DESPITE THE CLAIMS OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA), AIRPORT SCREENING SYSTEMS COSTING A QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR DO NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE AIRPORT SECURITY. FAA REPORTS CITE 79 INCIDENTS OVER A PERIOD OF 7 YEARS IN WHICH HIJACKINGS OR RELATED CRIMES WERE SUPPOSEDLY AVERTED THROUGH PASSENGER SCREENING; HOWEVER, MANY OF THESE CASES ARE LUDICROUS BECAUSE THE PASSENGERS CARRYING CONCEALED OR OPEN WEAPONS HAD NEVER PASSED THROUGH THE SCREENING SYSTEM. ON THE OTHER HAND, NUMEROUS EXAMPLES EXIST IN WHICH PASSENGERS CARRIED GUNS OR EXPLOSIVES ON BOARD DESPITE THE SCREENING SYSTEM. MOST MODERN TERRORISTS HAVE FOUND WAYS OF CIRCUMVENTING THE METAL DETECTOR BY USING CERAMIC GRENADES, PLASTIC FIRING DEVICES, AND ALUMINUM FRAMED WEAPONS OR BY INFILTRATING PLANE PERSONNEL. TO TEST THE EFFICIENCY OF SCREENING PROCEDURES, JOURNALISTS OF TVI JOURNAL CARRIED LARGE PIECES OF METAL WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED INTO SEVERAL UZI SUBMACHINE GUNS THROUGH THE DETECTOR. IN ONLY THREE CASES, THE METAL MASS TRIPPED THE LARGE WALK-THROUGH MAGNETOMETER, BUT SUBSEQUENT SEARCHES WITH THE HAND-HELD METAL DETECTOR DID NOT REVEAL THE GUN PARTS CARRIED THROUGH. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE VERY NATURE OF AIR TRAVEL--LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TRANSFERRED FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER--MAKES PLANES VULNERABLE TO TERRORISTS AND THAT THE RECENT REDUCTION OF SKYJACKINGS IS DUE TO FACTORS OTHER THAN PASSENGER SCREENING. THE ARTICLE INCLUDES FOOTNOTES. (SAJ)