Free Republic

AVIATION WEEK posted an article about aircraft upgrades, new glass cockpits are at the top of the list for many owners. Since the earliest days of aviation, pilots have been staring at gauges to help ascertain the condition of their machines and the world around them. Orville and Wilbur had three instruments on their first Flyer: a stopwatch, an anemometer for measuring wind speed and a tachometer. Subsequently and especially since the introduction of instrument flight and the development of the standard T cluster, engineers managed to cover every available inch of cockpit real estate with some type of instrument,...

FBI Warns of Potential Terror Attacks The FBI and Department of Homeland Security today issued an analytical "note" to U.S. law-enforcement officials cautioning that al-Qaida terrorists have in the past expressed interest in attacking public buildings using a dozen suicide bombers each carrying 20 kilograms of explosives. Authors with the U.S. Office of Intelligence and Analysis added that they have "no credible or specific information that terrorists are planning operations against public buildings in the United States." The FBI and DHS analysts said they were releasing the note because "it is important for local authorities and building owners and...

The Federal Aviation Administration has begun scrutinizing YouTube videos taken from the cockpits of Horizon Air planes. Although most of the videos have been taken down, the FAA and Horizon Air confirmed they are cooperating in an investigation into possible cockpit violations in which pilots allowed personal electronic devices to be used to record takeoffs and landings. With the exception of filming for training, it is against federal regulations for pilots or passengers to use such devices during takeoffs and landings, as they could interfere with instrument and landing system navigation radios. Cockpits also are supposed to be sterile environments,...

<p>April 25, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - Hundreds more commercial airline pilots will be trained to carry guns in the cockpit by Sept. 30, as the federal government committed $8 million to train them, the Transportation Security Administration said yesterday.</p> <p>The first 44 pilots allowed to carry guns were sworn in as federal flight-deck officers on Saturday after a week of classes, drills and testing at a federal law-enforcement facility in Glynco, Ga.</p>

E-mail message From: apsa@secure-skies.org (Airline Pilots' Security Alliance) Date: Sun, Jul 14, 2002, 10:44pm Subject: APSA JULY UPDATE You'll want to read every word !!!! APSA JULY ARMED PILOTS UPDATE YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE MOST IMPORTANT UPDATE WE HAVE EVER SENT YOU. We are now in the crucial final rounds of our fight to secure our cockpits. While we just scored an impressive victory over staunch opponents, much remains to be done. PLEASE read this carefully so that you understand where we—and our sworn enemies—are. If ever we needed strong grassroots support, now is that time. BEGIN BY GIVING THIS UPDATE ABSOLUTELY...