Safety in the Air: a Discussion with a Pilot Who Faced-off with Terror

The crash of another airplane once again has travelers concerned about air safety.  It leaves us all asking, is it safe to fly? Where is it safe to fly? How are the terrorists (assuming they are involved in this latest incident, which experts aren’t yet confirming) able to continue attacking and why can’t we stop them?

In a recent Blab (a livestream broadcast) with co-host Kymri Wilt, I was discussing the bombing in a Belgium airport and we were joined by a pilot (Fabrizio Poli) who has some experience dealing with all of these topics.  What he had to say was incredibly interesting and educational to both Kymri and I, and I think is important for us all to hear, so I’ve edited it down from our one hour broadcast to the 13 or so minutes that seemed most relevant.

He covered everything from the kinds of terrorists that out there (according to him–there are three kinds: mad, bad and sad). He discussed having to kick terrorists off one of his planes in the past and acknowledges those terrorists were most likely just testing the security system to see what they could get away with, most likely for a bigger purpose. He talked about airports where it’s common knowledge that the security guards could be bribed to get through line quicker or to get access directly to the planes.

Crazy stuff, right?

Have a listen and let me know in comments your thoughts about it all…

[hana-code-insert name=’terror threat’ /]