Hi all,

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.
>
> "The Declaration of Independence says 'We, the people' and that's just
> what it is when we're up in the air: we, the people, vs. would-be
> terrorists. I don't think we are going to have any such problem today or
> tomorrow or for a while, but some time down the road, it is going to
> happen again and I want you to know what to do.
>
> "Now, since we're a family for the new few hours, I'll ask you to turn to
> the person next to you, introduce yourself, tell them a little about
> yourself and ask them to do the same."
>
> The end of this remarkable speech brought sustained clapping  from the
> passengers. He had put the matter in perspective. If only the passengers
> on those ill-fated flights last Tuesday had been given the same talk, I
> thought, they might be alive today. One group on United Flight 93, which
> crashed in a Pennsylvania field, apparently rushed the hijackers in an
> attempt to wrest control from them. While they perished, they succeeded in
> preventing the terrorist from attacking his intended goal, possibly the
> White House or the Capitol. Procedures for dealing with hijackers were
> conceived in a time when the hijackers were usually seeking the release of
> jailed comrades or a large amount of money. Mass murder was not their
> goal. That short talk last Saturday by the pilot of Flight 564 should set
> a new standard of realism.
>
> Every passenger should learn the simple -- but potentially life-saving --
> procedure he outlined. He showed his passengers that a hijacking does not
> have to result in hopelessness and terror, but victory over the
> perpetrators.
>
> The Airline Pilots Association, the pilots' union, last week dropped its
> opposition to stronger cockpit doors and is now calling for retrofits.
> (It's opposition was based on pilot concerns about getting out easily in
> emergency situations.) The scandal of easily penetrated airport security
> will result in congressional calls for a federal takeover of the security
> system.
>
> Previous efforts to reform security procedures and raise standards have
> been talked to death. This time, however, no lobbying efforts must be
> allowed to prevent airport security from getting the reforms that are
> needed: federal operation, rigorous training, decent pay and no foreign
> nationals eligible for employment.
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> This article was mailed from The Washington Times

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