Just one of the many ridiculous, meaningless policies that exist in the military. I have no idea why its required, what rule is being adhered to, or where the hell the rule came from. But every single time we put soldiers on air force planes, we have to sign stupid “Anti-Hijacking” affidavit after hearing our 3 minute anti-hijacking briefing.
As far as the shotgun thing… there is a sign up at the hanger that lists things prohibited on aircraft. Short-barreled shotgun is on there. Machinegun isn’t. Pistol isn’t. So it’s fine for 500 Soldiers to start boarding aircraft with machineguns, giant mortar tubes, artillery, all manner of things… but don’t you dare bring a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches? What the fuck!?
Your thread just kind of reminded me of the process. It has become so mundane and we do it so often, that it has just kind of blended in to all the other little hoops that get jumped through. Nobody really notices it anymore or thinks about it. Your thread about airplane security made it pop in my head.
Found a copy of the briefing. I will share it now so you may all join in the eye rolling! Keep in mind, this is what is read to all of the jumpmasters and unit leadership before paratroopers are allowed to board the military plane that they’re just going to jump out of after 10 minutes of flying.
Total security theater! Besides everything else wrong with this, the jumpmaster can’t inspect people for unauthorized weapons. The soldiers’ packs have been rigged to jump. The bags can’t be opened without derigging them and then rerigging. That would take hours. So, again, why bother with making someone sign a certification that you know very well is bullshit. And what concern are “unauthorized” weapons and explosives, when a person could more easily cause harm with their “authorized” weapons and explosives…
Maybe the 8 inches of September snow outside has me exceptionally bitter today.
That is pretty funny. It would be like heading into a TSA checkpoint, a rocket launcher strapped to your bags, and you have a machine gun slung over your shoulder. “Are all these weapons here authorized? Yep! Alright, have a good flight, soldier.”
I heard that this is actually true. Soldiers flying chartered commercial on a deployment overseas do have their weapons, but they still get searched and while they can keep their weapons, they can’t keep their pen knives. Makes sense.
Yes, I’ve been on some charters that have done that. I’ve even seen some that go a step further and demand the bolts be removed from all firearms and packed in the checked baggage!
Others haven’t cared one bit! Knives, guns, whatever. Common sense is so rare, but its out there!
It may not just be about deliberate malicious use of the weapons; maybe the prohibited weapons might be hazardous on an airplane even if they’re used correctly, or not used at all. A flamethrower (does the military even use those anymore) might give off fumes that are noxious of flammable, or the propellant in a rocket-propelled grenade might not have been tested to remain stable in an aircraft environment. An airliner crashed in Florida in 1996 when oxygen generators in the cargo hold caught fire.
As for the shotguns, maybe the short barrel, and low cabin pressure, mean the propellant charge isn’t consumed entirely before the shot leaves the barrel. If a pistol discharges by accident it’s a threat to the person in front of it. If that happens with a short-barreled shotgun it could be a threat to the whole aircraft.
That’s all speculation on my part, of course, but if this site has taught me anything it’s that there are often good reasons for things that seem nonsensical at first.
Because the airplane is being operated for compensation or hire and is capable of a maximum gross takeoff weight of more than 45,500 kg (i.e. pretty much any airliner), the TSA requires the operator to have a Private Charter Standard Security Program in place. This program requires that all passengers are screened by the TSA or a TSA-authorized security screening company. The checkpoints are are easily broken down and transported, so they can be set up anywhere. Most of the time they’ll be set up in a hangar or conference room belonging to the FBO where the airplane is parked. It’s a total joke, and is lucrative for the security screening contractors.
Speaking of security theater, the Port Authority at Boston Logan requires all passengers and crew members of private flights to pass through a metal detector and for their bags to pass through an X-ray prior to accessing the ramp. There are no restricted items. I’ve placed my pocket knife in the tray, a passenger’s unlocked gun case on the X-ray belt, and set off the metal detector with my keys and belt as I walked through. The X-ray operator didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. I’m not even confident he was conscious. I grabbed my knife and the guns and continued out through the doors to the airplane. We are charged a several hundred dollar “9/11 Security Fee.” It’s completely insane.
For a while I did most of my flying on my employer’s Learjet or Gulfstream. We had our own hanger with a nice waiting lobby, restrooms, borrow a desk and a phone for a little while, and whatnot. You’d drive right up to the door. If we had lots of baggage and the jet was already outdoors, we could drive right up to that instead, and hand bags back and forth. People would be sitting around drinking coffee.
Then the pilot would say, “Well, is everybody ready? Last minute restroom stop, anything else?” and we’d say “All set” and we’d walk out and climb into the jet.
When we’d land, if we rented a car somebody would drive that over to the jet for us, and away we’d go.
StrangerThanFiction is right, I assume. What I know is that when the University of Minnesota team flies somewhere, they go through security in the football practice building, then take a charter bus directly down to the airport. I know this because they set up a secured perimeter between the building side door and the bus, which completely blocks the sidewalk of the main path between the campus and a major student housing neighborhood. At least, they did a couple years ago.
It’s called dumb money. Very common these days. I blame lucifer.
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