Foreign Governments Concerned Over Move to Arm U.S. Pilots on International Flights

BRIAN WILLIAMS, anchor:

NBC News IN DEPTH tonight, arming pilots to protect their aircraft from terrorist attack. While the air marshals have gotten a lot of attention, there's also this three-year-old program to train pilots to carry weapons on-board. Thousands of pilots now carry firearms, sidearms on domestic flights. There's now a move to carry them on international flights as well, and that is what is raising some new concerns. Here is NBC's Tom Costello IN DEPTH tonight.

TOM COSTELLO reporting:

On a firing range in New Mexico, the pilots who could be greeting you on your next flight.

Mr. JERRY EICKHOFF (Firearms Instructor): They show up here, they want to learn, and they listen to what we teach them.

COSTELLO: Coming on their own dime and their own time...

Unidentified Man #1: Thrust, boom. Hip goes back.

COSTELLO: ...to learn how to fend off an attacker armed with a knife or a gun.

Unidentified Man #2: Get back! Back, back, back!

COSTELLO: We've been asked not to show their faces because once they complete this training, the pilots are considered federal flight deck officers authorized to carry a weapon and now about to get the badge to go with it. Among them, Jeff, a commercial pilot for 18 years.

JEFF: My job is to never have to draw my weapon. And if they have enough of us out there and they don't attempt anything, then we're accomplishing our goal.

(Beginning of videotape)

Unidentified Woman: There you go.

Unidentified Man #3: How's it going back there?

Woman: You going to need some sugar?

Unidentified Man #4: Hey, get back!

Man #3: No.

Man #4: Hey! Drop the knife. Drop the knife!

(End of videotape)

COSTELLO: Each pilot trained to make split second decisions on whether the threat is real and then whether to shoot.

Now with several thousand armed pilots flying for virtually every US carrier, homeland security is moving to have those pilots start flying international routes.

Captain David Mackett wants to see more pilots armed and better trained.

Captain DAVID MACKETT (Airline Pilots Security Alliance): There's no pilots--no armed pilots in international flights, and they're some of our highest threat flights.

COSTELLO: But it could be a tough sell overseas. Already a coalition of industry, union and international airlines opposes arming flight deck or cabin crews with lethal weapons, instead preferring more robust passenger profiling. Still with 30,000 flights each day...

Mr. MICHAEL KEANE (Armed Pilot Instructor): The goal is to protect this flight deck at all costs.

COSTELLO: ...these pilots and air marshals say it's all about improving their odds. Tom Costello, NBC News, Washington.

WILLIAMS: Another break here, and when NIGHTLY NEWS continues in a moment, a city struggling with homelessness and the surprising decision on what to do about it.

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