[mattduke]

An airline pilot is being disciplined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for posting video on YouTube pointing out what he believes are serious flaws in airport security.

The YouTube videos, posted Nov. 28, show what the pilot calls the irony of flight crews being forced to go through TSA screening while ground crew who service the aircraft are able to access secure areas simply by swiping a card.

"As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce. It's only smoke and mirrors so you people believe there is actually something going on here," the pilot narrates.

Video shot in the cockpit shows a medieval-looking rescue ax available on the flight deck after the pilots have gone through the metal detectors. "I would say a two-foot crash ax looks a lot more formidable than a box cutter," the pilot remarked.

Three days after he posted a series of six video clips recorded with a cell phone camera at San Francisco International Airport, four federal air marshals and two sheriff's deputies arrived at his house to confiscate his federally-issued firearm. The pilot recorded that event as well and provided all the video to News10.

At the same time as the federal marshals took the pilot's gun, a deputy sheriff asked him to surrender his state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon.

A follow-up letter from the sheriff's department said the CCW permit would be reevaluated following the outcome of the federal investigation.

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story. ... 29&catid=2

[Tanada]

Confirmed.

A veteran commercial airline Army Reserve pilot is reportedly being disciplined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for posting personal cell phone videos on YouTube in which he points out potential flaws in airport security. The 50-year-old pilot who lives outside Sacramento, Calif., had even been deputized by the TSA to carry a gun on his flights for cockpit security — a privilege that has since been revoked, he says.

The pilot, who has asked that his name and airline remain unidentified, says that three days after he posted a number video clips on YouTube critiquing security at San Francisco International Airport, several federal agents and two sheriff’s deputies arrived at his house to confiscate his federally issued firearm and his state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/calif-p ... -critique/

[bratticus]

"As you can see, airport security is kind of a farce.

Guess it wasn't as much of a farce as he thought it was. This was clearly a honeypot.

[bratticus]

What if all of this is part of an elaborate plan to reduce the amount of air travel by making it less and less inviting as time goes by? The motivation would be that as peak oil progresses something has to wean people away from transportation via the air without frightening the masses by promulgating the truth about peak oil.

[TheDude]

If they wanted to discourage flying they could make the tickets more expensive, add unnecessary complications to boarding, reduce quantity and quality of services, increase delays, add extraneous fees...

Where's our own AirlinePilot, too? Seems like he's MIA of late.

[eastbay]

If they wanted to discourage flying they could make the tickets more expensive, add unnecessary complications to boarding, reduce quantity and quality of services, increase delays, add extraneous fees...

Where's our own AirlinePilot, too? Seems like he's MIA of late.

Maybe he wants to keep his job.

[dissident]

Guess it wasn't as much of a farce as he thought it was. This was clearly a honeypot.

Apologist, much?

[Sixstrings]

Maybe he wants to keep his job.

Funny thing is that's probably true. If he were to give an opinion critical of TSA on this site, it really could cost him his job.. not to mention lawyer bills and court dates.

Free speech isn't worth it folks. Don't speak out. Don't have an opinion. We are Borg, and resistance is futile.

[Sixstrings]

To be fair, I should acknowledge the other side of this question.. presumably the TSA views this as a security risk because the pilot spoke out about weaknesses in the system. So their response is logical up to a point.. but the problem is that this dangerously crosses that line where anybody speaking out against the government gets labeled a security risk. In order to carry guns, pilots have been "deputized" so we now have a situation where pilots are answerable directly to the government -- and therefore they've surrendered their first amendment rights.

A smarter response to what the pilot had to say would have been to FIX THE FREAKING PROBLEMS he pointed out, not crack down on him.

[TheDude]

If they wanted to discourage flying they could make the tickets more expensive, add unnecessary complications to boarding, reduce quantity and quality of services, increase delays, add extraneous fees...

Where's our own AirlinePilot, too? Seems like he's MIA of late.

Maybe he wants to keep his job.

Like just being here wouldn't be trouble? That and the avatar.

Anyway, for AP his last visit was "Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:58 pm." We're just not hanging out in the same threads it seems. Wonder which 5 threads he's paying attention to these days?

[dinopello]

Airline security solution: Require every passenger to select and carry-on a TSA-supplied medieval weapon of their choice. Any would-be terrorist would be foolish to try anything. The passengers could then return their weapon upon departure. Simple, effective.

Merry Christmas, everyone !