87
votes
The F-16s that were scrambled to intercept United 93 did not have time to arm the jets, so the pilots were going to “ram it” how does that work?
(disclaimer - Former USAF armament specialist)
The intention was not necessarily to "ram", but rather get eyeballs on the situation and take whatever action was needed. That may have, ...
- 7,568
48
votes
Accepted
The F-16s that were scrambled to intercept United 93 did not have time to arm the jets, so the pilots were going to “ram it” how does that work?
Just read the Washington Post article that was cited in the Wikipedia article.
The intention of the two F-16 pilots was to ram the Boeing 757 in a likely suicide mission, since they had no ammunition ...
- 566
22
votes
The F-16s that were scrambled to intercept United 93 did not have time to arm the jets, so the pilots were going to “ram it” how does that work?
I'm sorry that some are frustrated that there aren't interesting links, but not everything is on the Internet.
The media loves to tell the story of the unarmed fighters ready to (presumably give their ...
15
votes
Accepted
Where to relocate a bomb on a plane to minimize damage?
We covered that stuff during recurrent training and for the CRJ Regional Jets we were told to place it in the forward galley in front of the service door (opposite the main door) and cover with with ...
- 126k
9
votes
Accepted
Why fluids are forbidden in flights, while nitrate- and peroxide compounds aren't?
First of all, your statement, that it's not allowed to bring any liquid (gels, spray cans, ...) with you on most airports is simply not true.
In the EU, any liquid must be in containers of not more ...
- 7,227
9
votes
Could a terrorist hack the ILS?
There are numerous unclassified papers talking about LOC, GS, MLS and other navaid jamming. There are also instances of that happening, both intentionally and unintentionally. The issue with consumer ...
- 17.7k
5
votes
Why isn't luggage that goes in the hold scanned as thoroughly as hand luggage?
The main reason why checked luggage is treated differently is that you cannot access it during the flight, therefore eliminating some of the security concerns (like e.g. a knife in checked baggage is ...
- 54.3k
4
votes
How secure is an airplane on the ground whilst passengers are boarding the aircraft?
Those guys would gain no more than they'd gain if they hijacked the bus taking you to the airport.
If fact they'd gain less as they'd have nowhere to go and there's a lot more (armed) police at the ...
- 15.9k
4
votes
Could a terrorist hack the ILS?
Yes, An ILS could be jammed or disrupted. It is a narrow directional signal emitting from an antenna at the runway. A pilot uses other means of navigation to intercept its signal and verify the ...
- 1,746
4
votes
Accepted
Is baggage always offloaded when a passenger does not travel?
Normally, baggage takes much longer to switch flights than self-loading cargo, so your scenario is highly unlikely.
In the event of a passenger missing and his/her baggage already on board, all bags ...
- 230k
3
votes
How does ATC protect Air Force One?
Regarding TFRs, compliant pilots and terrorists: The TFR can "weed out" non-threats based on their compliance. Non-compliant aircraft would then be singled out as potential threats and dealt with ...
- 31
1
vote
Why isn't luggage that goes in the hold scanned as thoroughly as hand luggage?
Us mere mortals are not entitled to know of the proceedings taking place behind the thick rubber curtains of the baggage conveyor belt, for reasons too obvious to list here. However, this Youtube ...
- 27.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible