In-flight Security
With FAMSCOM, an officer can coordinate a
response and its timing with other officers or
cabin crewmembers, greatly increasing the
probability of success. To meet these needs
for global and onboard connectivity, the cabin
wireless network is interconnected with the
existing Communications Management Unit
and ACARS digital air-ground datalink
While the value of communicating with
crew or ground personnel may be obvious,
the ability to access onboard aircraft
systems is also a significant advantage. For
example, knowing the distance and time to
the nearest airport or time-based fuel
remaining could be invaluable in planning
a response to an onboard attack.
Current Status of Flight
Attendant Security Training
Today, training provided to flight attendants
consists of the advanced, voluntary
training programme provided by TSA and
Rarely is there any cross-training between basic mandatory training provided by the
flight attendants and sky marshals airlines themselves. TSA piloted a training
course in five cities and made refinements
the US military. It served to scrub the doughnut shaped alarm units held on the to the course based on feedback from
preparedness and capabilities of many person of each member of cabin crew, and participants. Participation in the training
government agencies. It was deemed which, when activated, sends an alarm has been relatively low, with only 474 flight
extremely successful and received a high signal to the cockpit, effectively warning and cabin crew (39 percent of total
level of media coverage around the country. them of trouble, and the expectation of capacity) attending the training. TSA
“We’re very satisfied. We recognised some escalation of that trouble to the cockpit. officials attributed the low participation to
areas that need to be fine-tuned, but less Cost of wireless devices was also cited as a crewmembers having a difficult time
areas of difficulty than I thought we’d find reason for not mandating wireless devices, obtaining 3 consecutive days of leave to
several months ago when we started this but CAMS costs just $5,000 for a B-737, up attend the training. Furthermore, TSA has
process,” said Carlo Boccia, Boston’s to $9,000 for a B-747, with minimal not yet developed performance measures
Homeland Security Director. installation cost, providing, in combination for the programme or established a
As reported in the Boston Globe, “Operation with the existing door peephole, a discreet timeframe for evaluating the programme’s
Atlas, which was eight months in the planning monitoring system for the whole aircraft. overall effectiveness.
and cost $750,000 in federal funds, was one (Stokes 2008).
of the largest of its kind, designed to test L-3 Communications has an FAA Future Improvements
emergency coordination plans, give a clearer approved Cabin Surveillance System (CSS), Additional security improvements considered
picture of what still needed improvement, and with an alert feature from the cabin to the include: Security of flight deck doors improved
allow personnel at scores of agencies to get to flight deck. The system consists of two through the MTI-2100 fotonic sensor. NTSB safety
know each other and work as a team, display monitors and two cameras, a key records point to numerous incidents involving
essential in a real emergency.” chain remote transmitter each of the cabin cockpit door locking/unlocking mechanisms,
crew carries. When activated, a push to re- either accidentally opening/closing or not
Wireless Communication set “CABIN ALERT” light illuminates in the operating fast enough upon command. In the
The FAA issued new rules in October 2007 to cockpit, via a discretely placed receiver. assembly and testing of these door-locking
provide a means for cabin crew to ‘discreetly’ Honeywell has developed a Federal Air Marshal mechanisms, a reliable and repeatable
warn the cockpit crew of problems in the Communications System (FAMSCOM). An easy- method was needed to determine how well
cabin. However by reducing the compliance to-use application that runs on an off-the-shelf, the mechanism responds to instantaneous
time from an expected 2 years to 6 months wireless-enabled PDA or computer (unlike cockpit open/close commands. These latch
they effectively precluded the use of wireless traditional voice communication, which draws assemblies offer a key safety feature in flight
devices in favour of the use of cabin unwanted attention in an airline environment) deck door locking systems, and must quickly
interphones, despite strong lobbying at the allowing the federal air marshal to blend into the and positively seal aircraft cockpit doors
NPRM stage by cabin crew unions, pilots and passenger population. Integrated technologies against unauthorised cockpit entry but also be
passenger associations. allow the officer to roam anywhere in the capable of opening upon a sudden loss of
STG Aerospace used the comments from aircraft cabin, communicating securely and cabin pressure.
the NPRM process to develop CAMS, a covertly with FAMS ground operations, cockpit Vision Systems Aeronautics has some
wireless device that is an ultra secure cabin crew, other onboard air marshals and airline high tech innovations that combine multiple
alert and monitoring system, using small cabin crew as well as digital aircraft systems. technologies that will be introduced in
28 April 2008 Aviationsecurityinternational
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