German Wings A320 crashed

MikeD said:
I personally think that the cockpit crew's best weapons they have are the comm radio and the flight controls. Turning an air emergency such as an attempted hijacking, into a ground emergency as quickly and efficiently as possible, is the best thing they can do. To include descent/landing at secondary suitable airports if the situation is sufficiently out of control in the cabin. Keep that plane from being taken over and becoming a potential weapon.

From my end, I've encountered the full weird range of FFDOs when I've been flying, from ones who just quietly advise their status, to ones who want to formulate CQB plans. :)
Click to expand...

If found the majority of FFDOs I've flown with are gun owning shooting hobbyists that have strong Republican views and make comments like "You don't own a gun and you live in Atlanta?" :)
 
Let's keep this thread on topic about the Germanwings incident. If you want to discuss the merits or non merits of the FFDO program, start another thread.

Or not, because that would really just be a lot of work for the mod team...
 
Trip7 said:
If found the majority of FFDOs I've flown with are gun owning shooting hobbyists that have strong Republican views and make comments like "You don't own a gun and you live in Atlanta?" :)
Click to expand...

I don't mind those guys. They are the "normal" ones. I worry about the guy packing a .40 in a pressurized aluminum tube who spends all of his free time collecting ammo and reading the latest conspiracy theory nonsense, and then talking about the coming "race wars." And sadly, those guys seem all to common in the program. I don't think too highly of the psychological screening that they do for the program, to say the least.
 
PeanuckleCRJ said:
As pennance for my unusual whiskey induced outburst last night (usually I'm the friendly drunk- but apparently my hairy buttcrack became visible- my apologies CC!), I put forth the ultimate solution to this germanwings problem:

10407033_10155448342020533_1656019980059506643_n.jpg


Flight crew bulliten is pending to outline the courtesy flush procedure.
Click to expand...

My legs would go numb.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
I don't mind those guys. They are the "normal" ones. I worry about the guy packing a .40 in a pressurized aluminum tube who spends all of his free time collecting ammo and reading the latest conspiracy theory nonsense, and then talking about the coming "race wars." And sadly, those guys seem all to common in the program. I don't think too highly of the psychological screening that they do for the program, to say the least.
Click to expand...

I don't fit that one either, thankfully.
 
MQAAord said:
Let's keep this thread on topic about the Germanwings incident. If you want to discuss the merits or non merits of the FFDO program, start another thread.

Or not, because that would really just be a lot of work for the mod team...
Click to expand...

Nice try. The Delta thread went from interview criteria to relative merits of college to a discussion about which soda is best. Keeping a thread with this many pages on topic isn't possible. :)
 
PhilosopherPilot said:
I never said I was or was not an FFDO. Just saying I don't fit those descriptions, if I were one.

But yeah, a disgruntled pilot who just failed a check ride going postal is possible! You never can be too prepared. ;)
Click to expand...

I'm reminded of one of our FFDOs at Pinnacle who showed up to his checkride with his FFDO weapon holstered in plain sight. Needless to say, he got sent home and was "asked to leave" the program.
 
I flew recently with a relatively new FFDO. I don't know what kind of indoc they get but he definitely seemed versed on the whole "I'm a wolf, people are sheep" mentality. Telling me I'm just a victim waiting to happen, and that only a select few are the wolves. We take a break and I go out first. Then when I come back and strap in and it's his turn to go out, I see him struggle to get the weapon off his hip (the holser clip where the gun was secured on his hip). It takes him quite some time to get it unclipped and then put away in the box.

Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed.

Of course, nothing beats the one FFDO at my last airline who, in the act of reaching the weapon from the lockbox and putting it on his right hip, had the barrel point at me momentarily as the sweep motion was made from his left to the right side.
 
Just a quick non-sequitur story.

Caveat: It's a good program but, of course, there are a small handful of people in it that make my views on that quite… uhhh... challenging

Long layover in DC, years ago, and on the ride to the airport, the captain was having a one-way conversation with me about something I really didn't give a crap about. I can "nod and smile" with the best of them.

So I step out of the an and do my "trifecta" check — Money clip, telephone, ID. Crap, I can't find my ID.

Without even a pause, he starts giving me a lecture about doublechecking that I have it before I leave the hotel, and as an FFDO, in the post-9/11 world we live in, that ID can be as dangerous as a weapon.

Ok, whatever, but then I realize that it's actually in my coat pocket.

"Hey, where is your weapon?"

*panic*

He left it in the hotel van. DOH!
 
dovetail- I was getting IOE for the first time ever at my airline. Going through airport security in Cincinnati and I set off the metal detector. I must have taken off five things before I finally got through without setting off the alarm. My IOE instructor during this was waiting to go through behind me, and made several comments about how "I'll need to figure this out" because we can't be spending 10 minutes going through security every morning. Right.

I finally make it through and now he starts having issues. He set off the machine maybe two or three times, and when he finally made it out I turned to him and said, "You know, you really need to figure this thing out. You've been doing it long enough." He didn't laugh.
 
bLizZuE said:
dovetail- I was getting IOE for the first time ever at my airline. Going through airport security in Cincinnati and I set off the metal detector. I must have taken off five things before I finally got through without setting off the alarm. My IOE instructor during this was waiting to go through behind me, and made several comments about how "I'll need to figure this out" because we can't be spending 10 minutes going through security every morning. Right.

I finally make it through and now he starts having issues. He set off the machine maybe two or three times, and when he finally made it out I turned to him and said, "You know, you really need to figure this thing out. You've been doing it long enough." He didn't laugh.
Click to expand...
Not a great start!
 
What if airplanes were designed with a second door between the forward galley and the passenger cabin?

This door would be closed whenever the cockpit crew needed to come out and could be latched open the rest of the time.

This would create a secure "vestibule" to make access to the forward lav easier and more secure. Further it could create a defensible "safe room" for FA's if there were bad guys in the main cabin.
 
ZapBrannigan said:
What if airplanes were designed with a second door between the forward galley and the passenger cabin?

This door would be closed whenever the cockpit crew needed to come out and could be latched open the rest of the time.

This would create a secure "vestibule" to make access to the forward lav easier and more secure. Further it could create a defensible "safe room" for FA's if there were bad guys in the main cabin.
Click to expand...

Commonly called a Sally Port. Similar thing used in high secure areas such as missile silos, alert areas, etc. Don't know how easily could be engineered to aircraft, but would be a good idea in my opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top