Airport Security

IATA claims 2.5 billion people flew commercially in 2009.  Of those 2.5 billion people, how many do you think wanted to blow up the plane they were on or would try to hijack it and fly it into something.  Enough to warrant the major inconvenience each and every one of those 2.5 BILLION people is subjected to at each airport they pass through?  I think not.

On my present schedule, I fly overseas for four tours a year, plus at least one recurrent training trip, and with my present routing I figure there's forty five times a year that I have to stand forever in a long snail pace line, take out my laptop and any liquids, remove my phone and watch, jacket, probally shoes and belt, and subject myself to a search, plus customs and passport control, and as a TRE, you can easily add another four trips per year to that...so we are now up to over eighty security checks per year.  You security dudes can scan the bags and do spot checks, but having every single traveller digging out liquids and laptops (if you are travelling, please pack to have them handy, as I'm probably the guy in line behind you), and now ipads and ereaders, that must be taken out of their cases (Heathrow)....boys, it's getting ridiculous.  Fear mongering manifested into breaking my balls.  And today I flew into the states to learn how to run the AW139 simulator.  U.S. security is so over the top all of us touring guys avoid connecting through like the plague itself.  Relax the rules abit.  Ease up.  Not everybody is trying to kill you.  Leave our laptops and liquids in our bags.

And since when is "Airplane Mode" not enough?  You want my ipad completely powered down?  Reading my ereader during take off is somehow a risk to the plane?  Guys, I'm a pilot.  Sure, we test how the massive electrical pulse from using a defibrillator on an EMS chopper might affect navigation equipment, but ereader and ipads?  Who are the idiots making these policies?

End of rant, time for a beer.