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Home Front: WoT
Air passengers taught self-defense
2004-07-07
Responding to the air-travel anxieties since 9-11, an airline pilot and two aviation security experts have compiled a book to help passengers and crew defend themselves in the case of a terrorist attack. "Never Again" is a "self-defense guide for the flying public'' with some 200 illustrations of hand-to-hand combat situations that could unfold in an airline cabin. "Unless law enforcement is aboard, passengers and flight attendants are the first line of defense," co-author Mark Bogosian told WorldNetDaily. An American Airlines captain, Bogosian notes that prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, flight crews were trained to cooperate with hijackers, but the suicide operation that turned airliners into missiles changed everything. "That scenario was never imagined or talked about in our training," he said. Bogosian's co-authors are security experts Michael Regan and Tommy Hamilton, a SWAT team commander for the police force at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The authors emphasize that if air marshals are on board, passengers must cooperate and do exactly as they are told. But Bogosian knows from experience that not all flights are staffed with law enforcement. If he had his way, the book, which originally was developed for airline crews, would be in the seat-pocket of every airliner. "The information in this book is just too valuable to not be made available to the public," he said. Along with disarming tips – in case a terrorist was able to get a gun on board – it provides numerous self-defense moves, ways to take away a knife or box cutter and information about dozens of ordinary items in aircraft cabins that can be used to thrwart an attack. Bogosian emphasizes, however, this is not a "whack 'em up" book, but a carefully measured approach to an attack that begins with analyzing the situation and using the standard levels of the "force continuum" employed by law enforcement. "It starts with a professional presence," said Bogosian. "Sometimes all it takes is a crew member with passengers at his side to quell an attack."
Posted by:Steve

#22  That's Hawaiian without the Lei to you Mr Ship
Posted by: Frank G   2004-07-07 8:47:42 PM  

#21  Frank G - point taken. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-07-07 8:02:46 PM  

#20  That's ecru to you floral print man
Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-07 7:53:23 PM  

#19  Im feel just a little wane thinking about it.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-07 7:52:32 PM  

#18  there'll be no blood in that jugular if your first move worked Barb :-)
Posted by: Frank G   2004-07-07 6:56:02 PM  

#17  Oh, yeah - and then slice their jugular with the edge of a credit card. :-)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-07-07 6:33:10 PM  

#16  Uh, since 99.99% of the potential (and past) hijakers are male, a simple grasp, twist, and jerk motion will stop them in their tracks. And probably kill them.

Just sayin', 's all.

(For anyone who can't figure out what you're supposed to "grasp, twist, and jerk," just stay in your seats and let the big girls handle it.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-07-07 6:31:53 PM  

#15  RWV if it was a real attempt and it was thwarted by passengers... I expect finding two limbs tied together would be a trick. Angry, scared apes are very, very vicious.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-07 5:54:31 PM  

#14  The biggest problem post-Flight 93 is not hijacking, but rather how to keep the passengers from killing perceived would-be hijackers. The last couple of times someone made a move for the cockpit, the passengers beat them to within an inch of their life.
Posted by: RWV   2004-07-07 5:25:54 PM  

#13  Couple of suggestions sharpen the edge of a creidit card,
Belt with a nice heavy buckle,wear boots,nylon laces make a dandy garrot.
Posted by: Raptor   2004-07-07 5:19:07 PM  

#12  Official field manual of the 93rd Volunteer Infantry!
Posted by: Mike   2004-07-07 3:46:49 PM  

#11  How bout:
giving all the passengers 2 golf balls. They can throw them at the hijacker's face while other bum rush him.

Duck tape should be onboard at all times to wrap them up/patch cuts.

Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2004-07-07 3:42:19 PM  

#10  All good ideas... still the best idea
is 80 pissed off and scared passengers
deciding to kill with whatever is handy
including their handies.
Belts... good belts.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-07 3:18:18 PM  

#9  Verlaine -- good idea! I'll remember it.

From everything I heard about Flight 93, the best trick (IMO) was the use of a serving cart as a battering ram to get the cockpit door open.
Posted by: Steve White   2004-07-07 2:20:35 PM  

#8  I always get an aisle seat (more for convenience and emergency exit purposes, but whatever). Since 9/11 have made a habit of hanging on to the soda can (if I can get one), bending it in half til it breaks (giving a decent sharp edge), then tuck that stump in the seat pocket. Wonder if that's in their book.
Posted by: Verlaine   2004-07-07 2:08:46 PM  

#7  Clarification*: They [the terrorists] can only come at you one at a time.

*in case there are any jihadis reading this
Posted by: Rafael   2004-07-07 1:27:22 PM  

#6  Be a pack, not a herd.
Posted by: Formerly Dan   2004-07-07 12:42:33 PM  

#5  My advice: stay in the aisle. They can only come at you one at a time.
Posted by: Rafael   2004-07-07 12:08:31 PM  

#4  Hey SH - It's light outside! On night shift, now? I was beginning to think you were a vampire!
Posted by: .com   2004-07-07 11:22:27 AM  

#3  In the "rock, paper, scissors" of airplane judu, pot of steaming hot coffee defeats box cutter every time.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-07-07 11:05:58 AM  

#2  Archie Bunker says you should pass out guns at the ticket counter. You can't hijack a plane when everyone on board has a gun.
Posted by: Chris W.   2004-07-07 11:03:36 AM  

#1  Center aisle Taebo classes. Could be a winner.
Posted by: ed   2004-07-07 11:00:45 AM  

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