I never understood what the bid deal is. You wanna see my naked a**, go ahead, knock yourself out. What are some people so ashamed of? If anything I'd be more concerned with the health implications due to the radiation even though I think those are miniscule. What's wrong with a pat down? It's not any different than what a cop would do. If you refuse a cop you will most likely end up in jail. If there is a chance that any of these procedures will help keep the next nutcase off our jets then I'm all for it. What I think is a huge inconvenience is that these procedures are being applied to crewmembers since after after all, the last time I checked we have an ax in the cockpit. We need crew pass now....

Seagull -

People do often want to apply RIGHTS to everyday situations.
It has been said over and over on these forums during other discussions that FLYING IS NOT A RIGHT, yet when the situation presents itself we try to apply those same protections. Although FLYING isn't a right, we are suppose to be protected from such 'uneasonable' actions by the gov't; and since TSA is the gov't in this case, does that make it more plausible?
It rears its' head on the forum sometimes when something gets deleted and the mods/admins are accused of violating some's FREE SPEECH. Our resident lawyer vagabond has a nice prepared response that can educate the misguided.

I think TSA has gone to far, I'm not a fan of the regulations, I think they focus on the wrong issues, and our search of the perfect politically correct nirvana dilutes our limited resources away from the real problem; but for now it is what it is - and I hope it can be changed in the future.

Until then, we can still hope for an articulate spokesperson to bring the fight out into the open. If the reviews of this pilot's interview so far are accurate (I did not see the mentioned CNN interview nor have I seen the internet video cip), then I'm afraid that this is not the guy.

I don't know a lot about CrewPASS, but I certainly hope that you airline pilots can get something in place to speed you along the security screening process. Btw - to all of us regular passengers out there along for the ride - when you see a crew trying to make it through screening, offer them a spot in line and don't make them have to ask if they can cut in.

USMCFLYR

Looks like you made the Drudge Report today.
Pilot Refuses Full-Body Scan, Says TSA Doesn’t Make Travel Safer CBS New York – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of NY

I'm no attorney, but I would agree that flying is not a right. However, I think that opting out of security screening and leaving the airport without harassment is a right, as covered by the 4th amendment.

Just saw this story on Fox News Channel ...

Another interview video;

Commercial airline pilot refuses full body scan

What century were you Puritans born in. How about that latest Nathaniel Hawthorne novel...pretty racy stuff.

You might start your search at tsa.gov

Just a thought.

Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here we go (hope the mods don't censor me for posting nude pictures...)


As you can see, it doesn't leave much to the imagination.


Baron, if being seen nude doesn't bother you, that's good, and that's your choice. But there are plenty of people that are really bothered by it, and not being seen like that is their choice as well. Also think about how you would feel if this is your mother, your wife, your 16 year old daughter, or your 12 year old son. What if your mother has had a mastectomy? What if your Grandfather has to use a colostomy bag? How would THEY feel?

The constitution doesn't cover a right to fly, but it does protect us against unreasonable searches and searches without probable cause. You can argue that by choosing to enter an airport, you agree to give up that right. Well okay... What if the next target is soft - say a shopping mall. Do we have to forfeit our 4th amendment rights if we "choose" to enter a shopping mall as well. Take it a step further. One of the Mega retailers decides to use this system as "loss-prevention." They can now argue that you've agreed to give up your 4th amendment right by "choosing" to shop at their store. (don't imagine it would be good for sales, though.)

Take another situation. You are a rape victim going to court to testify against your attacker. But the court house is equipped with full body scanners (They're already installed in several courthouses.) Now the only way to testify against your attacker is to be virtually strip searched, or manually groped.

Is someone has already said, this is a very slippery slope.

I'm all for reasonable and effective security. But I believe this (and much the TSA does,) is neither. And as all of us who work this gig already know, the only way to make air travel 100% safe is to park all of the planes.

Tag on:

The radiation is a particular concern to pilots. They say it's not more than what you get during 2 to 3 minutes at cruise flight, but many scientists have said their estimates may be way off, and we're actually receiving 20 to 30 times that amount. They also aren't sure how it affects the body since it (supposedly) doesn't penetrate beneath the skin. Long term effects are obviously an unknown as well. Add to this the fact that the average pilot could be subjected to these machines 150 times a year or more. You can see why many of us are reluctant to try 'em out.