Air Marshals

Mike H said:
Do you not take control of a "situation" by ordering all passengers to remain seated, face forward, heads down and don't look around with the implied threat of being shot if they don't comply?

Not that NBC/CBS/ABC would never make any of that stuff up, but that's what I've seen numerous times.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings by implying that you're less than a super hero
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Mike H, what would be the alternative?
 
SpiraMirabilis is dead on.

If you have any experience dealing with large groups of people in bad situations, sometimes you have to cater to the lowest common denominator. People, individually, are very clever and articulate. In large groups, "sheeple" form, and they need clearly defined instructions. Auditory exclusion takes effect, so yelling is sometimes necessary.
 
ILSstud said:
Mike H, what would be the alternative?
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After 9/11, the passengers themselves have handled numerous situations more than adequately, including the two attempted bombings and even a few attempts to open the airplane door in-flight.

Anybody who tries to hijack an airliner these days is likely to be torn limb from limb by the passengers themselves
 
Mike H said:
After 9/11, the passengers themselves have handled numerous situations more than adequately, including the two attempted bombings and even a few attempts to open the airplane door in-flight.

Anybody who tries to hijack an airliner these days is likely to be torn limb from limb by the passengers themselves
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And, if you don't mind my asking, what are your qualifications for making this judgment on Air Marshals? Perhaps one gave you a bad attitude when he introduced himself to you and the rest of your crew before a flight?

About Mike H <dl class="list_no_decoration profilefield_list"><dt class="shade">Location</dt><dd>Denver</dd><dt class="shade">Ratings</dt><dd>ASEL, AMEL, Commercial, Instrument</dd><dt class="shade">Flight Time</dt><dd>400</dd><dt class="shade">Industry Sector</dt><dd>N/A</dd><dt class="shade">Aircraft Type</dt><dd>Seminole
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</dd></dl>Oh, that's right, you haven't flown 121....
 
So what determines if an Air Marshal is on a give flight? It doesn't seem practical to have one on every single flight. Do they base it on size of the aircraft length of the flight or what? Or is all that information in some classified TSA manual that we aren't supposed to know about, but somehow got posted online somewhere?
 
N18040 said:
So what determines if an Air Marshal is on a give flight? It doesn't seem practical to have one on every single flight. Do they base it on size of the aircraft length of the flight or what? Or is all that information in some classified TSA manual that we aren't supposed to know about, but somehow got posted online somewhere?
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Exactly. "Need to know basis". No one on this forum needs to know, because those who know are the one's it affects.
 
N18040 said:
So what determines if an Air Marshal is on a give flight? It doesn't seem practical to have one on every single flight. Do they base it on size of the aircraft length of the flight or what? Or is all that information in some classified TSA manual that we aren't supposed to know about, but somehow got posted online somewhere?
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42
 
I trust my reputation (and smell) preceeds me on this one. I'm the last guy to approve of heavy handed law enforcement, but honestly, can you not conceive of situations where having a LEO with a weapon on board would be the difference between an aluminum waterfall and a bad guy with some holes in him?

It's a thorny question, but knee jerk in either direction doesn't help.
 
Mike H said:
Do you not take control of a "situation" by ordering all passengers to remain seated, face forward, heads down and don't look around with the implied threat of being shot if they don't comply?

Not that NBC/CBS/ABC would never make any of that stuff up, but that's what I've seen numerous times.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings by implying that you're less than a super hero
Click to expand...

How would a FAM know right off the bat that several other normal looking passengers weren't secretly working with the person causing the main source of trouble? Perhaps the guy acting up on the flight is causing a diversion?

I have no law enforcement training or experience, but common sense would just tell me that this is the best way to lock things down on board an aircraft. :dunno:
 
Overpaid. Let them pay their locality pay. I'd like to see the gov't become more cost conscious when it comes with how they shell out my money.
 
dasleben said:
How would a FAM know right off the bat that several other normal looking passengers weren't secretly working with the person causing the main source of trouble? Perhaps the guy acting up on the flight is causing a diversion?

I have no law enforcement training or experience, but common sense would just tell me that this is the best way to lock things down on board an aircraft. :dunno:
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you're not seeing the forest because of all the trees.

the point is, how is it any different from the passengers point of view whether the guy threatening to kill them if they don't shut up, sit still, face forward, and don't look around is an air marshall or a hijacker?

For that matter, if the air marshall can't be expected to know right off the bat who's a normal passenger and who's a bad guy, how are the passengers supposed to know if the guy with the gun who claim to be an air marshell really is one? That's not making anybody safer, just more obedient.

An air marshall taking control of the situation wouldn't have stopped the panty-bomber and probably even would have stopped the passenger who actually did stop him from doing anything more than burning his junk off
 
Mike H said:
After 9/11, the passengers themselves have handled numerous situations more than adequately, including the two attempted bombings and even a few attempts to open the airplane door in-flight.

Anybody who tries to hijack an airliner these days is likely to be torn limb from limb by the passengers themselves
Click to expand...


So your solution is to bag the FAMs and just let vigilante justice rule?

"YEE HAW! Git a rope and hang that there varmit!"
 
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