The gun issue came up yesterday on KRLD, a local news/talk radio station in Dallas.

They interviewed a pilot, asking for suggestions about what to do about hijacking.

The pilot explained that it takes close to 20 seconds for him to get out of his seat and face the back door of the cockpit. There is a shoulder harness to remove, plus a seatbelt, possibly a headset, and then care to ensure that the controls are safely passed to autopilot or to the co-pilot (avoiding kicking the pedals, etc.). There is a fire axe and fire extinguisher in the cockpit, and (believe it or not), both have been used to subdue passengers trying to enter the cockpit.

The sleeping gas idea only works if the hijackers aren't aware that sleeping gas is on the airplane. Thus, with our blabbermouth press, the hijackers would certainly be aware of such a measure. Even if they didn't know, they would discover it on the first hijacking, and future hijackers would be aware enough of it. (Might be worth a try, even with hijackers knowing, since it would be really difficult to get your own masks and equipment through the security checkpoint.)

The cabin decompression idea puts passengers at risk, but the risk might be worth ensuring that you get the plane down safely.

I think new stronger doors should be a requirement at the next maintenance heavy check as well as a hijack button for the flight attendants to signal the pilots not to enter the cabin.

And I'm still in favor of reinstituting Sky Marshals, as well as allowing soldiers and law enforcement officers to carry their weapons on board provided they don't drink inflight. I would require the soldier/law enforcement officer to "preregister" with the airline, with the PD providing the documentation, or the military, prior to the soldier/law officer arriving at the airport. (In other words, the security needs to be thorough enough to ensure that a hijacker does not board the plane "pretending" to be a soldier or law officer.)