Another forwarded message:
> The pilot/captain came on the loudspeaker after the
> doors were closed. His speech went like this:
>
> First I want to thank you for being brave enough to
> fly today. The doors are now closed and we have no
> help from the outside for any problems that might
> occur inside this plane.
> ...
Like Harvey, I was skeptical about this story. It is touching but did not
seem too realistic. However I saw an article in the paper this morning
which gives it some credibility. While they did not find an actual
pilot who admitted to saying this, they named a passenger who heard it,
and they quoted another pilot who had also departed from procedure to
give "stern" advice to his passengers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-092101pilots.story
(This link may not work after today.):
Reflecting a more sober era of airline travel, some flight crews are
urging passengers to resist hijackers, and some pilots are even vowing
to keep knives, flashlights or other weapons handy.
Take, for example, the United Airlines captain on a
Denver-to-Washington flight Saturday. He reportedly told passengers
that 200 passengers far outnumber any hijacking team, and that the
Declaration of Independence begins with "We, the People."
The monologue took passenger Peter Hannaford, a public policy
consultant from Washington, by surprise. "Remember, there will be
one of him and maybe a few confederates, but there are 200 of you,"
Hannaford recalled the captain saying.
The captain urged passengers to stand up immediately and begin
throwing shoes, pillows or anything handy at a would-be hijacker,
then toss a blanket over him and hold him down until the plane lands,
Hannaford said.
Passengers applauded loudly at the announcement, Hannaford
recalled. "There was a palpable sense of relief," he said. "I don't
think there was anyone who didn't clap."
United Airlines is investigating the announcement, versions of which
were circulated on the Internet by people identifying themselves as
passengers on United Flight 564 from Denver to Washington's Dulles
Airport.
On American Airlines Flight 4 from Los Angeles to New York's Kennedy
International Airport, Capt. Kevin Hart adopted a stern tone.
"The curtain between first class and business should be considered
impenetrable for all but uniformed flight crew," Hart warned passengers
last weekend. "Seat belts will be buckled at all times except when
you need to use the lavatory. This is mandatory. There will no longer
be any wandering in the aisles."
So maybe there is something to it. Everything is different these days.
Hal
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:40:54 MDT