Copyright 2001 The Denver Post All Rights Reserved
The Denver Post
September 26, 2001 Wednesday 2D EDITION
SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A-09
LENGTH: 594 words
HEADLINE:Arm airline pilots, union chief urges Cockpit must be defended,
congressional panel told
BYLINE: By Mike
Soraghan, Denver Post Washington Bureau,
BODY: WASHINGTON - Airline pilots should be allowed
to carry guns into their cockpits to defend against armed hijackers,
the head of the airline pilots' union told Congress on Tuesday.
'Today, we are dealing with terrorist suicidal
operations,' Capt. Duane Woerth, head of the Air Line Pilots
Association, told a House subcommittee. 'The cockpit must be
defended, and pilots must play a pivotal role in protecting their
place of work.'
His recommendation comes as Congress,
federal officials and the aviation industry search for ways to make
airplanes less vulnerable now that terrorists have shown that
jetliners can be easily taken over and used as guided missiles to
devastating effect.
Representatives of the aviation
industry also recommended installing stun guns in cockpits and even
in the cabin, building stronger cockpit doors to keep intruders out,
and limiting the size and amount of carry-on baggage.
And in the week after airlines got a $ 15 billion bailout
from the federal government, airport executives asked for
federal dollars to pay for the increased security they've been
enforcing since flights resumed.
But the
hearing showed that the aviation industry is not united on the idea
of turning over security operations at airports to the federal
government, an idea being pushed by many leaders, including Rep.
Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Denver Mayor Wellington Webb.
While airlines are solidly behind a 'fully
federalized seamless security system,' airport executives say the
federal government could set stronger standards and provide
detailed intelligence without taking over.
'The idea of one size fits all may not be appropriate,'
said David Plavin, president of the Airports Council International.
'We also know what happens when we don't have adequate response.'
Currently, only law enforcement officers are allowed to
carry weapons on airplanes. Airlines can seek permission to let
crew members carry weapons, but only after getting a training
program approved by the FAA, and no airline has ever sought such
approval, said FAA spokesman Hank Price.
Under the pilot union's proposal, pilots would have
to undergo training and screening to be deputized as federal
law enforcement officers, similar to the now well-known sky
marshals. The union had previously opposed the idea of allowing guns
in the cockpit but said the new reality of terrorism has changed
minds.
Woerth said that special bullets are available
that would not pierce the hull of an aircraft when fired,
avoiding depressurization in the cabin.
But
that didn't mollify Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., who said she
thinks there should be fewer weapons on airplanes, not more.
'My opinion is that it's the pilot's job to concentrate
on flying the plane,' Tauscher said. 'I hope we can work toward
a compromise that does not increase weaponry at our airports.'
She said many of her constituents, including many
pilots, have told her they don't like the idea.
But one pilot who does like the idea says he doesn't like
that both crew and passengers are at the mercy of criminals
and terrorists.
'We have to restore
confidence in our customers,' said Mike Quaintance, who lives in Park
County and flies Boeing 777s for Continental. 'If we don't get their
confidence back, we will have a long-term problem. And arming pilots
will restore confidence.'
Denver Post staff writer
Karen Auge contributed to this report.
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