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Are ya happy to see me or do ya have a missile launcher in yer luggage?

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Are ya happy to see me or do ya have a missile launcher in yer luggage?

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Old Jul 29, 2019, 3:47 pm
  #1  
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Are ya happy to see me or do ya have a missile launcher in yer luggage?

For everyone's assumement:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/trans...=.e20064970a01
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Old Jul 29, 2019, 4:07 pm
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Old Jul 30, 2019, 8:47 am
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Congrats to the TSA for confiscating a hollow fiberglass & metal tube!
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Old Jul 30, 2019, 9:33 am
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Originally Posted by 84fiero
Congrats to the TSA for confiscating a hollow fiberglass & metal tube!
A catch is a catch, but only a real catch for securing flights when they stop actual restricted weapons/explosives/incendiaries. But then there is the “big catch on the snipe hunt”. For example, TSA catching “realistic replicas” in checked-in luggage and then making an issue of it. That just goes to show that the TSA has problems with real threat identification and generally loses its focus on actual threats by getting tied up too much with things that don’t add to securing my flights.
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Old Jul 30, 2019, 12:19 pm
  #5  
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Originally Posted by GUWonder


A catch is a catch, but only a real catch for securing flights when they stop actual restricted weapons/explosives/incendiaries. But then there is the “big catch on the snipe hunt”. For example, TSA catching “realistic replicas” in checked-in luggage and then making an issue of it. That just goes to show that the TSA has problems with real threat identification and generally loses its focus on actual threats by getting tied up too much with things that don’t add to securing my flights.
Yeah, somewhere the focus shifted from "Is this item conceivably a threat?" to "Is this the focus item of the week or is it on a list or is it just something I haven't seen before so I'll just take it because I can."

I know of an STSO who put in over a decade at TSA before finally quitting who claims to have never seen an item confiscated that was an actual threat to aviation security.
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Old Jul 30, 2019, 12:42 pm
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Originally Posted by chollie
Yeah, somewhere the focus shifted from "Is this item conceivably a threat?" to "Is this the focus item of the week or is it on a list or is it just something I haven't seen before so I'll just take it because I can."

I know of an STSO who put in over a decade at TSA before finally quitting who claims to have never seen an item confiscated that was an actual threat to aviation security.
That seems unlikely, given the number of firearms that are confiscated on a daily basis at airports around the US. And personally, I do consider firearms to be one of the few legitimate threats to aviation security that TSA actually attempts to interdict (with abysmal failure rates, to be sure, but at least if they say a gun is a threat to the aircraft, I actually agree with them).
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Old Jul 30, 2019, 4:01 pm
  #7  
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Originally Posted by WillCAD
That seems unlikely, given the number of firearms that are confiscated on a daily basis at airports around the US. And personally, I do consider firearms to be one of the few legitimate threats to aviation security that TSA actually attempts to interdict (with abysmal failure rates, to be sure, but at least if they say a gun is a threat to the aircraft, I actually agree with them).
She referenced the barrels of confiscated items. Firearms (the ones they catch) don't go in those barrels.

Knives? Sure, but you don't take a plane down with a knife.
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Old Jul 31, 2019, 12:32 am
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Yeah, they don't allowed to checked or carryons bags. They have to leave behind. He should known better. It's not safe for him. Don't bring missile launcher into checked bags. You could fined from TSA. Don't do it! Don't placed them into checked bags. Next time he have drive to Florida, not on the flight.
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Old Jul 31, 2019, 3:45 am
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Originally Posted by chollie
She referenced the barrels of confiscated items. Firearms (the ones they catch) don't go in those barrels.

Knives? Sure, but you don't take a plane down with a knife.
Well, that all depends on the response of the crew and pax doesn't it? All four planes on 9/11 were hijacked - and brought down - by knife-wielding hijackers.

However, I believe that the new procedures and equipment to secure the flight deck, coupled with a non-cooperative attitude from pax and crew, will prevent that from ever repeating, so I've been in favor for years of repealing the ban on sharps. I don't see as problem with allowing knives under three inches, as was the case before 9/11, though panicky people lost their minds when this was proposed a few years ago and were able to block the change.
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Old Jul 31, 2019, 11:04 am
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Originally Posted by WillCAD
Well, that all depends on the response of the crew and pax doesn't it? All four planes on 9/11 were hijacked - and brought down - by knife-wielding hijackers.

However, I believe that the new procedures and equipment to secure the flight deck, coupled with a non-cooperative attitude from pax and crew, will prevent that from ever repeating, so I've been in favor for years of repealing the ban on sharps. I don't see as problem with allowing knives under three inches, as was the case before 9/11, though panicky people lost their minds when this was proposed a few years ago and were able to block the change.
Keep in mind, the objection to at least allowing small pocketknives and multi-tools was the FA's concerns about their own personal safety, not fear that the knives would or could be used to gain entrance to the cockpit to take over the plane.

Mission creep - TSA is supposed to be ensuring that the airplane takes off and lands intact and where it should be landing. Anything that happens inside the cabin should be handled pretty much the same way things are handled on trains and other forms of public transport. That same FA who is terrified of being 'trapped' on a plane with a madman wielding a three-inch blade probably gets off his/her flight and gets on a shuttle or train or bus where they could be 'trapped' at the mercy of someone with a legally owned gun or hunting knife.
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 5:26 pm
  #11  
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Seems these are popular souvenirs

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/s...rnd/index.html
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Old Aug 1, 2019, 8:37 pm
  #12  
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Originally Posted by chollie
Keep in mind, the objection to at least allowing small pocketknives and multi-tools was the FA's concerns about their own personal safety, not fear that the knives would or could be used to gain entrance to the cockpit to take over the plane.

Mission creep - TSA is supposed to be ensuring that the airplane takes off and lands intact and where it should be landing. Anything that happens inside the cabin should be handled pretty much the same way things are handled on trains and other forms of public transport. That same FA who is terrified of being 'trapped' on a plane with a madman wielding a three-inch blade probably gets off his/her flight and gets on a shuttle or train or bus where they could be 'trapped' at the mercy of someone with a legally owned gun or hunting knife.
I can't fully agree with your statement. TSA's responsibilities are restricted to keeping Weapons, Explosives, and Incendiaries off of commercial airplanes. TSA has no responsibilities to the conduct of flight operations excepting the work of Federal Air Marshal's. Let us not give these people more status than they deserve.
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Old Aug 2, 2019, 3:31 am
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Originally Posted by Boggie Dog
I can't fully agree with your statement. TSA's responsibilities are restricted to keeping Weapons, Explosives, and Incendiaries off of commercial airplanes. TSA has no responsibilities to the conduct of flight operations excepting the work of Federal Air Marshal's. Let us not give these people more status than they deserve.
I don't think Chollie meant that TSA should be conducting flight operations, I think he meant that their mandate is to keep aircraft operating safe and intact from acts of terrorism. I.E. that they can take off and land without blowing up, crashing, or being hijacked to another destination.
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Old Aug 2, 2019, 1:43 pm
  #14  
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Yes, that's what I meant.

TSA is one component of aviation safety, or security if you prefer. Maintenance mechanics are another necessary component. Like TSA, their role is really to protect the plane and its operators, wheels up to wheels down at the scheduled destination.
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Old Aug 3, 2019, 5:52 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by WillCAD
I don't think Chollie meant that TSA should be conducting flight operations, I think he meant that their mandate is to keep aircraft operating safe and intact from acts of terrorism. I.E. that they can take off and land without blowing up, crashing, or being hijacked to another destination.
Originally Posted by chollie
Yes, that's what I meant.

TSA is one component of aviation safety, or security if you prefer. Maintenance mechanics are another necessary component. Like TSA, their role is really to protect the plane and its operators, wheels up to wheels down at the scheduled destination.

Thanks for the clarification. I think it is extremely important that we keep TSA's limited role in mind when thinking about our safety.
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