No more screening for pilots?

av8trxx

av8trxx

Well-Known Member
If only!!!

Sister of Fallen 9/11 Pilot to Testify on Need to Focus on Terrorists in TSA Airport Screening

WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Ms. Debra Burlingame, sister of the American Airlines pilot killed in the Pentagon crash on September 11, 2001, will testify before the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity that airline pilots should not have to stand in line with passengers to pass through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) metal detectors at airports and that using TSA resources this way is a distraction from meaningful homeland security measures we should be taking.
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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050511/dcw082.html?.v=6
 
I don't believe that Pilots should have to stand in line with other passengers. Afterall, they are the ones flying the plane; they don't need a box knife to kill anyone.
 
Wasn't there a US Airways pilot who got in a world of hurt for saying something like what the hell am I going to do with my nail clippers, hijack myself?

Ah, the absurdity of airport screening.
 
Me: Why are you doing this?
TSA: To prevent someone from getting control of the airplane.
Me: But I already have control of the airplane. I'm the pilot.
TSA: Well, ah, ah, ah
Me: Have a nice day.
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[ QUOTE ]
Me: Why are you doing this?
TSA: To prevent someone from getting control of the airplane.
Me: But I already have control of the airplane. I'm the pilot.


[/ QUOTE ]


How do they know you are not a terrorist, impersonating a pilot?
 
Even if this guy was a terrorist, would the Burger King rejects working at the TSA be able to spot this? I think not. Are these morons trained to spot fake airline IDs? I seriously doubt it. I have been reading where they have a hard time just spotting guns that are placed in the X-Ray machine by other federal employees as tests...tests they just can't seem to pass. But, there is some good news. I have read that they are doing very well at confiscating books of matches now. I have also read that they received some hefty bonuses for all of their "good" work.
 
Things seemingly have improved since 9/11 in terms of getting thru security in a timely manner for flight crews. Not that it's perfect, but a lot better than it was a few years ago.

The big problem isn't as much with the TSA, it's the average passenger that puts on a bunch of bangles, earrings and pocket change like they're a marauding pirate and doesn't understand that they've got to come prepared for screening.

Non-revving, I've seen people b*tch for 15 minutes about screening, but when they get to the checkpoint, they're taking their sweet time pulling out wallets, pocket change, piercings, laptops, shoes, etc.

The TSA at the airport is nowhere near perfect, but underprepared passengers do more to create inefficiency more than anything else in my opinion.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Even if this guy was a terrorist, would the Burger King rejects working at the TSA be able to spot this? I think not. Are these morons trained to spot fake airline IDs? I seriously doubt it. I have been reading where they have a hard time just spotting guns that are placed in the X-Ray machine by other federal employees as tests...tests they just can't seem to pass. But, there is some good news. I have read that they are doing very well at confiscating books of matches now. I have also read that they received some hefty bonuses for all of their "good" work.

[/ QUOTE ]


Burger King rejects? morons?

Rather strong words of condemnation for people following orders. The rules of what to remove from passengers are set in an office in Washington, not as you seam to think ,by each TSA employee.
It is very easy to sit at your computer and condem people who are just doing what they get paid for.
Is the system responsive to todays needs? Not in my opinion. I refuse however to throw labels around just to make myself feel better about a condition that is controled by faceless buracrats far from the center of the storm.

And before you respond and state that "only following orders" is a cop out. Let me remind you that all of us, no matter what our job , just follow orders in some form or another.
 
I know this won´t be popular, but I haven´t had any problems with TSA since I started working for a 121 carrier. Once you start going through a checkpoint a dozen times a week, you develop a pretty solid system to get yourself through in a timeley manner without setting off the metal detector. Sure there have been a few rude screeners here and there, but there are a few a-holes in every position at any airport. Every place I´ve been to so far except Houston lets flight crews skip to the front of the screening lines. I always make a point to thank the people I´m cutting in front of and I haven´t experienced any customers who were upset about it.

Airport friendly shoes, airport friendly belt, throw your travelpro and flight bag on the conveyor, throw your wallet, keys, cellphone, and change in a bucket and go on through. Takes about 30 seconds.

Now if I can only solve the mystery of why my glasses set off about 25% of the metal detectors.
 
My titanium watch is questionable. Sometimes it sets them off, other times it doesn't.

However, I can usually throw my watch in my hat, place it into a bin, pull out the laptop and throw my flight kit and my overnight bag on the conveyor belt before "Joe Public" can even get his first lace untied.
 
[ QUOTE ]
How do they know you are not a terrorist, impersonating a pilot?

[/ QUOTE ]

So having them take off their shoes makes things better because why? They'll have caught that terrorist impersonating a pilot?

Nope.

We need real security, not this BS make the twice a year Aunt Bessies feel better crap. I guarantee you that this Thanksgiving/Christmas, you're going to have some jackass reporter go to the airport and ask people how they feel about the lines.

And they'll find one of these twice a year Aunt Bessies who will parrot the "it's inconvenient but it makes us safer so I'm all for it" line.

How come they never use me? How come they never have me say, this is a joke, if they were smart enough to figure out how to pull off September 11, they're smart enough to figure out how to bypass this nonsense that just wastes our time?
 
I don't think pilots should wait in line, but I'd lean toward going through the metal detectors. There is always the scenario of a terrorist dressed up as a pilot with a fake badge (or a real one) that goes through and hides a gun or hands one off to another accomplice who already went through security. Due to the policies of our adminstration (whether you agree with them or not), there are a lot of people out there (and governments with resources) that want to hurt our country right now.
 
While in uniform, I might stand in line for five minutes max. Unless, of course, some passenger tries to cut me off which they're notorious for in BHM.

I know all of the screeners in PHX so I pretty much expedite thru the security line and probably spend even less time there. I spend more time answering the "How's your wife?" and "Back to work already?" questions than getting thru security.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I don't believe that Pilots should have to stand in line with other passengers. Afterall, they are the ones flying the plane; they don't need a box knife to kill anyone.

[/ QUOTE ]

But he could pass it along to other guy in the boarding area going to other airplane.
I think that everybody including air-crews should go through security, there are thousands of airline pilots, national and foreign ( foreign airlines). Among this individuals you can find people with all types of political ideas. So, you just can't never be sure.
On the other hand, I think that they could create in the airports a crews-only screening area. ( in the big ones at least)
 
[ QUOTE ]
The rules of what to remove from passengers are set in an office in Washington, not as you seam to think ,by each TSA employee.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, if what you say is true, then why is it when I travel to different cities I have to remove different things? In Dulles they made everyone remove their shoes, in other cities they do not? That makes it pretty clear that Washington does not make all of the decisions, not that the people in Washington have an ounce of common sense to begin with.
 
As far as I've seen, you do not have to remove your shoes. However if they meet a certain 'profile' (big, fat Richard Reid-style shoes) and you choose not to remove them, you're subject to secondary screening.
 
I sometimes wear birkenstocks to fly...i have to take them off because of the small metal buckles on the straps. WHO BLOWS UP A SANDAL? HONESTLY?
 
Probably because it's more efficient for you to take them off rather than set off the detector.

I'm too lazy (and full from lunch) to do the math, but that small delay spread over a of few hundred passengers screening adds up quickly.

But that's just my opinion!
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It's one of those interesting things. You're not required to take off your shoes, but they "recommend" that you do. At least that's what the monitors at IAD say.

They've made me take off my Tevas, for God's sake!
 
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