ATA plans
toinstall
·.• Taser guns
,'. in cockpits
.Weapons not yet
OKd by FAA produce
a 26-watt jolt that
can subdue Intruders.
By CII1I O'MaO.,
STAFF""",,"

Amertcan Trans .Air' plans to
" 'put Taser guns aboard all 60
'.. aircraft Iri Its fleet, but the de-

.' ployment of such weapons to .
-~, -stop hijackers has yet to receive

." federal approval.
-:'

The IndianapoUs-based airlbte

,J. has ordered 200 of the devices

Taser International of
- Phoenix.
The manufacturer will conduct a demonstration for pnots
next week and is putting toge1her a lralnlng program, said

:;' from

James W. Hlavacek, executive
• 1- 'vice president and chIef opeI'-:: ating officer of ATA parent Am-

tran Inc.,

.",'.

"I thlnk the

only \saue for us

is how soon the FAA Is going to
allow us to put them in."
':
A Taser gup shoots a pm of
i darts trailing wires that fire a

:; 26-watt jolt of electrtclty that
.\ contracts muscles and tempora,;, rlly sttulS the nervous system.
"The nice part about this is It
,','.' Is nonlethal. and it does not inJure the victim. As soon as the
,\' electricity Is tume~, off, there Is
'." no further damage. said Hlava'f

':'
,'"

0;:
,
"
k

cek.
Executives were

concerned
about Inadvertent contact with
crew members or peaceful passengers in the event the devices
were used to repel an attack.
Hlavacek said Tasers have been
tested on heart patlents and

,"" children as young as 6.
,
"That's why I liked it. ram not
in favor of lethal weapons in the
~4 cockpit," he said.
The devices - one for the pt.!" lot and one for the copUot - will
be installed only in the cockpits.
inside boxes that require crew
members to punch in a security
code to open.
;'" Tasers are the latest security
,~;~ measures that ATA and other
,r~ airlines are implementing. _To
i, prevent an intruder from defeat, ing the flimsy lock mechanism
" on cockpit doors, a steel bar has
: been installed inside the cockpit
,,: of each plane that bars the door
'i from the inside. securely latch':' 1ng the door to the door frame.
"
Earlier this month. ATA also
,~, hJred a firm to strengthen cock",i pit doors and the entire bulkhead that separates the cockpit
from the passenger area.
"'
'"We think the Tasers are the
'< final piece of the puzzle 50 that

,<

SleATA ..... B

Indll1lpglil, IN
Star
Indltn,".111
Mil Ar..

D247,201

F'ld"

NOV 16, 2001

ATA··
CorlhJed from

Both measures are subject to

Page 1

our -ctIstomers are- completely se-

cure so that noIhlng !II goIng to
happen and that the alrcraft will
inake It from poInt A to poInt B. It
is reassuring to our customers as
Well lis our Crew members," said

Hlavaeek.
He would not say how much
money ATA Is spendIng for T......

ATA also has been looking at
ways to Imprmte ground securi1y.
On ThW'Sday, two addttional aecurtly checkpoInts aervIng ATA
and other airlines- were installed in

federal govenunent approval.
The Federal Aviation AdmIn1strotIon has been revIewIng Its IU1e
proh1bIlIng liny deadly or danger_
ous weapon on scheduled passenger tllghts. Congress. wI1lch has
been worldng to lighten aJrlIne atcurtty sblce the attacks. also could

overndelt.
Other alrlInes also have been
consIderlng stun guns. Meaa AJr
Group, wh1ch operstea America
West Express and US AIrways Ex- .
'presS, announced 1astmonth it
plans to traIn tts pilots to use them:llntled pI10l Herb Hunter" a
spokesman for the AlrUne PIlots
_ation. endoraed theslun'
gun plan as "a good _ step."

Concourse Band,S, at Indianapo·
lIs International:AltpOrt; ,
.
"We thlnk tha,l'. goIng to IlIlow
"We have supported a three- _
the [aecurlly teams) to spend allt- pronged approach: Keep the ball
tle more time screentng beCause guys off' the Jets [through
there were treritentlous pressures lightened aecurllyj. strengthen
to move th08c crOWds;" Hlavacek and ......lualIy replace the cockpit
sald.
doots and put defensive systems
ATA's annqtJilcemen1tame' em for pIIols In the cockpit," Hunter
the same thly' tl1at united AlrlIn"" sald.

said 1l plans to In8lsll Taaer'guns
In the COCkpIts. Untted also said 1l
Is atartJng a lralnlng

program

for

pUots and tllght attendants, _ed
at both self-protection. and assistIng pasaengers.