[url]http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3bb314a3085f.htm[/url]
A FedEx DC-10 Captain And Memphis Police Officer Gets Down To The NittyGritty

I would fly with this guy............

Me Too!  Anytime and anywhere!

God Bless Pilots.

Well he wrote it with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, but I think he is correctly stating the new paradigm for hijackings.

They should either end with a safe landing carrying the bodies of the attempted hijackers, or a crash in an unoccupied area.

Pilots, crew and passengers will have to take their fates in their hands, but should always have the advantage of superior numbers.

That's a good read. Everyone should read this. I'd fly with this guy.

He gives new meaning to "buckle your seatbelt"
For me, this point on when I fly I'm requesting an inside section seat. So can get up quickly and grab the M*F* that is trying  to crash the plain.
"It is better to be judged by twelve than carried by six" words to live by.
I would fly with that pilot.

I saw this a day or two ago.  I sent it to family with the following apendix.

One weapon that would be effective against a knife or box cutter wielding hijacker is present on every commercial airline flight I have ever been on is not mentioned by Mr. Burnett.

It is a magazine.  You don't want a Time or Newsweek.  You want a Red Book or Ladies Home Journal, one with a stiff square spine.  It must be rolled tightly beginning with the spine (inside the roll), and works best if you can wrap the roll in strong tape.  In a pinch roll it as tightly as possible and grasp it tightly in the middle.

It is not used to swat, like you would a use a rolled up newspaper to swat a bad dog.  You employ it in an over hand stabbing or forward thrusting movement.  Since you are grasping it tightly in the middle there is an equal length above and below your fist.  This lends itself to both maneuvers.

Targets are; low on the bridge of the nose, the Adam's apple (front of neck), temple, armpit, ribs on the sides not protected by muscle or fat, diaphragm (put your finger in the center of your chest and move it downward to the bony bump [the hyphoid] strike just below the bump), kidneys (low on the back both sides just above the belt line [not the most effective target but accessible directly from the rear]), and of course the testicles.

All the strikes above the shoulders, the diaphragm and the testicles can be fight stoppers, but don't count on it.  When you strike do it hard, fast, and multiple times.  A good rule of thumb is that when you think the fight is out of them, hit them at least three more times, and hit the neck and head.

Generally speaking anything you can hit with that is hard and slightly heavy is better than an empty hand.  For instance a metal rod or bar eight to twelve inches in length would work well as described previously.

One last thing, no matter whether you can improvise a weapon or have to go it bare knuckles, get MAD.  I mean angry enough to chew nails and spit rivets.  Use your anger. These individuals are out to hurt you and directly or indirectly your family.  They want to ruin your lives.  Get real mad about it.  When your hands start to shake, that's not fear it's adrenaline.  Adrenaline is GOOD.  It makes you strong and fast.  Wet your pants?  No sweat, that's your body getting ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  It's GOOD!  These and other things are your body spinning up to save your life.  Use it.  Use your anger.

He should be the home defense czar.  I love how he thinks.

Get up, pull up the seat cushion and use it as a shield as you try to crush the bastards.  You may get cut, but keep your head down to shield your neck.

"Uh, approach this is Heavy 342, we had three guys try to hijack the airplane.  Have the coroner standing by to receive them."

"But bring 6 body bags they are pretty messy."

TrickyVic: that bony bump is called the ziphoid process. You are correct on the location of the diaphram, but a good strike is a kick (if you can go that high) to the ziphoid process. When compressed, the ziphoid process will cut and rupture the liver as well as mess up their breathing. A scary thought is that a person who is not very fluent with cpr could do this while doing chest compressions if they don't landmark their hand position properly. OUCH!

The man has some great ideas. But I wonder how many men would actually get out of their seat to help when called? We have a lot of sheep these days posing as men.

[url]http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010927/ts/attacks_shootdowns.html[/url]


By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two Air Force generals have been authorized to order the military to shoot down any civilian airliner that appears to be threatening U.S. cities, Pentagon (news - web sites) officials said Thursday.

Seeking to reassure America's travelers of their safety, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said: ``There are a lot of safeguards in place.''

He said he had crafted the new rules of engagement for military pilots with Gen. Henry H. Shelton, who is retiring as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

``The last thing in the world that one of them wants to do is engage a commercial aircraft,'' Shelton said. ``And so don't get the impression that anyone who's flying around out there has a loose trigger finger.''

Rumsfeld was asked if Americans should be worried about the policy since passengers could be trying to overcome a hijacker as people attempted on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania Sept. 11. That was the only one of four hijacked planes that did not hit a terrorist target.

``The rules of engagement are addressed on a continuing basis with a great deal of care and sensitivity to all of the points that you've raised and others have raised,'' Rumsfeld said, refusing to provide details.

``And I can assure that they are under continuous review and given the carefulest consideration. And it seems to me that is the same kind of assurance that the American people get with respect to a lot of things that the Defense Department's involved in.''

White House spokesman Scott McClelland said that every attempt will be made to follow the chain of command from the commander in chief on down before any order to down a plane is issued and the decision would be made only by very senior-level officials.

``It's an enormous burden to make that decision. As an absolute last resort, the most senior-level official at the absolute last moment of decision would have the authority to make that decision,'' McClelland said. He said the circumstances for the decision would have to involve a plane headed nose down and posing a threat to the safety of Americans

``These are different times we're living in now. It's a different world,'' McClelland said.

Michael Perini, director of public affairs for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, stressed that only under the most extraordinary circumstances could the generals act without having consulted with the president, secretary of defense or other higher-ups - only as a last resort and only if there simply was not enough time to consult.

From NORAD offices in Colorado, Perini said he could not discuss a specific situation in which the regional commanders might take such action because it would reveal too much about military planning for the defense of U.S. airspace.

The move follows revelations by Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) that in the hours after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush (news - web sites) had ordered the military to intercept and shoot down any commercial airliners that refused instructions to turn away from Washington.

After receiving warnings that commercial planes had veered off course, military fighter jets scrambled over Massachusetts and Virginia on the day of the terrorist attacks. But they were unable to respond in time...

Now [b]those[/b] are the Rules of engagement