Air marshalls - Myth or reality
Discussion
They do exist. As for their usefulness, it's been reported that per arrest, it's cost in the region of USD $200 Million so make of that what you will.
https://jobs.tsa.gov/law-enforcement
El Al have Israeli sky marshalls on every international flight and they don't mess about so they are very effective as a deterrent (plus all of the passenger screening that they do).
https://jobs.tsa.gov/law-enforcement
El Al have Israeli sky marshalls on every international flight and they don't mess about so they are very effective as a deterrent (plus all of the passenger screening that they do).
Sciurus said:
They do exist. As for their usefulness, it's been reported that per arrest, it's cost in the region of USD $200 Million so make of that what you will.
https://jobs.tsa.gov/law-enforcement
El Al have Israeli sky marshalls on every international flight and they don't mess about so they are very effective as a deterrent (plus all of the passenger screening that they do).
And it’s the deterrent that’s the real (potential at least) value for moneyhttps://jobs.tsa.gov/law-enforcement
El Al have Israeli sky marshalls on every international flight and they don't mess about so they are very effective as a deterrent (plus all of the passenger screening that they do).
In the US still quite common. As said above some ME airlines have their own "John Cutter".
The US guys have a very, very tough pistol qualification course.
The other thing a lot of people don't know is that a significant number of pilots in the US are carrying firearms too.
They are fully badged, as FFDOs (Federal Flight Deck Officers) and have powers to act as a federal agent. (mostly to get around any gun laws in the airports)
The FFDO course is ran at the same facility as the Air Marshall courses.
FFDO SOPs are kept secret, similar to Air Marshalls but some countries outside the US do permit FFDOs to operate and carry their issued firearm. Whilst the total numbers are kept secret its been said there are 5,000+ active at any one time. So depending where you are flying from you might actually have up to half a dozen or more people carrying firearms on the aircraft.
The US guys have a very, very tough pistol qualification course.
The other thing a lot of people don't know is that a significant number of pilots in the US are carrying firearms too.
They are fully badged, as FFDOs (Federal Flight Deck Officers) and have powers to act as a federal agent. (mostly to get around any gun laws in the airports)
The FFDO course is ran at the same facility as the Air Marshall courses.
FFDO SOPs are kept secret, similar to Air Marshalls but some countries outside the US do permit FFDOs to operate and carry their issued firearm. Whilst the total numbers are kept secret its been said there are 5,000+ active at any one time. So depending where you are flying from you might actually have up to half a dozen or more people carrying firearms on the aircraft.
gotoPzero said:
In the US still quite common. As said above some ME airlines have their own "John Cutter".
The US guys have a very, very tough pistol qualification course.
The other thing a lot of people don't know is that a significant number of pilots in the US are carrying firearms too.
They are fully badged, as FFDOs (Federal Flight Deck Officers) and have powers to act as a federal agent. (mostly to get around any gun laws in the airports)
The FFDO course is ran at the same facility as the Air Marshall courses.
FFDO SOPs are kept secret, similar to Air Marshalls but some countries outside the US do permit FFDOs to operate and carry their issued firearm. Whilst the total numbers are kept secret its been said there are 5,000+ active at any one time. So depending where you are flying from you might actually have up to half a dozen or more people carrying firearms on the aircraft.
I imagine them all talking into their cuffs, hiding behind pillars and stalking each other for 'suspicious' behaviour. The US guys have a very, very tough pistol qualification course.
The other thing a lot of people don't know is that a significant number of pilots in the US are carrying firearms too.
They are fully badged, as FFDOs (Federal Flight Deck Officers) and have powers to act as a federal agent. (mostly to get around any gun laws in the airports)
The FFDO course is ran at the same facility as the Air Marshall courses.
FFDO SOPs are kept secret, similar to Air Marshalls but some countries outside the US do permit FFDOs to operate and carry their issued firearm. Whilst the total numbers are kept secret its been said there are 5,000+ active at any one time. So depending where you are flying from you might actually have up to half a dozen or more people carrying firearms on the aircraft.
Edited by Huzzah on Friday 29th November 11:31
Sciurus said:
They do exist. As for their usefulness, it's been reported that per arrest, it's cost in the region of USD $200 Million so make of that what you will.
https://jobs.tsa.gov/law-enforcement
El Al have Israeli sky marshalls on every international flight and they don't mess about so they are very effective as a deterrent (plus all of the passenger screening that they do).
Worth calling out that most Israeli citizens are (or were) in the military due to their national service anyway, so even with incognito sky marshals, the crew are generally all going to have at least experience of firearms, if not be actively carrying them. El Al had a plane taken over in the 1960s, and the Israeli government resolved never to let that happen again. Nothing like it has happened on an El Al plane since.https://jobs.tsa.gov/law-enforcement
El Al have Israeli sky marshalls on every international flight and they don't mess about so they are very effective as a deterrent (plus all of the passenger screening that they do).
PH'ers under 30 years old or so may not be aware of the number of aircraft hijackings that happened historically because they more or less ceased when the controls put in place after 9/11 became effective.
They might not know that historically the door to the cockpit had no lock on it, for example. People were invited to see the plane being flown (especially small kids). These lax controls were a factor in loads of hijackings in the 1970s/1980s/1990s. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_hij... ).
A typical hijacking would have a plane's crew told to fly to a different destination than planned, sometimes with the hijackers keeping passengers hostage at the target location until some demand or other was met. Sometimes the hijackers got away with it -- really, it was different times altogether.
One classic in skydiving circles was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper
Coming back from Beijing in January,bit of a kerfuffle at the rear of plane,couple of inscrutable looking men in black headed swiftly towards it,separated the miscreants and calm resumed.
Always feel safe on Air China,or indeed transiting Beijing, whatever your opinion of the regime,no way a similar debacle to Manchester would occur
Always feel safe on Air China,or indeed transiting Beijing, whatever your opinion of the regime,no way a similar debacle to Manchester would occur
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