US Airways pilot has ND on on board flight

[rscalzo]

FFDO issue model

I stand corrected. When he said he received no compensation I took it as he was not supplied any equipment. But beyond that, it's on his nickle. Guess he chose to buy his own in any case.

 

[ScottS]

I stand corrected. When he said he received no compensation I took it as he was not supplied any equipment. But beyond that, it's on his nickle. Guess he chose to buy his own in any case.

Guys who do the FFDO thing have my utmost respect. The training and time are all on their own nickle. The airlines did everything they could to raise hurdles in their path, and the rules they live under are overly restrictive. My hat's off to those guys/gals.

 

[kevin9]

Now I know why it is know as US-Scare

 

[dll]

yeah another vote of confidence for usair!

 

[vellnueve]

Definitely about half a million USAir jokes to be made here.

 

[icyclefar]

Given the redundant systems built into jet airliners, I suspect it might well be very hard to bring down the aircraft with a single bullet.

Oh please .......... one round from a Glock can paralyze the entire State of Massachusetts, surely it can bring down a plane.

 

[reks]

Oh please .......... one round from a Glock can paralyze the entire State of Massachusetts, surely it can bring down a plane.

You wouldn't even need to fire it. Just drop it on the floor in the state house.

 

[icyclefar]

You wouldn't even need to fire it. Just drop it on the floor in the state house.

I wonder if this is the "drop test" they all speak about?

 

[Cherokee_Outlaw]

Maybe there's a restriction on shooting your issue gun, and he doesn't have a non-issue one. He can buy his own, though (note the highlighted portions):

WOW does that say only $495!????? To think.. its $900+ for a used one in Mass...

 

[mk70ss]

I think he was just making sure his pistol was properly loaded. The easiest way to do this is to pull the trigger.

 

[jamz]

$495 IF you 4re 4ctively employed 4 4n 4irline or c4rgo pilot, 4nd IF you h4ve p4ssed the 4pproved FFDO progr4m you c4n buy it for th4t price. It's like 4 LEO discount.

 

[THUNDERCHIEF]

Not quite true, especially with regard to "explosive depressurization." (The term, but the way, is "decompression" not "depressurization.")

LOL... I knew that "depressurization" did not feel right! ...Thanks.

Airliners (or any pressurized aircraft for that matter) use bleed air off the engines to pressurize the cabin, and control pressurization by means of an adjustable valve that restricts the flow of air going outside the airplane. The degree of "open-ness" of the valve determines the pressurization differential, usually kept at around 8psi. Once you exceed the ability of the pressurization system to maintain a pressure differential with the ambient air, for whatever reason (engine failure, pax failure, bleed air leak, etc.), you will start to move toward decompression. Each hole you put in the pressure vessel is another "valve" the pressurization system has to overcome. Think of it as filling a bucket from a faucet and keeping the water just barely flowing over the top. Shoot one small .40cal hole, and the system can keep up; add some more holes, and at some point you're leaking too much water out of your bucket, and you'll have gradual decompression; bigger holes, and you move toward rapid decompression (your lungs decompress faster than the cabin); blow out a large window, door, or the freaking roof (Aloha Airlines Flight 243), and you have explosive decompression (cabin decompresses faster than the lungs can). This is where you get things like hypoxia, pneumothoraxes and blown ear drums/sinuses, and unsecured people/debris departing the airplane. You can also get some deformation of the panels/bulkheads, but the airplane doesn't "explode." It's also very loud, and you briefly get "fog" in the air as moisture rapidly condenses out of the air, which people sometimes confuse as smoke.

Nice. Thanks again.

/John

 

[ScottS]

$495 IF you 4re 4ctively employed 4 4n 4irline or c4rgo pilot, 4nd IF you h4ve p4ssed the 4pproved FFDO progr4m you c4n buy it for th4t price. It's like 4 LEO discount.

B4sic4ly, th4t's correct, 4lthough it does s4y "...or those pilots considering volunteering for the FFDO progr4m." (Emph4sis 4dded.)

 

[jdubois]

LOL... I knew that "depressurization" did not feel right! ...Thanks.

"Depressurization" is the term the FAA uses in a lot of their regulations. (e.g. the all too familiar pre-flight annoucement "In the unlikely event of cabin depressurization, oxygen masks will automatically... blah, blah blah")

 

[ScottS]

"Depressurization" is the term the FAA uses in a lot of their regulations. (e.g. the all too familiar pre-flight annoucement "In the unlikely event of cabin depressurization, oxygen masks will automatically... blah, blah blah")

Actually, the "all too familiar pre-flight annoucement [sic]" is usually "In the event of a loss of cabin pressure...", but we're splitting hairs here.

 

[jdubois]

Actually, the "all too familiar pre-flight annoucement [sic]" is usually "In the event of a loss of cabin pressure...", but we're splitting hairs here.

Ahh, yes, splitting hairs, I love being here Ok, one point for you.

But here's an FAA regulation that uses the wording "depressurization".

 

[News Shooter]

The sudden decompression at 30, 000 feet is something you gotta see to believe.

Until that pressure equalizes, everything within 20 feet that's not nailed down or strapped in is gonna get sucked right out of that hole.

When I was a mechanic in the Air Force, I was being transferred on a MATS plane, At 20,000 feet, one of the windows shattered. The guy sitting next to it was about 170 pounds. He went through that little space like a hunk of hamburger going down a disposal, and right after him coats, pillows, blankets, cups, saucers.
Everything fogs up just like that.

And THEN watch out! At that altitude, you can't breathe. So unless they get on oxygen in 45 seconds, it's good-bye!

 

[MaverickNH]

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-03-25-usairways-gun-follow_N.htm

"The Transportation Security Administration began investigating as soon as the plane landed, spokesman Dwayne Baird said. He said it is working in tandem with US Airways and said the FBI likely will be involved.

"There will be lots of facets of this investigation to determine the cause," he said. "They're going to interview everyone that was involved, everyone that was aware of it."

Baird said it was his understanding passengers on the flight were unaware of the incident."

Hmmm - surprized they fessed up. Chew up a couple of sticks of gum, poke it in the hole and "Bang? What bang? I didn't hear any bang, did you?"

 

[drgrant]

$495 IF you 4re 4ctively employed 4 4n 4irline or c4rgo pilot, 4nd IF you h4ve p4ssed the 4pproved FFDO progr4m you c4n buy it for th4t price. It's like 4 LEO discount.

Jamz whats with all the number 4's ? Is this some kind of code
we should be aware of?

-Mike

 

[rscalzo]

You will need a secret decoder ring to cipher those messages. Check the next box of corn flakes you open to get yours NOW !!!

 

[MaverickNH]

Jamz whats with all the number 4's ? Is this some kind of code
we should be aware of?

-Mike

Laptop Numlock On?

 

[Cherokee_Outlaw]

Jamz whats with all the number 4's ? Is this some kind of code
we should be aware of?

-Mike

lol I thought I was just tired this morning when I read them..

 

[ScottS]

The sudden decompression at 30, 000 feet is something you gotta see to believe.

Until that pressure equalizes, everything within 20 feet that's not nailed down or strapped in is gonna get sucked right out of that hole.

When I was a mechanic in the Air Force, I was being transferred on a MATS plane, At 20,000 feet, one of the windows shattered. The guy sitting next to it was about 170 pounds. He went through that little space like a hunk of hamburger going down a disposal, and right after him coats, pillows, blankets, cups, saucers.
Everything fogs up just like that.

And THEN watch out! At that altitude, you can't breathe. So unless they get on oxygen in 45 seconds, it's good-bye!

George Kennedy, Airport.

 

[doobie]

From these two links [1] [2], it sounds like the policies were negligent discharges waiting to happen....probably so that the TSA says "see, we told you that it is a bad idea for pilots to have guns!"

Look at the friggen holster/lock on the second link! Obviously there would at some point be a ND.

 

[Scrivener]

Jamz whats with all the number 4's ? Is this some kind of code
we should be aware of?

Slacker babble.

Those who can't spell or punctuate now abandon any attempt at either and think substituting numbers for letters is also a substitute for education and thought.

 

[reks]

Those who can't spell or punctuate now abandon any attempt at either and think substituting numbers for letters is also a substitute for education and thought.

Those who are so anal retentive that they can't loosen up and have a little fun with things would better spend their time converting coal suppositories into diamonds.

 

[News Shooter]

This story is NO good without pictures! Now we've got them!

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GUN_ON_PLANE?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

 

[Chargogg]

Spoke with a Flight Deck Officer Tonight

Doobie -

Thanks for the pictures in your post. Sure looks like a bureaucrat with a large committee created that holster design.

I spoke with a friend tonight who is a flight deck officer. He mentioned that since the new holsters replaced the use of locked metal safes, there have been at least a half dozen NDs. Both air marshals and FDOs. Of course we haven't heard about this!

He said that when the pistol is not seated all the way down in the holster and the lock is then installed, instead of the locking bolt sitting behind the trigger, the bolt sits in front of the trigger. Surprise, surprise - if the pistol is then pushed down - you get a BANG!

Not sure if this is what happened or if the FDO broke policy by handling the weapon in flight (showing the weapon to a flight attendant?).

If I hear what happened, I'll post my friend's response.

Best regards to all,

Chargogg

 

[billmelater]

$495 IF you 4re 4ctively employed 4 4n 4irline or c4rgo pilot, 4nd IF you h4ve p4ssed the 4pproved FFDO progr4m you c4n buy it for th4t price. It's like 4 LEO discount.

"Angry German Kid Loses His 'A' Key"

 

[BillO]

Not quite true, especially with regard to "explosive depressurization." (The term, but the way, is "decompression" not "depressurization.") Airliners (or any pressurized aircraft for that matter) use bleed air off the engines to pressurize the cabin, and control pressurization by means of an adjustable valve that restricts the flow of air going outside the airplane. The degree of "open-ness" of the valve determines the pressurization differential, usually kept at around 8psi. Once you exceed the ability of the pressurization system to maintain a pressure differential with the ambient air, for whatever reason (engine failure, pax failure, bleed air leak, etc.), you will start to move toward decompression. Each hole you put in the pressure vessel is another "valve" the pressurization system has to overcome. Think of it as filling a bucket from a faucet and keeping the water just barely flowing over the top. Shoot one small .40cal hole, and the system can keep up; add some more holes, and at some point you're leaking too much water out of your bucket, and you'll have gradual decompression; bigger holes, and you move toward rapid decompression (your lungs decompress faster than the cabin); blow out a large window, door, or the freaking roof (Aloha Airlines Flight 243), and you have explosive decompression (cabin decompresses faster than the lungs can). This is where you get things like hypoxia, pneumothoraxes and blown ear drums/sinuses, and unsecured people/debris departing the airplane. You can also get some deformation of the panels/bulkheads, but the airplane doesn't "explode." It's also very loud, and you briefly get "fog" in the air as moisture rapidly condenses out of the air, which people sometimes confuse as smoke.

Ah, ScottS, I've been reading this thread and was waiting for some accurate information.