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CNN Live At Daybreak

TSA Makes Final Decision Today on Whether Pilots Will be Packing

Aired February 25, 2003 - 06:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now back to the issue of guns in the cockpit. The Transportation Security Administration makes its final decision today on whether pilots will be packing.
CNN's Patty Davis joins us live on the phone with more in this morning's wake up call -- good morning, Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, you're right, pilots could finally have guns now within a matter of months. The head of the Transportation Security Administration, Admiral James Loy, is expected to weigh in today specifically on what kind of training pilots should get.

You remember, Congress already said pilots can have guns. But he's going to talk about, decide on the training, on the type of gun, where that gun should be stored when it's not holstered on the pilot during flight, all those really key issues.

COSTELLO: Well, Patty, I was wondering about the training issue because they're only recommending 48 hours of training, which really doesn't seem much when you're carrying a gun in the cockpit of a plane.

DAVIS: You know, it doesn't, and that's kind of surprising to me, as well. We're talking 48 hours of training, but it's five straight days, not even all of that on how to use the gun. If you compare that to what air marshals get, they get 12 weeks of training with their gun. What the pilots are saying and what the TSA is saying is that the pilots have to stay in the cockpit. And so you, it's really limited space there and they're not going to be running around the plane like an air marshal shooting people. They have, it's a pretty limited universe there that you have to shoot somebody in the cockpit. Just stay in the cockpit, defend it. You don't need as much training as an air marshal.

COSTELLO: Oh, so they're thinking it would be really close range so you wouldn't really have to aim very well.

DAVIS: Exactly. And one of those things that they're going to do if the admiral signs off today is psychological testing. Because what they're concerned about here is that if somebody intrudes into the cockpit, another terrorist attack, that the pilot will actually have the wherewithal to fire the gun. Because they could easily freeze. They want to make sure that the pilot can psychologically handle it. COSTELLO: Interesting.

And it's only going to be like 48 pilots to start off, if they approve this plan, of course, and then it will expand to all pilots?

DAVIS: Well, all pilots who want it. It's strictly on a voluntary basis. But right now they only have money to train the 48 pilots. It's kind of a test program. They're going to see how it goes, work the bugs out and then expand it to as many pilots as they can.

Money is going to be a big issue here, though. Congress, in this budget, didn't set any money aside for this. So it's going to be an issue when the budget time comes again.

COSTELLO: Patty Davis, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




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Aired February 25, 2003 - 06:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now back to the issue of guns in the cockpit. The Transportation Security Administration makes its final decision today on whether pilots will be packing.
CNN's Patty Davis joins us live on the phone with more in this morning's wake up call -- good morning, Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, you're right, pilots could finally have guns now within a matter of months. The head of the Transportation Security Administration, Admiral James Loy, is expected to weigh in today specifically on what kind of training pilots should get.

You remember, Congress already said pilots can have guns. But he's going to talk about, decide on the training, on the type of gun, where that gun should be stored when it's not holstered on the pilot during flight, all those really key issues.

COSTELLO: Well, Patty, I was wondering about the training issue because they're only recommending 48 hours of training, which really doesn't seem much when you're carrying a gun in the cockpit of a plane.

DAVIS: You know, it doesn't, and that's kind of surprising to me, as well. We're talking 48 hours of training, but it's five straight days, not even all of that on how to use the gun. If you compare that to what air marshals get, they get 12 weeks of training with their gun. What the pilots are saying and what the TSA is saying is that the pilots have to stay in the cockpit. And so you, it's really limited space there and they're not going to be running around the plane like an air marshal shooting people. They have, it's a pretty limited universe there that you have to shoot somebody in the cockpit. Just stay in the cockpit, defend it. You don't need as much training as an air marshal.

COSTELLO: Oh, so they're thinking it would be really close range so you wouldn't really have to aim very well.

DAVIS: Exactly. And one of those things that they're going to do if the admiral signs off today is psychological testing. Because what they're concerned about here is that if somebody intrudes into the cockpit, another terrorist attack, that the pilot will actually have the wherewithal to fire the gun. Because they could easily freeze. They want to make sure that the pilot can psychologically handle it. COSTELLO: Interesting.

And it's only going to be like 48 pilots to start off, if they approve this plan, of course, and then it will expand to all pilots?

DAVIS: Well, all pilots who want it. It's strictly on a voluntary basis. But right now they only have money to train the 48 pilots. It's kind of a test program. They're going to see how it goes, work the bugs out and then expand it to as many pilots as they can.

Money is going to be a big issue here, though. Congress, in this budget, didn't set any money aside for this. So it's going to be an issue when the budget time comes again.

COSTELLO: Patty Davis, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




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