Don't Answer That.

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents the 11,000 pilots who fly for American Airlines, issued an appeal to the federal government Tuesday to expand the Federal Flight Deck Officer program to enable more pilots to undergo training and certification. The TSA has done everything possible to make certification of armed pilots as onerous and inconvenient as possible, and many are tinking out loud that the TSA is perhaps dragging its feet.

"In light of the recent news reports that terrorists are plotting new attacks against commercial aviation, it is imperative that we accelerate the number of trained Federal Flight Deck Officers in the cockpits of our nation's airliners," said Captain John Darrah, APA President. "Arming the cockpit provides a meaningful deterrent and critical last line of defense against a terrorist attack."

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, APA was in the forefront of lobbying efforts to secure the right for commercial pilots to carry firearms in the cockpit. Currently, the Federal Flight Deck Officer program is operating at a reduced capacity as a consequence of the Transportation Security Administration's decision to discontinue training at the federal law enforcement training center in Glynco, Ga. after Labor Day and shift all training to a site in Artesia (NM).

Each weekly training class is limited to 48 pilots. Another potential impediment is the location of the Artesia facility itself, which is 269 miles from the closest major airport in Albuquerque (NM). The training program is voluntary and pilots must pay all of their travel expenses, lodging and daily expenses. Some members of Congress have proposed contracting out the training to private companies at multiple locations.

"With the renewed threat of terrorism against commercial aviation and the cutbacks in the number of Federal Air Marshals aboard flights, APA is more convinced than ever that arming the cockpit could well be the key in preventing another successful attack against our industry," said Darrah. "The Federal Flight Deck Officer program must be expanded and recognized as a top national security priority. We cannot afford to be complacent or permit bureaucracy to stand in the way of this critical program."

History:

In 1776, some really smart guys wrote to the world, explaining why they were telling the King of England to stuff it. Here are a few of their gripes:

• He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
• He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
• He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
• He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

[Hey, TSA -- look in the mirror --ed.]

FMI: www.alliedpilots.org