Cargo pilots are hoping the Senate's enthusiasm last week for guns in their cockpits will prevail in the House this week.
Last year, Congress gave certified passenger pilots the right to have handguns in the cockpit. The same ruling would have applied to cargo pilots except the word "passenger" was added to the bill at the last minute, making it apply only to pilots for passenger carriers. The issue has festered among cargo pilots, who suspect their employers' were responsible for the last-minute change in wording.
"This is very important to us," said David Webb, president of the FedEx Airline Pilots Association, the pilots' union. "This would be a key component of our defense because we feel there are large, gaping holes in cargo security."
Passenger carrier mandates have not been equally applied in the cargo industry, he said. Some cargo cockpits have reinforced doors and others have no doors.
United Parcel Service and FedEx have staunchly opposed the change, saying that pilots are pilots and not law enforcement personnel.
"We do not feel that having a weapon on board will enhance security," said David Bolger, UPS spokesman. "We feel it will do just the opposite."
FedEx agrees.
"We don't think it's the best way to go," said Sandra Munoz, spokeswoman. "Enhanced security screening and strengthened cockpit doors represent a better approach for us."
Handguns in the cockpit wouldn't mitigate all pilot safety concerns, Webb said.
People who have not passed criminal background checks will still have access to the aircraft, he said, and there is yet no protocol in place for screening air cargo for explosives.
The legislation would only cover pilots who work in the United States. Cargo pilots who fly overseas would not be allowed to be armed.
"But we are extremely excited about being included in the program, even with its deficiencies," Webb said.
"We feel like we at least would have a fighting chance."
The bill presented by Sen. James Bunning, R-Ky., passed Nov. 10 by unanimous consent in the Senate, days after Homeland Security issued a warning that al-Qaida may be planning to hijack a cargo plane outside the United States and fly it at targets - bridges or nuclear plants - inside the country.
If the bill passes in the House this week, it will go to President Bush for his signature.
Leon Laylagian, pilot spokesman for the Coalition of Airline Pilots, said that once the bill becomes law, the Transportation Security Administration will have 90 days to design a training prototype for cargo pilots.
The class would likely mirror the one-week training TSA mandates for passenger pilots who wish to become federal flight deck officers, said Yolanda Clark, TSA spokeswoman.
In the class, pilots learn defensive tactics and how to use a handgun, and are deputized in their jurisdiction, which is the cockpit, she said.
The class, including psychological evaluations, costs about $5,000. Passenger pilots have been paying $1,500 themselves.
