Phrogs4ever
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2001
- Posts
- 176
"If the 9-11 pilots had been armed and authorized to protect the cockpit at all costs the tragic events of that day would not have happened"
Wil, you bet there is still an argument. We don't know what would have happened on 9-11 if there were guns in the cockpit. Keep in mind, until after the events that day, the hijacking paradigm was to follow the hijackers instructions and land the plane somewhere and deal with their political demands while safe on deck. Even if the pilots were armed, I believe that is the scenario they envisioned getting played out. If they did have the presence of mind to cap the first guy through the door, what do they do when the next guy starts cutting passenger throats one at a time until you turn the plane over? Before 9-11, you would have turned the plane over. Now we know we have to sacrifice every life on that plane before we put it in the hands of terrorists and risk thousands of lives.
It's a grim reality, and I don't think anyone could have predicted what was going to happen that day. It's not as easy as saying "if only they had a gun." Personally, I think the X-factor are the passengers themselves. Passengers will always outnumber the terrorists, and if individuals (much like the ones who actually did this!) realize that no matter what happens next, some of us are going to die, but others will survive! Humans are basically selfish when it comes to giving up ones life; we only seem to be able to do it for those we are emotionally attached to and not for a plane full of strangers.
I wish there was any easy answer, but there isn't. I'm not so much concerned about 999 pilots being armed in the cockpit. It's the one bigoted pilot with a chip on shoulder who jumps the gun and uses poor judgement in a situation that doesn't require lethat force. That's when the media and lawyers have a field day, and point the finger at pilots and say "see, we gave you guns and see what happened? We knew you couldn't handle it!" The industry takes another blow, and the net result is we are one step behind where we started. Hopefully this never happens, time will tell.
Wil, you bet there is still an argument. We don't know what would have happened on 9-11 if there were guns in the cockpit. Keep in mind, until after the events that day, the hijacking paradigm was to follow the hijackers instructions and land the plane somewhere and deal with their political demands while safe on deck. Even if the pilots were armed, I believe that is the scenario they envisioned getting played out. If they did have the presence of mind to cap the first guy through the door, what do they do when the next guy starts cutting passenger throats one at a time until you turn the plane over? Before 9-11, you would have turned the plane over. Now we know we have to sacrifice every life on that plane before we put it in the hands of terrorists and risk thousands of lives.
It's a grim reality, and I don't think anyone could have predicted what was going to happen that day. It's not as easy as saying "if only they had a gun." Personally, I think the X-factor are the passengers themselves. Passengers will always outnumber the terrorists, and if individuals (much like the ones who actually did this!) realize that no matter what happens next, some of us are going to die, but others will survive! Humans are basically selfish when it comes to giving up ones life; we only seem to be able to do it for those we are emotionally attached to and not for a plane full of strangers.
I wish there was any easy answer, but there isn't. I'm not so much concerned about 999 pilots being armed in the cockpit. It's the one bigoted pilot with a chip on shoulder who jumps the gun and uses poor judgement in a situation that doesn't require lethat force. That's when the media and lawyers have a field day, and point the finger at pilots and say "see, we gave you guns and see what happened? We knew you couldn't handle it!" The industry takes another blow, and the net result is we are one step behind where we started. Hopefully this never happens, time will tell.
