fyi:
larry johnson, a counterterrorism expert formerly with the state department, said the hijackers probably targeted domestic flights for all the attacks because security is less strict.
there are no armed guards aboard domestic flights, as there are on international flights, said johnson, nor is luggage screened as closely.
“aviation security in this country is handled by workers who couldn’t normally get a job serving hamburgers in mcdonald’s,” johnson said.
the faa said that federal regulations allow passengers to carry on knives with a blade length of up to four inches.
experienced airline pilots said the cockpit doors on the airliners could be battered down by a single hijacker.
“the lock is only meant to keep your friends out. these doors, (to cut) structural weight, are not steel doors,” said another veteran pilot. “if they want in the cockpit, they can get in.”
or the attackers could have loaded the plane with a large number of terrorists and overpowered the crew by force, said david stempler, president of the air travelers association.
“they could have placed onto that plane 10 to 15 to 20 people without having to use any weapons,” stempler said. “it’s not beyond comprehension.”
after getting control of the aircraft, the hijackers would need only rudimentary flight experience in order to steer the planes into the buildings, johnson, the security expert, said. ”you don’t need to be a trained pilot,” he said.
from me:
a lot of things in this country should change.
-moby