A Personal Guide for Cabin & Cockpit Self Defense

As a proud American, 9-11 forced me to experience the gamut of emotions that most Americans felt that horrific day. As a former marine and current police officer, I was incensed, and still am, at those heinous acts. That episode forced me to take an introspective inventory of my purpose in life. With my unique background, I realized that God had given me a gift with the martial arts I had studied over the previous twenty-five years. What’s more, it forced me to think back to a day when, as a young boy, I watched President John F. Kennedy give a famous speech on television. To this day, I am truly inspired by the greatness in his oration when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country!” As I pondered 9-11, it became clear that it was my duty to do my best to ensure that the right people benefited from my knowledge for the right reasons to be used at the right times.

Terrorism has caused every member of our nation to form a new mindset in the American lifestyle. The subject of terrorism is not a game; it is a serious and deadly business manifesting itself in twisted ideologies and illegal actions. In our discussion of violence in the public domain, our goal will be to differentiate between the unruly passenger and the terrorist, and to explore methods that should be used to identify and defend against both the terrorist and unruly passenger.

The attacks of September 11, 2001, galvanized the “American will” to defend itself. This goal of self-defense is seen throughout our nation’s emergency preparedness community through its efforts to deal with weapons of mass destruction, individually and collectively, at the state, local, and federal levels.

Likewise, the airline industry was forced to re-think its policies through restructuring its objectives involving day-to-day operations, emergency operations, and training. Terrorism is here to stay.

For Americans to remain secure, we must adapt our attitudes and behaviors in methods affecting our day-to-day lives. Our patience and understanding must be unparalleled in achieving a legal and procedural-based balance in our everyday lives. Individual and collective preparedness are aspects of a multi-faceted approach required for terrorism’s defeat.

Self-defense measures for a flight crew are outlined in this book in hopes that the techniques will make a difference. Before discussing the terrorist, let’s discuss the obvious problem of the unruly passenger. This individual may be upset due to flight anxiety, intoxication, mental illness, or chronic stressors unrelated to terrorism.

This agitated individual can cause a scene at any time whether flying nationally or internationally. Most flight attendants know how to deal with this type of adversary and have professionally and successfully done so prior to 9-11. The reasoning and negotiating skills of most flight crews are outstanding when dealing with agitated customers. The organizational policies should delineate further on how to deal with agitated customers. In case they do not, the author recommends that you treat them in a kind manner, being nice, firm, but fair.

It is my humble opinion that the goal of a self-defense program developed for the airline industry should be multi-faceted. Its approach should involve a mindset of survival coupled with self-control to educate its students when force should be used and what level of force is required, all based on a flexible set of circumstances.

Additionally, the curriculum should inform in detail the levels of force along with the requirement of escalating and de-escalating varied levels of force used. This use-of-force continuum should be consistent with federal standards and industry and organizational guidelines.