For those airline pilots that aren’t old enough to remember 9/11, please learn from our mistakes. [Courtesy: Les Abend]
Key Takeaways:
The 9/11 attacks profoundly shifted the mentality of airline crews and passengers from passive compliance to active defense against threats.
Post-9/11 security significantly evolved with the creation of the TSA, the Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDO) program, and physically reinforced cockpit doors.
Current airline security is a robust, multi-layered, and continuously evolving system that relies on the active participation of pilots, flight attendants, passengers, and intelligence agencies, emphasizing the importance of vigilance against complacency.
About two weeks had passed since that fateful day in 2001 that none of us will ever forget. In uniform, with my wife’s hand in mine, we approached a NYPD officer standing on the corner, a couple blocks away from Ground Zero. Pedestrian barricades surrounded the area.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Les Abend is a retired, 34-year veteran of American Airlines, attempting to readjust his passion for flying airplanes in the lower flight levels—without the assistance of a copilot.
