EPISODE 9
FEDEX FLIGHT 705
What do Aviation and Self
Defense have in common?
The JonBenet Ramsey Murder Mystery
In the mid-90s a little girl was reported to be kidnapped but was later found dead in the basement of her large, Boulder CO home. The case remains unsolved today, and several procedural errors on behalf of the officers and investigators who responded to the scene tainted our best chances to identify and prosecute Jon Benet’s killer. Many believe the parents or her older brother were to blame. A sex offender claimed to be responsible but there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove it. Some think that the family’s wealth and political ties had something to do with it. We may not ever know the truth. Mike and Jim give a synopsis of the event and talk about some of the mis-steps that might have helped detectives solve the mystery.
“I would just shoot him,” and other imaginary outcomes.
Most of us have daydreamed, imagined, and rehearsed what certain survival or self-defense encounters will look like in our minds, so we are going to make fun of our younger-selves and shed some light on something we are all guilty of: The Tactical Fantasy. This episode is about making sure that we ground those fantasies in reality. This goes beyond truck guns and the Zombie Apocalypse, it also speaks to the OODA loop, tactics, risk management, and other important concepts. Mike and Jim walk through some practical steps to stage our equipment, preparedness, and mindset accordingly.
The Millennium Bomber: Terrorist Attack Thwarted by CBP
A terror plot at the turn of the century was thwarted by the professionalism of CBP Agent Diana Dean. You might not have heard of the foiled plot to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport amidst New Year’s celebrations for the year 2000. This Al Qaeda sponsored terrorist attack was prevented by an Agent who noted Ahmed Ressam’s suspicious behavior and sent him to a secondary inspection. We touch on pre-attack indicators, the radicalization process, and a defense strategy called “The Swiss Cheese Model.”
In the mid-nineties a Fedex employee facing termination attempted to hijack Fedex Flight 705 from Memphis to San Jose. His plan was to take over the plane and crash it into the Fedex headquarters, and he wanted to make it look like an accident. Armed with a hammer and a spear gun, he launched a surprise attack against the crew of three shortly after takeoff. This is one of many chilling examples of how workplace violence can turn really bad really fast. We discuss some of the warning signs and pre-assault indicators, strategies for intervening in a close-quarters attack, and some of the reasons checklists are such a big deal for pilots.
Links from the show:
Example of all the stuff going on in the cockpit during normal takeoff/flight/landing
New shows on the 1st and the 15th!
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Another Great Episode!