2008 Woodie Awards
Plane Pilot Talk
Air Marshals
Jack Hartman
Issue date: 2/24/06 Section: Opinion
A lite approach, in plain language, for questions about commercial or military planes, pilots, or aviation. E-mail: [jack.hartmann@hisurfer.net]
Q: If a Federal Air Marshal were to shoot at a terrorist and miss, wouldn't that cause the airplane to depressurize? Are the pilots allowed to carry guns?
If a .45 caliber bullet penetrated the fuselage, (that's the aluminum tube that you're riding in), cabin pressure would remain steady. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't even register on the cabin pressurization gauges.
The cabin is pressurized by pumping a lot of air in and letting it out at a controlled rate - through outflow valves. On a Boeing 767, the outflow valve is about the size of a barn door and would automatically close a little if a (bullet) hole were to happen.
TRUE STORY: A DC-10 over Albuquerque at 35,000 feet had a cabin window "fail" (i.e.: it popped out). The window was approximately 24" by 18". The pressurization system worked so smoothly that the pilots didn't know it had happened until called by the flight attendants. It was pretty noisy however - try opening your car window next time you're driving at 400 MPH!
I was a Sky Marshal during an airline furlough back in the 1970s and we were taught to never, ever shoot toward the floor. Underneath the floor near the center of the cabin of large commercial jets is usually a center fuel tank with fuel and fuel fumes.
ALSO TRUE STORY: I was a Sky Marshal on a TWA 747 when a flight attendant was pushed up the aisle by a passenger. As she passed me, she called to me: "HIJACK!" I reached for my weapon ... then froze as I realized a bullet would go through them both - he was too close to her! The passenger, it turned out, was merely ill and ran into the lavatory. She had remembered my name as a TWA pilot and was merely saying: "HELLO JACK". How would I have explained it if I had fired? "BLAM…BLAM… that'll teach you to throw up on our carpet!"
As far as pilots carrying guns: They have to apply and go through a strict screening process including background checks and psychological testing. (We don't need any cowboys or Dirty Harrys charging around the cabin!) After they're approved, they go through rigorous training. The good part about this is: The bad guys don't know which flights have armed pilots and/or Federal Air Marshals! Keep 'em guessing!
Jack Hartmann has been an aviator for over 44 years - Airline Captain (TWA), Corporate Pilot, Sky Marshal, Fighter Pilot (USAF & ANG), General Aviation pilot (CFII) and Asst. Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott).
Q: If a Federal Air Marshal were to shoot at a terrorist and miss, wouldn't that cause the airplane to depressurize? Are the pilots allowed to carry guns?
If a .45 caliber bullet penetrated the fuselage, (that's the aluminum tube that you're riding in), cabin pressure would remain steady. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't even register on the cabin pressurization gauges.
The cabin is pressurized by pumping a lot of air in and letting it out at a controlled rate - through outflow valves. On a Boeing 767, the outflow valve is about the size of a barn door and would automatically close a little if a (bullet) hole were to happen.
TRUE STORY: A DC-10 over Albuquerque at 35,000 feet had a cabin window "fail" (i.e.: it popped out). The window was approximately 24" by 18". The pressurization system worked so smoothly that the pilots didn't know it had happened until called by the flight attendants. It was pretty noisy however - try opening your car window next time you're driving at 400 MPH!
I was a Sky Marshal during an airline furlough back in the 1970s and we were taught to never, ever shoot toward the floor. Underneath the floor near the center of the cabin of large commercial jets is usually a center fuel tank with fuel and fuel fumes.
ALSO TRUE STORY: I was a Sky Marshal on a TWA 747 when a flight attendant was pushed up the aisle by a passenger. As she passed me, she called to me: "HIJACK!" I reached for my weapon ... then froze as I realized a bullet would go through them both - he was too close to her! The passenger, it turned out, was merely ill and ran into the lavatory. She had remembered my name as a TWA pilot and was merely saying: "HELLO JACK". How would I have explained it if I had fired? "BLAM…BLAM… that'll teach you to throw up on our carpet!"
As far as pilots carrying guns: They have to apply and go through a strict screening process including background checks and psychological testing. (We don't need any cowboys or Dirty Harrys charging around the cabin!) After they're approved, they go through rigorous training. The good part about this is: The bad guys don't know which flights have armed pilots and/or Federal Air Marshals! Keep 'em guessing!
Jack Hartmann has been an aviator for over 44 years - Airline Captain (TWA), Corporate Pilot, Sky Marshal, Fighter Pilot (USAF & ANG), General Aviation pilot (CFII) and Asst. Professor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott).