Prices start at $5.00. Amazing...

How about these? Ceramic Knives

I bought 5 "CIA letter openers" at Knob Creek a year ago for $15.

Once again, I'm afraid that the liberals will seek to criminalize another inanimate object...

This was the first thing I thought of. Most people I know were thinking the hijackers had smuggled bombs or guns on board. Trying to get these on the plane is too risky in terms of exposing such an elaborate plan. If you bribe someone, they may turn you in to the authorities. As no one is frisked at the airport the logical answer is to bring in weapons which are not detected by metal detectors, but which can be carried on one's person.

What a truly elegant plan. A small group of men board each plane, each man carrying a knife. At the appropriate moment, they kick in the cockpit door and rush the cockpit crew. Then, as at least one of them is trained to pilot the plane, they take over control.

What intelligence, or security could have stopped it?

The one thing I can think of is to secure the cockpit from such an attack. I'm surprised it has not been done prior to this infamous day.

Here is one security lapse discovered last year at DFW: one of the restaurants INSIDE the terminal security area was found to be giving patrons 6" steak knives with their steak entrees.

I think they were using something more along these lines:

Yeah and they don't have to cost $5. Go to any prison and see.

Make your own from a piece of plastic with a file.

So the point is? You can't defend against everything.

OK this has been bothering me all day, so here comes ------ A question to ponder.

If you look at the passenger lists you see 50 or more people on a plane. So assume 20 or more men. Why couldn't they 'take out' a couple of guys with plastic knives? Now the pilots didn't likely have a chance getting overpowered while strapped in their seats. But once the hijacking went down ....

Answer, I don' think the men wanted to get hurt, so they sat in their seats and rode 'er in. ...hmmm result not good.

Seems like getting hurt might have been a better alternative.

Anyone else care to tell me why 10 men acting together couldn't take down 2 or 3 guys with plastic knives? BTW, I suspect the odds were more like 20 against 2 or 3. These planes seemed to have flown for 30 or more minutes before hitting the targets.

Now please don't tell me I am casting anything at anyone. And I have feelings for those who were killed and injured just like everyone else. But ... I am looking for truth.

I don't know, but I hope I wouldn't have just sat there.

snooker

The reality is that the security people are looking for guns and bombs, not knives. If it doens't looke like a gun and you put in your carryone, they let you take it on.

In fact, I've had knives (4" blade Buck knife) that I handed to the security guy as I walked through the metal detector and they just hand it back like keys and cellphones.

These knives are junk. The plastic is far too soft to hold any kind of an edge. They should be considered "training aids" more than anything else.

You need a stiffer material to be effective in this application. Some ceramics may not show up on xray. Other possibilities carbon fiber or fiberglass.

I thought the cockpit door was supposed to be locked. And that they were hardened to resist being kicked in.
Is this not true?

A well designed metal knife or even a pistol can be designed to follow the metal contour of the frame of a carry on luggage. It can certainly be made very difficult to see on a casual xrays.

Chop off a piece of a saltwater fishing pole and grind it into shape. Wrap the handle with friction tape and you are armed.
I've carried one myself in crapholes like Sao Paulo.The answer isn't dis-arming, but trusting CITIZENS to act in self-preservation.

Simple solution. Security doors on the cockpit. If you can't get in and whomever commmandeered these planes were terrorists trained pilots, you can't commandeer the plane. Once the plane takes off nobody goes in the cockpit and nobody comes out...sorry Captain but you will have to either hold it or pee down your leg. Semper Fi, Mike

read below

I agree wholeheartedly. At that point, what do you have to lose?

In God We Trust.....Semper Fi

These knives are junk. The plastic is far too soft to hold any kind of an edge.

The "CIA letter opener" the pocat mentioned are made of ballistic nylon daggers. I don't know what kine of edge they hold, but the point could easily penetrate someone neck. I've seen pictures of them driven through 1/2" plywood!