Airlines Security :: Who Will Protect Our Air Hostess / Crew Members?

“Vicky Kapoor: With airlines fighting over cost, regular flight delays, narrow escape from accidents & every-corner air-hostess training academies, maybe its time to re-think on one simple factor.

Up so high who will stand against any problem or threat? Are our flight crew really train to protect us also?

Air-marshals might be used in major flights but in low-cost flights, airlines crew members are our only last line of defense. And a look at the training manual, we seldom find a good protection self defense course for these crew members. I have collected some articles and video from the net so that it will help us think about these flight crew members who are often caught up helpless whenever a threat arises. Plus maybe it will motivate airlines academies or airline crew members themselves to take up a good self defense system that is battle-tested, effective & customized for their line of work.”

• Youtube Video of Air Stewards & Pilots undergoing Self Defense Training – Fox News
• Choosing an Aircrew Self-Defense Training Program
• Airline Security; Stewardesses Our Last Line Of Defense!

Choosing an Aircrew Self-Defense Training Program

Original article written by First Officer Henry Williamson

Well before September 11, 2001 pilots and flight attendants have needed tools to address violence in flight. An enraged, intoxicated or mentally unstable passenger can be just as dangerous to the individual crew member as a terrorist bent on mass destruction if not dealt with correctly. Only after the events of 9/11 did the industry, unions and government begin to seriously address the need for self-defense training for aircrew.

In addition to establishing the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, the “Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act” mandates self-defense training for all crew members & flight attendants. ALPA and other union and industry stakeholders are working with the Transportation Security Administration in developing this program. The Act specifies that training must include classroom instruction on threat recognition, crisis communications and the psychology of terror along with effective hands-on training. The final product will be a necessary compromise between quality training, time to train, and cost.

Whether enough time is allotted to make the hands-on skills truly effective remains to be seen. Recurrent training is specified by the Act, but what form it will take is not yet known. Pilots and flight attendants may not want to wait for this training to begin learning how to defend themselves. Others may be motivated by the mandated training to seek out more advanced training.

In this article I discuss what crew members should look for in a self-defense training program. I acknowledge in advance that this article reflects my own perspective, and is subject to debate. My conclusions come from my training in various martial arts, law enforcement and aviation security experience, and discussions and workshops with some of the foremost self-defense trainers in private industry and the government.

Several assumptions must be made at the outset. First, the crew member, air hostess / airline stewards has limited time available to train and must use that time to learn cabin/flight deck self-defense as efficiently as possibly. Time spent practicing esoteric routines, exotic weapons or flashy techniques should be used to learn truly effective self defense instead. Second, possible benefits such as increased self-confidence, discipline, spiritual well-being or even physical fitness are not the goal here—learning to fight is. Many people have realized great personal improvement from the study of martial arts but do not have the skills or mindset to defend themselves in a truly violent confrontation. Conversely, with the right attitude and a good instructor, a student can take valuable skills away from any style or program.

Components and considerations

Environment

Flight decks and cabins are very confined spaces, with numerous obstacles that impede free movement of both potential attackers and defenders. For this reason, high kicks (anything above the level of the abdomen) and acrobatics (jumping, spinning techniques) do not belong in a crewmember’s in-flight arsenal. Galleys, lavatories and flight decks are in effect blind spots, which reduce a crewmember’s reaction time to a threat. Because attacks may come with little or no warning, close-range (less than two feet between opponents) techniques should be emphasized over long-range techniques.

Striking and Grappling

An effective self-defense program must address both striking and grappling. The most obvious form of striking is punching, but training should include elbow and knee strikes, open hand techniques and low kicks. Grappling can be defined as any situation where one or both opponents grab onto the other. This usually happens because one opponent is trying to control the other, execute a takedown, or simply avoid the other’s strikes.

Forget about the movies and think about any fight that you have ever been in or witnessed. Most fights end in a matter of seconds due to disengagement by one or both fighters (most people really don’t want to fight) or outside intervention. There is the rare quick knockout, but the majority of serious fights quickly become grappling encounters.

Whether by a fighter’s design or due to a simple loss of balance, grappling encounters frequently end up with one or both opponents on the ground. Basic ground fighting skills, both offensive and defensive, must be developed by crew member, air hostess / stewards that are serious about self-defense. Ground fighting skills are easily adapted to fighting from the seated position, where crew members might find themselves at the beginning of an attack.

Realism

It is critical that self-defense training resemble as closely as possible the real life attacks that a crew member will most likely encounter. To use a military adage, “train the way you fight”.

Training should include drills in which students apply as much contact, power and resistance against each other as they can without undue risk of injury. Take downs, joint locks, chokes and other grappling techniques can only be validated when the student’s sparring partner is determined to defend against those techniques, just as an actual adversary would be. A padded mat area and clear rules of engagement are necessary for effective grappling training. Heavy bags, pads and protective gear allow students to safely practice full power strikes.

Programs utilizing highly protective suits such as Redman, FIST, and HighGear are able to add a high degree of realism to their training. An instructor wearing one of these suits can safely absorb the full impact of a student’s strikes. This allows for realistic role-playing and scenario based exercises.

Many traditional Asian martial arts devote time to the study of forms or “kata”. These are choreographed, dance-like routines that often incorporate stylized strikes or techniques. Many martial artists find the study of forms or kata rewarding. Crew member, air hostess / stewards , however, should use their limited time learning realistic techniques instead.

Weapons

With the exception of Federal Flight Deck Officers, crew member, air hostess / stewards, flight attendants do not have access to conventional deadly weapons. Improvised weapons such as crash axes, fire extinguishers, and wine bottles can be very effective, but crewmembers should not count on those items being available in a time of crisis.

Some traditional martial arts focus significant time on exotic weapons training. These weapons range from broadswords to ancient Asian farm implements. It is a safe bet that none of these will be available to a crewmember in flight. Similarly, a hijacker’s weapon of choice would probably not be a six-foot staff or a Samurai sword.

Concealable edged weapons and handguns are the most likely armed threat to a crew member, air hostess / stewards, flight attendants. Weapons training should be limited to defenses against opponents wielding those weapons.

Physical Limitations

In an ideal world, crew member, air hostess / stewards would all be in top physical condition so as to better perform in crisis situations. We all know that the reality is quite different. While we are concerned here about self-defense, physical fitness is a critical component in any survival situation.

Try to choose a program that will challenge you physically. To paraphrase another military adage, “the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat”. Having said that, some crew member, air hostess / stewards, flight attendants may have physical conditions that may prevent them from safely participating in some of the more demanding programs.

Instructional Quality and Style

For long-term training, the individual crew member, air hostess / stewards, flight attendants will have to find a school or instructor with a personality that he or she is comfortable with. When shopping for a school or program, be alert for several “red flags” which may indicate sub-par training.

Classes should be adults only. Realistic self-defense training is not a family activity. The presence of children slows the pace and reduces the intensity of training.

Avoid programs that focus excessively on achieving rank or competing in tournaments. Belts and trophies are not a good indication of an individual’s true fighting abilities. Martial arts school owners can be very aggressive salesmen. Be sure you are satisfied with the program before you sign a long-term contract.

If an instructor talks up his extensive hand-to-hand combat experience, walk away. Most Americans are able to make it to their middle ages with only a few minor scuffles, if any fights at all. If this instructor is not lying, he might have questionable judgment or self-control. Either way, he may not be the best choice. Instructors with law enforcement and, to a lesser extent, military special operations backgrounds may have considerable real-life experience in unarmed self-defense. You should expect these instructors to be quiet professionals who hold self-aggrandizing words and actions in disdain.

Any claims of “secret”, “deadly” or “lethal” arts or techniques should be met with great skepticism. With one’s bare hands, a person can only cause another’s death through asphyxiation, strangulation or direct trauma to the brain or upper spinal cord. It is best to base your self-defense training on science, not on ancient Asian mysticism.

Conclusion:

If you have the time and money, a tailored aircrew self-defense course is a very valuable investment in your personal security.

Source : http://www.defendu.com/aircrewprogram.htm (http://www NULL.defendu NULL.com/aircrewprogram NULL.htm)

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Airline Security; Stewardesses Our Last Line Of Defense!

By Dan Sommer Published: 3/22/2005

It might come as a chock to many people, including the Stewardesses, but the fact remains that in today’s Airline Industry, the Stewardess is the last line of defense!

In the 11th of September terrorist attacks, on the WTC and Pentagon, the first victims were the Stewardesses. Savagely attacked by the terrorist on their way to the cockpit’s and tortured to pressure pilots, to comply with the terrorists demands.

More mundane, but daily occurrences in the International Airline Industry, is unruly passengers. Who endangers the safety of co-passengers and the aircraft due to mental disturbances, alcohol consumption, stress or disregard for airline regulations, such as remaining seated during takeoff and landing etc. or smoking in prohibited areas on smokeless flights. Stewardesses are expected to deal with these travails, as first responders and can if necessary call on the Pilots for help, if the situation is beyond their control. However, first the Stewardesses have to intervene and are often the victim, of verbal and physical abuse from the unruly passengers.

After the 9-11 attacks pilots; should show precaution before leaving the cockpit, to assist in calming or restraining unruly passengers. The incident could well be a diversion to get the pilots to open, the now locked cockpits, whereupon conspirators of the unruly passenger/s will attack to get access to the cockpit.

Onboard Security:

On the majority of flights, there are no Air Marshals, so problems have to be faced by the Stewardesses. Who either have deal with the matter on their own, or wait for the pilot or co-pilot to assist, or occasionally call upon the assistance from other passengers. As these problems, have been around for decades and will be in the future, it is simply necessary for the Stewardesses to receive training in Self-Defense and Arrest techniques. These skills should simply be part of the standard Stewardess training program, with regular retraining.

Stewardesses have not always just been service minded, multi language, pretty women; when the Icelandic Airline was originally established, all Stewardesses where former Nurses, as that was thought to be necessary, in order to deal with any medical emergencies. My opinion is that today, a similar concern is valid and that is that the Stewardesses, should be able to deal with current security threats as well. It would also be wise, to continue the current trend of adding more Stewards to the crews and preferable to the level of half of the crew.

To give the Stewardesses an extra advantage, a non-lethal weapon such as a mini stun-gun or expandable baton, could be issued and used together with handcuffs etc. CCTV should be installed, with cameras placed in strategic positions, could be supplemented with RF frequency pen-type cameras carried on the Stewardesses uniforms. Monitors should be place in all crew areas; this would give added security, not only to the Stewardesses but also to the pilots, who would be able to respond earlier, to a potential security threat from unruly passengers or terrorists.

Now, some will argue that training Stewardesses, to deal with terrorist incidents are wrong and the focus should be on passenger and baggage security screening. To those I will say yes, I fully agree, to the necessity of pre-screening of passengers and baggage and an increase in Airport security procedures is necessary. However, the current efforts are focused primarily, on simply throwing in more security personnel and making them federal employees, which in reality has done little to actually increase security. This is a fact that is evident by the many cases of persons carrying weapons on-board air-crafts anyway.

This fact has repeatedly been proven by security inspections, where security agents, have boarded aircrafts with weapons and explosives etc. There is also the fact, that the Airlines often have little control over the actual Airport security and close to no-control at foreign Airports. In many foreign airports the airlines simply have to rely on the local security and the occasional inspections, by official institutions such as the FAA etc.

There is also the real threat, of terrorist co-operators working within the Airline service industry, which has access to the Aircrafts and could place weapons or bombs on-board the Aircraft, to be used by the terrorists. And finally, the violent unruly passenger, will always be part of the environment the Stewardesses faces. Perhaps these incidents can be reduced, by enforcing higher penalties and prison terms on those who violate Airline regulations in any manner. But these procedures are going to take time and meanwhile the problem remains, in the hands of the Stewardesses; Our last line of defense!

Source: http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-21-2005-67393.asp (http://www NULL.buzzle NULL.com/editorials/3-21-2005-67393 NULL.asp)

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