Jeff writes:

> Off topic.  This was reported in the Washington Times (I've been told,
>  but not verified).
>
>    Jeff Vance, CSY
>
>
>  > ABOARD FLIGHT 564
>  >
>  > Peter Hannaford
>  > -----------------------------------------------------------
>  >
>  > As it was at most U.S. airports, last Saturday was the first near-normal
>  > day at Denver International since the terrorist attacks. On United's
>  > Flight 564 the door had just been locked and the plane was about to pull
>  > out of the gate when the captain came on the public address system.
>  >
>  > "I want to thank you brave folks for coming out today. We don't have any
>  > new instructions from the federal government, so from now on we're on our
>  > own."
>  >
>  > The passengers listened in total silence.
>  >
>  > He explained that airport security measures had pretty much solved the
>  > problem of firearms being carried aboard, but not weapons of the type the
>  > terrorists apparently used, plastic knives or those fashioned from wood
or
>  > ceramics.
>  >
>  > "Sometimes a potential hijacker will announce that he has a bomb. There
>  > are no bombs on this aircraft and if someone were to get up and make that
>  > claim, don't believe him.
>  >
>  > "If someone were to stand up, brandish something such as a plastic knife
>  > and say 'This is a hijacking' or words to that effect here is what you
>  > should do: Every one of you should stand up and immediately throw things
>  > at that person --pillows, books, magazines, eyeglasses, shoes --anything
>  > that will throw him off balance and distract his attention. If he has a
>  > confederate or two, do the same with them. Most important: get a blanket
>  > over him, then wrestle him to floor and keep him there. We'll land the
>  > plane at the nearest airport and the authorities will take it from
there."
>  >
>  > "Remember, there will be one of him and maybe a few confederates, but
>  > there are 200 of you. You can overwhelm them.

On this same topic, Jeff wrote a week ago about a Silicon Valley-proposed
"safe mode" for aircraft where a GPS-navigated aircraft is automatically
directed to land at the nearest airport (this suggestion actually made one of
the TV news magazines):

     http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2812283,00.html

...and Michael Roach responded with an alternate suggestion:

>A button in the cockpit to release sleepy gas into the cabin (well, it
>works on Star Trek!)

In general, I don't believe in complex technological solutions to relatively
simple problems. Most often, they only exacerbate the problem by providing
more "loopholes" and more points of vulnerability. But Michael Roach's
suggestion is not only doable, it's actually possible to implement it quite
quickly and at moderate cost.

Rather than flood the cabin with "sleepy gas", all that really needs to be
done is to do the opposite: a rapid but controlled depressurization of the
cabin, perhaps to an equivalent altitude of 20,000 feet, simultaneously
overriding the automatic deployment of the oxygen masks. That would almost
immediately render everyone in the cabin unconscious and easily controlled.

To make this sort of system work, once its presence was well known, the
cockpit cabin door and wall would have to be greatly strengthened, but that
too can be done relatively quickly and at moderate cost, if constructed of
something like a kevlar/aluminum sandwich.

While there is some risk of sudden death in some people to hypoxia,
especially in those with genetic defects such as sickle cell anemia, such
actions are always a balance between risk and benefits and alternate
scenarios.

The Air Force and the airlines have exactly opposite rules concerning
hijackings. Up to now, the airline rules have been for the aircrew to be
passive and to do whatever the hijackers want. The Air Force takes a
completely different view. Under no circumstance is the aircraft to be turned
over to the hijackers and all active resistance possible is required. It is
most likely that airliner aircrew will now be instructed to do the same.

Wirt Atmar

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