Arming Cargo Pilots Against Terrorism Act

This bill, introduced in 2003, proposed to allow cargo pilots to be trained and armed with firearms to defend their aircraft against terrorist attacks. At the time, federal law already allowed passenger airline pilots to participate in the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program, and this legislation sought to extend those same protections and responsibilities to pilots of all-cargo flights.

For the average citizen, the bill's practical impact was intended to increase national security by closing a perceived loophole where large cargo planes—which often carry hazardous materials and lack the reinforced cockpit doors or air marshals found on passenger flights—could be hijacked and used as weapons. While H.R. 1049 itself did not become law, its core provisions were eventually incorporated into the FAA Reauthorization Act (Vision 100) later that year, successfully expanding the program to include cargo pilots and flight engineers.