Armed Pilots Face Refresher Training

The number of armed pilots aboard U.S. jetliners has steadily expanded in recent years, and as a result, the program is beginning to show signs of growing pains. Pilots and their labor groups are now complaining about a lack of supervision and the difficulty in finding time to participate in costly mandated training courses. The pilots are required to attend a two-day mandatory refresher course at a training facility near Atlantic City three to five years after getting their guns. Those who participate are not paid for their time, reimbursed for travel, lodging or food expenses. “Using a weapon is a perishable skill, and we want to ensure they have the appropriate training,” said John A. Novak, an assistant director with the air marshal service told The Washington Post.

To be allowed to carry handguns in cockpits, pilots undergo psychological testing and a seven-day training course. They must visit a firing range to demonstrate their shooting skills every six months. The controversial gun program, which started in 2003, was backed enthusiastically by pilots and their unions as a way to prevent terrorist hijackings after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. When the program began, union officials said as many as 30,000 pilots would eventually carry firearms in cockpits. The number of armed pilots is well short of that number,. While government officials will not specify the number of federal agents onboard aircraft, sources familiar with the program claim there are now more armed pilots than there are federal air marshals.