The Terror in the Skies article...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337657

http://womenswallstreet.com/WWS/arti...&articleid=711
...is being discussed on many blogs.

In the comments on one I found some pratical advice for Frequent Air Travelers:

http://asmallvictory.net/archives/007228.html#94372

Good advice. If you find a group of foreign-looking people standing in front of the lavatory, run at them, yell, strike them and kill them. Finally, I may like the thought of having FAM onboard, to protect people from self-justicing whacko deciding that they are a terrorist (as such assault is an event...)

"Just scream and run at them"

I read the title to your post and thought you were talking about the screeners!
That would be a sight!

Lighthearted question for the TSA-folks:

Would a shield be permitted though screening? I know weapons and pseudo-weapons are prohibited, and tools are prohibited, but what about a giant honkin knight-in-shining-armour type of shield?

What if someone comes through screening wearing a suit of armor? what if it's w/ nothing underneath?

Why not just use a large FAM as a shield? They're usually the more chiseled and large type, which would protect most of your body as you "scream and run at them".

aloha

Another use for the seat cushion.

Have you thought about the seat-belt extender too?

I had asked in another thread about wearing a kevlar jacket, and the answer was it was allowed, provided that the airline would accept and that the state you're going allows wearing kevlar jacket.

But I was thinking of the risk of being shot by a stray bullet fired by a GTB. Against an opponent wielding a small pointy object, a chainmail would suffice. It is allowed everywhere (how would they do medieval reenactment fair ?) and isn't on the list of prohibited items. So, I assume (TSAMGR, feel free to shoot) that you can be a knight in shining armor on board. Feel free to charge anyone congregating near lavatories. Do not forget your warcry, it will make for an interesting in-flight entertainment.

Barring that, I suppose an inflatable jacket could protect you.

Irony aside, the linked article is obviously addressing the situation where there is indeed a clear terrorist attack onboard. However, I think intervening could hamper the work of the GTB and could result in you being shot. Better wait for the GTB to be taken down before attempting something stupid. And I am slightly frightened when reading this article just after the article about the NW flight posted all over FT. On other boards (not dedicated to flying), people are genuinely frightened and advocating physical action in case people are congregating in the aisle and lavatories. I was flabbergasted, and I thought of poor FTers congregating in the front of the plane on their way to a FT do...

I await to hear stories of the first "terrorists" wrongfully lynched on a flight. It will happen as the hysteria rises and some innocent persons get assaulted by passengers gone nuts with someone who barely speaks English and no air marshall on flight to save the "terrorists". Of course, if the flight has an air marshall, then the air marshall may be compelled to shoot the "hero-wannabes" (read lynch mob) as the lynch mob turns on the air marshall. The irony, right?

That's a bit far fetched. The cabin ceiling interior wouldn't support the weight of a lynching. Besides, if an Air Marshall puts a weapon to someones head and orders them to stop,you'll stop or follow the light at the end of the tunnel.

I hope so. But how would our hypothetical lynching mob know that the the guy with the gun is an air marshall ? They decide to assault a guy, someone with a gun tries to interfere... Couldn't they simply think they were right in indentifying a terrorist ?

I am really frightened by the comment of some posters on the blogs regarding the article... Only hoping its an Internet bravado.

I am using the term "lynched" to refer to a public mob beating of an individual or group of individuals that leads possibly to death. I am not using the term "lynched" to apply exclusively to being hung by rope from a tree or the like.

It's improbable but not so far-fetched.

Let's take the same DTW-LAX flight with 13 Armenian nationals. Let's say 2 are shoe bombers and the other 11 are normal people. The 2 terrorists are spotted by the 11 other Armenians who decide to gang-rush the 2 terrorists in the back of the plane. The Air Marshall has no idea that there are 2 terrorists that are being taken out by the 11 good Armenians. So the Air Marshalls shout but there is a language barrier and they start shooting. All of a sudden we have several dead good guy Armenians and the 2 bad guy Armenians get the opportunity to get their shoe bombs off. Everyone is screwed because of the presumed anti-Middle Eastern sentiment and a language barrier. Far fetched? Better hope so.

The new Singapore Airlines A340s that fly from LA and New York to Singapore nonstop are equipped with coffins.

Along similar lines, I suggest that aircraft flying within, to, or from the USA be equipped with the following:
- A detention cell capable of holding multiple offenders
- A flying courtroom with selected passengers called for "jury duty"
- An electric chair

One of the advantages would be a constant "change of venue" and mandatory sequestering of jurors.

There is no perfect solution. No situation like this has a good ending.

I think that's one of the best uses of these sacks of ballast who should be left at the gate, not brought on board to steal premium class seats.