WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is on a collision course with House Republicans over its call to dial down a program that trains pilots to handle guns in the cockpit.
The Federal Flight Deck Officer program spends $25 million a year on the training for certain pilots; thousands have been accredited so far.
But now, President Obama contends screening 100 percent of passengers, combined with locking cockpit doors, has made the program less necessary.
The training program is “one of the most efficient deterrents, in addition to being the last line of defense,” said Rep. Chip Cravaak (R-Minn).
Marcus Flagg, president of the Federal Flight Deck Officers Association, says the program costs about $15 a flight, compared to $3,300 per flight for the air-marshals system.