This is highly irresponsible. You CANNOT DO THIS anymore. Even before it was full of risk. There is a reason why pilots carry a 9mm in the cockpit in the US.

Right.... You talk about pilots being allowed to carry firearms aboard and the irresponsible bit in your opinion is a passenger asking to fly jumpseat?

I wonder if possession of firearms for anyone 18+ will be made illegal in the US in my lifetime... one would hope so

Well it is, unless you have a permit. By the Constitution, if you have a permit you may carry a concealed handgun for emergencies. Hunters also carry weapons. Either way, just toting one around in general is illegal.

I wonder if possession of firearms for anyone 18+ will be made illegal in the US in my lifetime... one would hope so

Why should we hope for?

Before 9/11, Canadian carriers and Europeans would routinely fly with the flightdeck door wide open once in cruise. I used to drag my kids up for flightdeck visits. No, really I did it only for the kids. :) Sad to see those days gone. Indeed, when the pilots come out for a pee break now, you'll often see the flight attendants position a beverage cart across the aisle to prevent any lunatic from charging the cockpit. Or at least to try and slow them down. But in the spirit of old times, I pledge to fly my NGX with the office door wide open. Well, at least until the first time I get interrupted while in the flare while fighting a crosswind.And apologies to the administrators, forgot to sign that last post.Bruce Campion-Smith

Highly irresponsible... carrying people in aluminium tubes at nearly the speed of sound at 10 km altitude is irresponsible in the first place. By the way, terrorists don't need us to give them this information they used to go to flying schools, in the US and somewhere else too, so please bash flight instructors first. And, you might want to check the forum rules. ;) Hvae a wonderful new year!

Department of Homeland Security is responsible for flight instruction or the FAA I would guess. I don't need to bash anyone. All I am saying is that we need to be aware that the minute we let our guard down we become susceptible.One death by terrorism is too much, let alone hundreds. I'll totally ignore your first line Fozzy as extreme sarcasm (at 39000 ft it may be permitted! ;-) and I admire your sense of humour!) but I will have a laugh because I love to fly and flying is very safe in a large jet, even an Airbus! ;-) I wasn't talking about the passengers!!! And to add to that how irresponsible to haul passengers around in an aluminium tube with such high rates of mental illness in society!!! ;-)Cheers mateDaniel M (forgot to sign my last post sorry guys)

Before 9/11, Canadian carriers and Europeans would routinely fly with the flightdeck door wide open once in cruise. I used to drag my kids up for flightdeck visits. No, really I did it only for the kids. :) Sad to see those days gone. Indeed, when the pilots come out for a pee break now, you'll often see the flight attendants position a beverage cart across the aisle to prevent any lunatic from charging the cockpit. Or at least to try and slow them down. But in the spirit of old times, I pledge to fly my NGX with the office door wide open. Well, at least until the first time I get interrupted while in the flare while fighting a crosswind.And apologies to the administrators, forgot to sign that last post.Bruce Campion-Smith

I am old school myself at the ripe old age of 35. Miss the good old days, but I suppose back in the days of the depression and war there was a good deal of trust and respect. Today those days are long gone, with regular maddies making for the door trying to open it at +30000ft and being violent etc.

Guys,I think it'd be wise to switch topics here... this kind of thing has a tendency to go south fast, don't want to have to deal with that.

Guys,I think it'd be wise to switch topics here... this kind of thing has a tendency to go south fast, don't want to have to deal with that.

Probably would be for the best.

Good idea Ryan. Changing frequencies, anyone got their first flights picked out? I was thinking a departure from the field at Renton, a little airwork to get a taste of this puppy and then into Boeing Field. From there, perhaps a "delivery flight" somewhere, depending on the livery. More likely, I'll just get impatient and jump right into service on some SWA route to get a taste of it.Bruce Campion-Smith

I know Ryan has asked for this to be taken off the main forum, but I do have one thing I really, really want to say on this topic. As an Irish man, I know a little bit about these people. It might seem obvious, but terrorists use terror to try to change the behaviour of their victims. By being afraid of them you have let then beat you. And worse then that, by telling other people to be afraid, "just in case", you are doing their work for them. To try and put it in context, more people have died in car crashes in the last two or three days then have been killed by terrorists in the entire history of aviation. The day you believe "security" is more important then freedom is the day you lose both.

Amen to that Paul.My first flight will probably be from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (Sweden, ARN/ESSA) to Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL/ENGM) in a 738 :PEDIT: A good quote i like that i found in Empire total War is: "The man who gives up a little bit of freedom for a little bit of security, deserves neither, and will lose both" Benjamin FranklinNot saying it should be taken literally or anything...

For the first flight I'll try something easy to get to know everything. Maybe a short hop, Rhodes to Athens. But once I feel comfortable I think I'll go for some challenging approach like Innsbruck.

Im Thinking.... Maybe a flight around Sea-Tac (KSEA) Renton (KRNT), or Snohomish County (KPAE). probably in a 738Also, maybe Innsbruck or Marrakech.-Sam Cordell

The day you believe "security" is more important then freedom is the day you lose both.

It all depends where the trade-off is, how much security you get in exchange for how much 'freedom'. Different countries and cultures have different sensibilities and would evaluate this trade-off using different yardsticks. I personally don't think I am losing a lot of 'freedom' by not being able to visit flight decks during flights, I don't think word 'freedom' is even applicable here. We all face such tradeoffs every day - would it be a nice freedom not to have STOP signs or traffic lights?