Josh Gotthemier Remarks on Airline Pilots Association

Statement

I am honored to stand with the pilots from United Airlines to receive their support today. Thank you for all you do every day.

Air travel is critical to the economy of our District, our state, and our country. Newark Airport, which is just a short drive from here, allows us to board a plane and travel to nearly every corner of the world -- bringing families together and allowing commerce to prosper. The airport is an economic engine contributing more than $22 billion in economic activity to the New Jersey-New York metro area -- and it is responsible for about 162,000 jobs. Many of those jobs, of course, are the men and women who are the pilots and crewmembers managing the planes we fly. And many of them live right here in the 5th District.

Pilots do such an incredible job keeping us safe in the air, getting us from point a to point b, that it's easy take what they do for granted.

But let's not forget just how many hours of training, in the air and in simulators, each pilot logs every single year. Let's not forget the time away from home and from their families. Let's not forget that many commercial pilots are veterans who risked their lives on the front lines protecting our freedom, which is why we are at a VFW this morning. Let's not forget the grueling pressure they're under, even in the most harrowing moments. Whether it was Sully Sullenberger who landed that plane on the Hudson or the sheer bravery of United Flight 175 whose pilots and crew stood selfless in the face of terrorism. As Sully said, "I never thought I would die that day. I was just trying to make sure no one else did."

In that vein, we are here today because, after spending time with Captain Domaleski and other pilots, I believe that we could be doing more to make planes even safer against threats of violence and terror.

Our memories of the unspeakably tragic events of September 11, 2001 are still fresh in our minds. We all remember that fateful day. Many of us here in North Jersey lost friends, co-workers and family members. The towers were just a matter of miles from here.

One man who lost his life that day was Victor J. Saracini, a veteran pilot for United Airlines and a former Navy Pilot. He was captain of United Airlines Flight 175, which was commandeered by terrorists and crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11.

There's a bill that was introduced in Congress named in his memory that would add an important measure of security -- requiring the installation of secondary cockpit barrier doors on most commercial aircrafts. Captain Saracini left behind two young children, and a wife, Ellen, who has been a catalyst behind this important legislation. H.R. 911 is backed by seventy-nine members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, all the major pilots representatives, the NY/NJ Port Authority, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and 9/11 Families. It deserves our support. I'm a strong supporter of the legislation. My opponent, Tea Partier Scott Garrett, opposes it. For the sake of protecting our families from acts of terror, it's time to pass it.

Since 2001, there have been 43 hijacking attempts around the world that we know of plus other terror attempts on flights around the world. While just five of these have been successful, I think we all agree that five is too many.

With the rise of ISIS and recent horrific terror attacks in Paris, at the airport in Brussels and in San Bernardino, that took so many innocent lives, we must be even more vigilant in both our efforts to defeat the terrorists abroad and protect our families at home. There is no room for compromise against terror -- against ISIS, against al Qaeda, and other clear and present dangers.

Each time we take our shoes off at the airport, we're reminded that flying has changed significantly since September 11th. It's just one of many changes to airline security.

One update, quickly adopted by Congress in 2001, was to mandate that cockpit doors be reinforced to fend off intruders. These doors are impenetrable to small-arms fire and must remain locked when they are closed. Here's the problem -- and it's a serious one: No matter how strong these doors are, they still need to be opened occasionally mid-flight, such as when pilots need to use the restroom.

Research has shown that when the doors are open, trained hijackers can breach the cockpit in as few as 3 to 5 seconds.

That's all it takes -- and a hijacker sitting on the plane waiting for that very moment that a flight attendant opens the door, the pilot's life and the lives of all the passengers could be in grave danger.

Right now, flight attendants wheel a drink cart in front of the aisle as a layer of protection. They act as a human shield standing behind the cart. Well, the studies show that a terrorist can topple that cart and the flight attendant behind it without much effort.

There's a simple solution that can add precious seconds to the time a terrorist would need to breach the cockpit. A secondary barrier door, often made of light-weight wire-mesh, could be installed between the passenger cabin and the cockpit door. It would block access to the flight deck and give pilots or flight attendants a much-needed extra 5 to 10 seconds to get in and lock the cockpit door if attacked by hijackers. An extra 5 to 10 seconds for the pilot to run back into the cockpit and seal the door, preventing a terrorist from breaching the cockpit and taking control of the plane.

It's such a good idea that a few airlines, including United, volunteered to install the extra barriers in the aftermath of September 11th. But since the merger with Continental a few years ago, United has stopped installing the barriers. They even uninstalled barriers that came equipped on some of its new planes, the 787 Dreamliners.

Several studies, including a three-year independent study completed at the request of the FAA have shown not only that these barriers are the safest and most effective way to protect the cockpit, but that they're cost-effective, too.

The secondary barriers cost as little as $5,000 each. To put this in perspective, the cost of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner is around $275 million. Buying a $5,000 mesh door for your $275 million aircraft is like purchasing one of those little tree air fresheners for your Camry.

Now, not only has my opponent, Scott Garrett, oppose the secondary barrier, but he also voted against deploying additional air marshals for high-risk flights. His reasoning, as we heard the Captain just say, is that flying is a dangerous activity -- and that people "assume the risk" when they get on a flight. Really? Assume the risk? Under that reasoning, Garrett would also get rid of stop signs and traffic lights, since driving is a dangerous activity.

The bottom line is that the secondary barrier doors are inexpensive, efficient, and effective at enhancing the safety and security of pilots, crew members, and all families who step onto a plane and depend on air travel.

Now, as I mentioned before, the bill has bipartisan support. It has 79 co-sponsors in the House, including three Republican Congressmen from New Jersey.

Yet, Scott Garrett is not one of them. It's not the first time Garrett put his Tea Party ideals ahead of what's best for our families.

You know, I'm very proud to stand with these guys. As someone who flies for work and with my family, just as most people I know, I just don't get why we wouldn't do everything possible to protect us from terror. No one should ever have to worry that they aren't 100 percent safe on that flight. We have the best pilots in the world flying our planes. All they are asking for is that we keep everyone safe when terrorists try to inflict harm.

So my question is this: Why would Scott Garrett oppose proven safety measures that could stop terrorists?

Is his rigid Tea Party ideology that much more important than the safety of our children and the security of our country?

After all we know and have learned about the threat of terrorism, should we continue to just "accept the risk?" as Scott Garrett would have us do. I will never be weak in the face of terror. I will do everything in my power as your Congressman to protect our children and grandchildren -- and protect the United States of America.

So let's take a critical step in that effort and pass H.R. 911 -- the Saracini Aviation Safety Act.

And let's take a different approach in Washington. Let's come together across the aisle and solve problems, particularly when it comes to fighting terrorism and keeping our families safe. That's what I'll do when I'm in Congress.

Thank you again to everyone here today, to the United Pilots, and for everyone who flies the friendly skies.

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