More than 4,000 Now Armed Flight Deck Officers

Although less than two years old, the Federal Flight Deck Officers Program, which arms cockpit crew members in hopes of providing commercial flights with a last-ditch protection system, has grown to become the nation's fourth-largest law enforcement organization. And to hear it told in Washington, the program is much more of a success than even the TSA's air marshal operation.

But, as with any federal program, there have been some glitches.

Take, for instance, the case of an armed pilot pulled from a flight last month and accused of trying to fly drunk. Or the FDOP pilot who was arrested for carrying government-issued ammunition in his luggage while flying off-duty.

There are also complaints from pilot union executives that the pilots aren't getting any pertinent intelligence from Washington. They aren't on the distribution list for items like the government's report on suspicious incidents, which is issued every week.

"The government wants it both ways," said one pilot quoted by Time Magazine in its Monday editions. "They want us to protect aircraft, but they don't want to pay much for it, cover us for injuries or even really treat us as law-enforcement officers."

FMI: www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=79&_content=0900051980083738