TSA procedures 'discourage' armed pilots By Jon Dougherty Worldnet daily ------------------------------------------------------------------ Posted: August 27, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern A commercial airline pilot who has been through the Transportation Security Agency's Federal Flight Deck Officer program and has been "trained" to carry a gun in the cockpit says the agency's policies "are designed to discourage pilots from participating in the program once they do get through training." The pilot, who requested anonymity, told WorldNetDaily the TSA has set "restrictive" guidelines for the carry of guns through airports and even in cockpits, though other armed federal agents and officers have far fewer limitations and can access their weapons much more readily. According to information published on the TSA's website, the agency cannot divulge specifics of the armed-pilot procedures, for security purposes. But that claim of protection, say critics, is allowing the agency to cover up the fact it is making it too difficult for pilots to fulfill Congress' and the Bush administration's mandate. Transportation officials made no bones about their opposition to arming pilots before Congress authorized it last fall. Initially, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta opposed arming pilots before eventually changing his position, and TSA chief James Loy grudgingly signed on to the issue only after he realized Congress would pass an armed-pilot provision. That initial opposition, critics say, has carried over to its implementation of the program, resulting in delays, cost overruns and a bureaucratic nightmare for pilots who volunteer for the training. "In contrast to the ability for any deputy sheriff, armed [Housing and Urban Development] or Post Office official to carry a gun in the passenger cabin and airport terminal, loaded and concealed ? ready for use at any moment, the FFDO cannot," the pilot told WorldNetDaily. "When the pilot does have access to the weapon, he most likely would not be able to use it in a timely manner in case of a cockpit intrusion, due to the FFDO [standard operating procedures]." Supporters of the program say pilots should go through the same training as other federal officers. The FFDO's week-long program involves firearms and hand- to-hand combat training, and is held at the TSA Law Enforcement Academy in Glynco, Ga. Pilots must also endure background checks and psychological testing that could take as long as two months, according to published information. Some pilots' groups have complained about the lag time. "It's been almost two years since the attacks ... and we only have less than 150 pilots approved to carry a firearm," said Capt. Bob Lambert, a former fighter pilot and current president of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance, a group that has lobbied hard for arming pilots. "While the Department of Homeland Security warns that al-Qaida has threatened to use 'commercial aviation here in the United States and abroad to further their cause,' their colleagues at [the Transportation Security Administration] are preventing the fastest and most effective deterrent, which is to arm pilots in the cockpit as a last line of defense against an attack," Lambert said. In June Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., head of the House Aviation Subcommittee, also complained about the slow pace of training pilots, USA Today reported. "It's one more bureaucratic disaster devised by those who want to make this more complex and expensive than it has to be," Mica told the paper. "I don't know what their ulterior motive is, but it is very frustrating." TSA officials were contacted for this story, but did not respond to questions about the FFDO program. The Associated Press reported the pace of getting pilots through the FFDO program would increase after summer. There could be more delays, however, because one report said the TSA was planning to move its sole FFDO program from Georgia to another federal training facility at Artesia, N.M. There are other complaints about the program as well. Some pilots say the agency's psychological testing is redundant. They maintain the TSA's psychological requirements are unnecessary because they must submit to and pass many layers of psychological examination by airlines before they can fly the multimillion-dollar aircraft. "Late last year, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation directing the TSA to arm America's airline pilots to allow them to protect their passengers and aircraft against terrorist hijackings," says Capt. David Mackett, executive vice president of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance. "The TSA, admittedly opposed to the program, responded with antipathy toward Congress and our nation's pilots, designing a program so rife with roadblocks and nonsensical practices it is doomed to failure." Mackett, in a letter to pilots posted on APSA's website, says TSA, among other things, "requires ? onerous redundant background investigations of pilots who have already passed the required layers of screening repeatedly," as part of a campaign to "discourage volunteers ? and disqualify pilots." One pilot the TSA disqualified, Mackett said, was a 10-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Customs Service. According to TSA information, to qualify for the program pilots must "successfully complete all selection assessments including any specified cognitive psychological, medical or physical ability requirements; be determined to meet all established standards by TSA;" and "be available to attend the training program in its entirety on your own time and at your own expense." The agency covers the actual cost of training, but pilots are expected to pay for their own accommodations and lodging for the week-long course. Once certified, FFDO "deputation" lasts for five years, unless it is revoked by the government. Airlines do not have "veto" power over their pilots who seek training. "It is time to start treating airline pilots as the responsible professionals they are and to take advantage of this critical and inexpensive resource," he said. "The pilots that volunteer for this do so on their own time and do not even get paid for this vital service. "It's time to get serious about airline security," Mackett wrote.