Air marshals' skills doubted

[Draginass]

You don't need to be a marksman to hit a person breaking through a cockpit door. This arguement about "marksmanship skill" is a diversionary tactic by the likes of our incompetent and politically driven security leadership. At that point the alternative to lethal cockpit defense is loss of command of the aircraft in which EVERYONE dies.

I wonder how Magaw feels about all the guns available in the cockpit riding on the hips of fish inspectors, game wardens, barney fifes, and other "authorized" carriers. They don't have SQUAT for training in aircraft defense, are probably not positioned well in the aircraft, do not carry the best caliber weapon, nor suitable ammunition, yet Magaw thinks THEY'RE just fine.

What a farce. If another airplane is taken down by terrorists because the pilots were'nt allowed the tools to defend their pax, crew, and aircraft, I wish these "gentlemen" many sleepless nights - if they have a concience to admit to their folly.

 

[FR8mastr]

Now wait just one minute here, I have read from a few people on this board that we pilots should trust our government to handle all of our problems for us. After all "we are not responsible for the security of our aircraft, we are pilots" So I can't believe that the government would allow any substandard anything, to comprimise aircraft safety. After all they have provided us with unarmed national guardsmen to defend against full frontal assuaults on the airport, at massive expense to our tax dollars and the guardsmen expense so far as their ability to train for what they really do. They have put all the SAME security screeners on the federal payroll to ensure that no crewmembers have the ability to cut their toenails or pluck their eyebrows. So I'm quite sure that their must be some mistake with this.

 

[Dutch Ladybug]

On that subject of security screeners


Security Screeners Get FAA Bonuses
AP | May 26 2002 | AP




Security Screeners Get FAA Bonuses
The Associated Press
May 26 2002 5:35PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is dangling $500 bonuses as incentives to stay on a bit longer to many of the tens of thousands of privately hired airport security screeners it wants to eventually replace.

The Transportation Security Administration authorized the incentive pay earlier this year to ensure a smooth and safe transition at airports.

The extra pay is aimed at boosting morale and preventing screeners from bailing out of their jobs months or weeks before federally trained workers replace them.

It is also aimed at encouraging the private companies that employ the screeners to maintain their current staffing levels.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress ordered the government to replace private airport screeners with federal employees at all commercial airports by Nov. 19.

Agency spokesman Jonathan Thompson said he had no figures on how many security screeners would receive the bonuses, which could average about $500, depending upon a person's skills and competency.

The money is paid out only after the federal government assumes control of airport security so that the screeners don't pocket the money and leave the job to find work elsewhere.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport on April 30 became the first in the country to have federal workers in charge of screening passengers. Thompson said some of the displaced private screeners there were awarded bonuses for having stayed on until that point.

From the time the Transportation Security Administration took over responsibility for airline security on Feb. 17, officials there recognized something would have to be done to entice private screeners and their employers to stay on the job through the November deadline

``It's actually not been as bad a problem as we'd planned on,'' Thompson said. ``We'd planned on the worst, and we've had an overwhelming, 95 percent-plus, stay on the jobs.''

News that the government is paying the bonuses was first reported Sunday by the Chicago Tribune.

Screeners, who are typically among the lowest-paid workers at airports, must have been on the job at least since Feb. 17 and stay through the government takeover to get a bonus.

Some may be eligible to continue on as federal employees after reapplying for the job if they are found to be qualified and are U.S. citizens, fluent in English and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

The Transportation Security Administration reported to Congress this month that it will need 57,500 employees to screen airline passengers and luggage. It said it needs 30,000 workers to staff airport checkpoints and screen passengers and another 27,500 to inspect checked luggage for explosives.

But the 57,500 employees do not include armed air marshals who would travel on flights or a federal police force to be deployed at airport checkpoints.

 

[Dutch Ladybug]

You should check out the pay rates for TSA airport managers and others at

http://jsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/a9.asp.

I need a gig like that... $54k for scheduling screeners? $44k for managing them?

No degree required.

Here's just a sample of what I found.

Seriously folks, some of you guys are looking for work, is there anything forbidding you from taking a security job?

Would the government not hire a pilot for this position?


TRANSPORTATION SECURITY SCREENERS $26,309 - 39,463 SV-0019-00/00 INDEFINITE
DOT, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TSA-BWI-0003
Open to Everyone Part Time,Permanent



SCREENING MANAGER $44,400 - 68,800 SV-1801-00/00 INDEFINITE
DOT, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TSA-02-1003
Open to Everyone Full Time,Permanent
THROUGHOUT THE NATIO, US



SCHEDULING OPERATIONS OFFICER $54,100 - 83,900 SV-1801-00/00 INDEFINITE
DOT, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TSA-02-1002
Open to Everyone Full Time,Permanent
THROUGHOUT THE NATIO, US

 

[dispatchguy]

I asked a friend of mine, who is a current Federal Air Marshal, and this is what he had to say about the article...

It's all true! The pressure from Congress to get Air marshal's flying, put off the toughest firearms test in the federal service. When I went through training it was still required and we all feel very confident in our abilities, but do not want to fly with those that haven't taken it, because they may not be a good shot. It's really a shame they did that to us, but they wanted people flying. That one course was the highest disqualifier in training, with a 15% failure rate. Now those 15% get to keep their jobs until a later date when they can be tested. It's a bad situation for those of us that have gone through already...

I never considered it a coincidence that the first three letters in Congress spell the word 'con'.

Fly safe!