Yes, we should mourn, we should bury, and we should resolve this by finding and bringing the b*stards to justice, but we should also do something else -- plan for the future.

Being in the line of work I am, I have been thinking about how a repeat of this can be prevented in the future. I sometimes do this as part of my work, and a couple of things have come to me. I hope you don't mind my sharing the slightly more brutal and realistic side of my job:

1. we will need to retrofit our airliners with an access-proof pilot compartment. A solid metal wall between the pilots and cabin, with the cockpit accessible only through its own dedicated door(s) way up front.

2. two or more undercover officers on EVERY flight, dressed as passengers, one seated somewhere near the front and one near the back, equipped with LTL (Less-Than-Lethal) weapons (designed to shoot projectiles such as small beanbags, rubber bullets, wooden blocks, etc., that will not kill nor penetrate the fuselage wall -- we have this technology now, in fact I've used it already on duty).

3. an agreement worded into every airline ticket purchase denoting Implied Consent (much like drunk driving laws now, which are legal and have passed courtroom tests) specifying that when a threat arises, all able-bodied passengers SHALL ASSIST in bringing under control those who would represent that threat. If you disagree, you don't fly.

Armed with the above, and especially after an incident or two transpires wherein these adjustments turn out to have made the difference between the loss, and maintenance of, control over the aircraft, potential terrorists would have to abandon public air transport as their avenue of means and look elsewhere.

Just my 2¢, and the only way I can continue to keep my mind on the positive side of things.


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Regards and Aloha,

Charlie