressurize the compartment how long before everyone passes out, provided you don't have supplemental oxygen? That might be safer if it's fast enough. There needs to be at least two sky marshalls ready with pistols on each flight. The chances of taking out both marshalls without the other one knowing are slim. I can't think of a really good reason to even have a door from the cockpit to the passenger compartment, but maybe I'm missing something. If there's no door it becomes very difficult once the plane is airborne for a highjacker to gain entry into the cockpit. Of course then measures would need to be taken to ensure that the highjacker doesn't pose as the pilot before takeoff. The sky marshalls would also have codes to dump the fuel from outside the cockpit in case all other measures failed. These things along with hightened security at the airport should make it a lot safer to fly.

 

[CoffeeIsGod]

This isn't entirely serious (and is too simmilar to the NRA argument for my liking) but why not give everybody knives at the departure gate?

 

[weezergirl]

seriously tho, now that they've done the airplane thing and security is so heightened do you think they would try it again? arent' there easier and new ways to cause mass destruction?

 

[Bitek]

<< correct. i was at a tech conference with some speakers from nasa and they said we have the technology (this was about 2 years ago) to completely automate the flying process. taxiing, take-off, landings, the works. the biggest problem would be passengers, would you trust a plane with no pilot? >>



I'm mean really, if they can design a craft that can fly, land and explore the surface of Mars itself, they could get a plane to land itself in an EMERGENCY. Plus here you could get the benefit of remote operators anyway. all this doesn't really matter anyway, as this is just fantasy.
The point is, we need to find a way to remove the value of the plane from the highjacker, so they don't have any incentive to try and take it over. If the plane can't be controlled by them, it has no value.

This system wouldn't even have to be used, just the knowledge that is it exists would be a deterent. Plus, I'd trust a computer to fly me home, than trust a hijacker.

 

[Maetryx]

Unless we get on the plane naked, there will be "weapons" on people who can improvise. Right now I'm wearing steel toed boots, a belt, and I've got a regular old ball point pen in my pocket. I also have two sets of keys dangling from my belt.

And I can get on any airplane in the U.S. with my "weapons".

Since we can't eliminate "weapons" from desperate people, we shouldn't eliminate weapons from rational people. All the efforts to disarm the flying population does NOT result in added security.

 

[techbuzz]

My dad is a pilot for American Airlines. He flies MD-80s. I asked him... A plane on autopilot can fly and land without the pilot touching the controls.

RED DAWN is my favorite movie of all time!!

 

[merlocka]

1) traing and arm the pilots with handguns, use rubber bullets to prevent rapid decompression
2) make the cockpit unaccessable, sturdy bulletproof door. pilots are not to deviate flightplan for hijackers.

we must make it clear that the plane will not be used as a missle, even at the cost of the passengers if need be.

 

[HowardStern]

<< Unless we get on the plane naked, there will be "weapons" on people who can improvise >>



Then maybe we should fly naked!