PILOTS ARMED with stun guns, reinforced cockpit doors, a remote system which allows aircraft to be flown from the ground during emergencies, autopilot controls preventing planes from crashing into cities - these are some of the ideas which appear set to bring massive changes to aviation security in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
The commandeering of passenger jets by hijackers who take over the controls and steer planes into landmark buildings was a scenario apparently never contemplated by the world's counterterrorism or security experts.
Armed with small knives, some hidden inside cigarette lighters, and paper cutters, the terrorists in the United States hijackings attacked cabin crew and lured pilots away from their flight decks. The terrorists are also reported to have claimed they had bombs.
Now, the rush is under way to develop measures to boost security and the confidence of the travelling public.
Among measures put forward are a system which instead of merely warning pilots the plane is about to hit a large object, commands the autopilot controls to steer the aircraft away from danger and a network which would shut down flight-deck controls during a hijacking and allow the aircraft to be controlled from the ground.
No-flight zones, which put city centres and other potential targets out of bounds for passenger aircraft, could be delineated in the computer databases of planes to prevent pilots steering towards them.
