After the events of September 11, almost every American has thought about what it would be like to be aboard a commercial flight during a terrorist attack. We imagine ourselves on one of the hijacked planes and feel a wave of fear. The adrenaline flows, the heart beats fast, we turn pale. If we allow panic to increase, we begin to feel desperate: someone will do something! These understandable feelings of fear and desperation have led people to argue that we should arm commercial airline pilots. It's certainly reassuring to imagine pilots as our protectors, the last defense against crazed, evil-minded passengers. We should certainly take all reasonable measures to safeguard flights. However, is it really a good idea to let pilots act like armed cowboys in the sky? When considering the possible consequences of arming pilots, this policy does not seem prudent at all. Commercial airline pilots should focus on flying the plane rather than acting out a fantasy that could turn into a nightmare. A well-trained extremist could conceivably disarm a pilot. A terrorist might too...