Excellent! Talking of airline humour, I also rather like the skit by Bob Newhart at the expense of early low-cost airlines. Made 50 years ago, it is still hysterically funny.

Grace L Furgueson Airline and Storm Door Company

If only......

The Ruger Bearcat is a great plinker, and possibly the best choice for handgun hunting of squirrel. Even tho the issue of penetrating the airframe is overblown it is a silly choice as a cockbit firearm.

A couple of years ago I was sitting in the bar with a former Los Alamos physicist and a rocket scientist friend and we calculated a back of the envelope bleed down time for something about the size of a 747 from a couple bullet holes. It was in the time frame of hours, and we weren't even considering that the pressurization is actively generated and the cockpit probably has some means of kicking it up to an emergency max.

On the other hand we assumed that if a bullet hit a window it would not shatter and blow out. They are made fairly rugged but I do not a priori know if that is the case.

What I am rather sure of is that a few bullet holes are not going to cause people to die of asphixation. As to the chances of taking out a critical system... I think the risk compared to the certainty of death of not taking down a terrorist is worth it.

Dale
It's actually better than that.
Modern airliners have (& have had for a long time) what is called an outflow valve.
The aircraft constently vents air that is replenished by the pressurization system.
A few small holes would simply cause the valve to close slightly and allow a little les air to excape.
Think about it, if an aircraft were 'sealed', the crew and passengers would die of asphixation in short order.
The WHOLE idea of an airliner suffering sudden decompression from bullet holes is totally a 'hollywood' invention. The 'idea' is milked almost rabidly by so called journalists who either 1) don't know any better and refuse to research/learn or 2) are lying through their teeth and know it.