According to this guy, the FFDO program uses H&K .40 pistols.baylor wrote:Does anyone know the gun that commerical pilots are now carrying? Just curious, I thought I read it was a .40 caliber.
http://www.crimefilenews.com/2007/12/ts ... f-air.html
He identifies the pistol maker in the comments to the post. I find it interesting that he was complaining about this holster/padlock system back in December 07, before this US Airs incident.
I find it even more interesting that the following comment was added to the post on 31 Mar:
I have not clue as to its authenticity, but might make an interesting FOIA expedition for someone with the time and motivation...Anonymous said...
I can't reveal my identity since I am an active FFDO, but I agree with most of the opinions about the weapon and carriage system foisted upon us by the bureaucratocracy. In the beginning, TSA openly declared they would never create an armed pilot force, and yielded only when directly ordered to by Congress. They set out to create a recruitment, training, and operational climate designed to discourage pilots from volunteering. In the words of a TSA official, "No pilot in his right mind would ever go through this, so if you go through this, you are not in your right mind" --- and therefore will lose your FAA medical certificate and your career. I have nothing but praise for the field-level trainers, but the DC powersuits have been obstructionist from the beginning, from choosing an unnecessarily large, clumsy, and cumbersome sidearm to the most ridiculous carriage system ever devised (one that guarantees incidents like this) to withholding training which would allow us to carry our weapons in a safe and sane manner, to making sure we are easily identifiable as we enter the sterile (secured) airport area, and more which I cannot reveal. One bit of evidence: under the three previous transport/carriage systems, there were no unintentional discharges that I know of. The USAir incident is the fifth unintentional discharge I am aware of using the current locking holster system. Excuses can be made regarding improper usage of the holster and lock, but any system which produces these kind of results is incredibly flawed. I hope it doesn't take a fatality to get this idiocy changed.
March 31, 2008 6:51 PM