AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021 - 69

REFLECTIONS /
THE NEW NORMAL
Security theater in a
changed world
BY BRIAN SCHIFF
IT MIGHT SEEM STRANGE that flying my
jetliner on a severely clear day should
remind me of the most tragic day in the history
of aviation, but it does. That is what it was like
on September 11, 2001, when a stern voice from ATC ordered
my flight and all others to land at the nearest suitable airport
(see " Where Were You? Message from Home, " November
2001 AOPA Pilot). This day made us recognize that airliners
were no longer just instruments of commerce; they could
also be used as weapons of war, fuel-laden missiles to be
directed at vulnerable civilian targets.
It seems that whenever the airline industry survives one
challenge, another comes along. No event, however, created
as much long-term turmoil and chaos as did the events of
9/11 (although COVID-19 came close).
Crewmembers going through security are treated as part
of the problem instead of the solution. After all, some 9/11
hijackers had previously posed as airline crewmembers. This
has led to varying degrees of inconvenience. And hilarity,
too. During one particularly rigorous search while in uniform,
a TSA screener explained, " This is to ensure that you
cannot take control of the flight! " I tried explaining to him
that it was my job to take control, and that bad things would
happen if I didn't. When he was about to confiscate my nail
clippers, I said, " You do know that we have a fire axe in the
cockpit, right? " He seemed oblivious.
We understandably are no longer allowed to visit the
cabin and mingle with passengers during flight. We also
are protected from passengers coming forward by having
been trained and licensed to carry handguns. A bulletproof
cockpit door further protects us from
hijackers. An inconvenient consequence
of this is having to get
permission from a flight attendant
to visit the lavatory. He
or she then blocks access
to the front of the airplane
by positioning a galley cart
in the aisle. I have heard
that the incidence of kidney
stones among pilots is
on the rise. Brian Schiff is a
captain for a major airline and
CFI. He was flying an MD-80 on
the morning of September 11, 2001.
A life-saving mission
amid the chaos /
'The only nonmilitary plane
over North America today'
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
It is not an urban legend. A flight took off in the
early morning hours of Wednesday, September
12, 2001, from San Diego bound for Miami with
special permission granted by the FAA. The Learjet
36 carried snake antivenom for a man who had
been bitten by a taipan snake, the deadliest in
the world, on September 11, 2001. The flight
was accompanied by two fighter jets and landed
at Miami's Kendall-Tamiami Airport (now Miami
Executive) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. It was " the
only nonmilitary plane over North America today, "
said the director of the hospital where the victim
was being treated.
Lawrence Van Sertima was a 63-year-old veteran
snake handler, well-known to Miami-Dade's
Venom 1 unit of Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue,
according to Capt. Al Cruz. Cruz started the venom
unit, stocking the largest collection of antivenom
(also known as antivenin) in the country. But Cruz
The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) · 13 Sep 2001, Thu
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would use all the taipan antivenom he had to save
Van Sertima. Van Sertima had been putting the
snake back in its cage when he was bit. He was
taken by helicopter to Baptist Main Hospital where
the antivenom was administered. The attempt to
save his life used the five vials Venom 1 had on
hand. The only other places that stocked it were
in New York and San Diego. Obviously, New York
was out, but Cruz found the antivenom at the San
Diego Zoo. Now he had to convince the FAA to let
a flight bring it to Florida.
After more than six hours of discussion,
Cruz said, permission was granted at 3 a.m. The
Chrysler Aviation flight piloted by John Rapis left
San Diego at 9 a.m., traveling across the country
to arrive in Florida and save Van Sertima with
an additional five vials. Van Sertima is still alive
and lives in North Carolina. He no longer handles
deadly snakes, but his wife reportedly keeps a
couple of king snakes in cages in their bedroom.
julie.walker@aopa.org
Christopher Freeze contributed to this story.
AOPA PILOT / September 2021
69
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021

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