Reply #25: From a former airline captain and ALPA accident investigator ...

[DemoTex]

On the surface, this is a very disturbing article. However, I have no idea how credible the WWS source is. I am skeptical.

If the entire story is true, it should have made it into mainstream media or it is being squelched (and that is a definite possibility!). Personally, the story has a smell to it. Here is why (IMHO):

The first hint of this kind of "suspicious group activity" on my MD-80 or B-737 would warrant a high dive into the closest airport with a suitable runway. Period. I think (and hope) most airline captains are spring-loaded to that initial defense nowadays. We (airline pilots) are not heroes and we are not backed-up or protected by any meaningful mechanism from either the federal government or our individual airlines.

The TSA is a joke and the Justice Department is a thorn under all saddles. Our best defense is to land the aircraft immediately and abandon the cockpit. Not as cowards or chicken-hawks, but as a denial of control. Shut it down, pull the fire handles, and un-ass the cockpit. This is you captain. Adios.