I am a pilot for American Air lines. I want the safest sys tem possible; my life depends on safety every day. When we have an in-flight fire, hydraulic leak or terrorist attack, one pilot flies the plane while the other puts out the fire, assesses systems lost to a leak or defends the cockpit. If we fail in any of those missions, everyone dies. The problem is that we don't have the tools to fight the terrorists, and on Sept. 11 everyone on board died. An additional 3,000 lives on the ground were lost.

The House bill to arm pilots has been so gutted it is tantamount to disarming 98 percent of our law enforcement - that is exactly what it does to pilots. In contrast, the Senate Bill (SB 2554) will allow pilots who pass additional background checks and firearms training to defend the airplane from a terrorist attack if or when it happens again. Nothing more, nothing less.

I fly B-757s and B-767s out of New York's JFK Airport to the West Coast and international destinations. I have not had a federal air marshal on board since the attacks. I don't expect to. The cockpit door is not "secure" and never will be. Security is not adequate, let alone perfect, but that is what we are currently betting everyone's life on.

My life and my passengers' lives are dependent on my having the tools to protect them from any danger that arises during a flight. If that threat is a terrorist, I need a firearm.

James M. Irvine
Strongsville