IN 1969, CONGRESS DIRECTED THE FAA TO STUDY THE PROBLEM OF HIJACKING AND DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO COUNTERACT IT. A PROGRAM OF PREFLIGHT SURVEILLANCE TO CURB HIJACKING WAS DEVELOPED, AND EASTERN AIRLINES WAS THE FIRST TO TEST THE SYSTEM. THE TEST CONSISTED OF SCREENING PASSENGERS ACCORDING TO A HIJACKER PROFILE DEVELOPED BY FAA PSYCHOLOGISTS AND SETTING UP DEVICES FOR DETECTING LARGE AMOUNTS OF METAL. RESULTS WERE ENCOURAGING AND LED TO WIDE USE BY COMMERCIAL CARRIERS OF SECURITY PROGRAMS BASED ON THE FAA PROGRAM. HIJACKERS FOLLOW CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PATTERNS, AND AIRLINE PERSONNEL WORKING IN TERMINALS ARE NOW TRAINED TO BE AWARE OF SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS EXHIBITED BY POTENTIAL HIJACKERS. OBSERVATION TAKES PLACE PRIMARILY AT CHECK-IN COUNTERS, AND A PERSON EXHIBITING BEHAVIOR FITTING THAT OF A POTENTIAL HIJACKER IS PUT UNDER SURVEILLANCE. AT MOST KEY AIRPORTS, PASSENGERS MUST ALSO PASS BETWEEN A SET OF SENSORS IN A WEAPONS SCREENING DEVICE, THE MAGNOTOMETER, WHICH IDENTIFIES THE PRESENCE OF SUFFICIENT METAL TO INDICATE A POTENTIAL WEAPON. DETECTION SYSTEMS ALSO INCLUDE INSPECTION OF BAGGAGE, MAIL, FREIGHT, AND OTHER ARTICLES CARRIED ON THE AIRCRAFT. AS NEW HIJACKING TRENDS HAVE DEVELOPED, NEW STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO IMPROVE SECURITY AND PREVENT AERIAL PIRACY, AND NEW DETECTOR DEVICES ARE BEING DEVELOPED ALONG WITH STRONGER GROUND SECURITY MEASURES. THE COMBINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCREENING OF PASSENGERS AND ADVANCED DETECTION SYSTEMS OFFERS THE BEST MEANS OF HANDLING AIR PIRACY. (MJW)