in the Seattle airport, and I notice the guy sitting next to me. One of my hobbies is profiling people in airports to see if I can figure them out without talking to them.

Late 50s
Ex-Military (that's always easy to tell)
Investor (Wall Street Journal)
Not too techy (texting on a mid-level World Phone, but not a Blackberry or iPhone)
Family at home (bringing cherries and Washington Wine)
Conservatively dressed, but not a business man.
In great shape for his age (late 50s, early 60s)
Carrying a gun.
Carrying a GUN? Not in a holster but in a government issue case that looks like a camera case with an easy access slot to pull it out.

Tag says "Crew: Airplane Safety"

AH!!! Sky Marshall. Hope he's on my plane.

He has one of my top wanted dream jobs. Other than the fact that they have to carry less than lethal ammo that is.

really? just riding on airplanes?

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for them, but their job is to just ride around on airplanes. I ride around on enough airplanes as it is and I hate it.

Seems like a great job for retired military and/or police peeps.

Its a form of armed security that I find interesting. Lots of specialized training and techniques you don't learn or utilize anywhere else. It is one of the few forms of armed security where you have the upper hand as you are always on your turf with more eyes than the bad guys. Sky marshalls are also permitted to carry in all 50 states, there are not many other ways to aquire such privileges.

Plus I kind of enjoy flying. Given I don't do much but I always get excited to get on the airplane. Having the clearance to not have to go through the whole security screening and extra hassle to get my firearms on with me is just an added bonus.

I can see the training part being cool. . but the actual "work" part of the job would just suck. The glamour of flying goes away after a coupel of million miles.