flyplanes2000
Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2002
- Posts
- 11
United Starts Training Pilots to Use Stun Guns
Tuesday April 23, 2002 10:39 PM
www.airlinecrashpad.com
United Airlines has begun training it's pilot's in the use of stun guns, becoming the first US airline to take an approach to arming it's flight crews in the 6 months since the September 11th attacks. Up until now the US carriers have approached the security issue by enforcing policies already in existence outside of the flight deck. Although pretty much equal in terms of defense to the crash ax, the downsides of a stun gun are that it's a single shot weapon and it requires a short warm up time. Unfortunately after it's used, the charge is gone for a short while until the device recharges. At this point United has no plans for any kind of "stand off" weapon (other then the crash ax) while the device is recharging. United must still obtain the graces of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta before it can actually go ahead with it's plan. One aviation consultant who declined to be named said "While a bullet may take out 2-3 instruments, a single 20,000 volt charge making contact anywhere on an instrument panel can take out the entire electrical backbone to any flight control system, causing gobbs of electrical hell and most likely ending up in a fire to boot."
Tuesday April 23, 2002 10:39 PM
www.airlinecrashpad.com
United Airlines has begun training it's pilot's in the use of stun guns, becoming the first US airline to take an approach to arming it's flight crews in the 6 months since the September 11th attacks. Up until now the US carriers have approached the security issue by enforcing policies already in existence outside of the flight deck. Although pretty much equal in terms of defense to the crash ax, the downsides of a stun gun are that it's a single shot weapon and it requires a short warm up time. Unfortunately after it's used, the charge is gone for a short while until the device recharges. At this point United has no plans for any kind of "stand off" weapon (other then the crash ax) while the device is recharging. United must still obtain the graces of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta before it can actually go ahead with it's plan. One aviation consultant who declined to be named said "While a bullet may take out 2-3 instruments, a single 20,000 volt charge making contact anywhere on an instrument panel can take out the entire electrical backbone to any flight control system, causing gobbs of electrical hell and most likely ending up in a fire to boot."