AOPA's Airport Watch, In Place At Thousands Of GA Airports, Is
One Of Many Actions Taken To Ensure Security.
"Misleading, one-sided,
unfair, and far beneath what we used to expect from CBS." That was
the reaction of AOPA President Phil Boyer this evening after
viewing the CBS Evening News "Eye on America" story on general
aviation airport security. "Not only didn't they tell the full
story, they even got basic facts wrong. Had CBS talked to us
beforehand, they might have got some of it right."
The story tried to portray GA airports as totally lacking in
security — the kind of place where terrorists could sneak in
unobserved. Yet the story profiled a residential airpark —
the kind of close-knit community where any stranger would be
observed and reported immediately.
"CBS didn't show the typical GA airport, nor mention the
security enhancements, like AOPA's Airport Watch, which have been
put in place since September 11," said Boyer. "They even got the
number of airports wrong. There are about 5,400 public-use airports
in the U.S., not 19,000." (There are some 19,000 landing facilities
in the U.S., but that includes all heliports and seaplane
bases.)
Pilots who wish to
comment on CBS's reporting can e-mail evening@cbsnews.com
.
The story said GA airports didn't screen passengers. "Of course
not, any more than the parking garage 'screens' the passengers
getting into your car," said Boyer. "Pilots know who's getting into
their airplane, just as you know who is getting into your car."
Boyer said that people should think of general aviation aircraft
as personal aircraft, used just like one uses an automobile. And
the security issues are very much different between a 400,000-pound
airliner carrying 300 people out of large airport versus a
2,400-pound GA aircraft carrying four people, all known to the
pilot.
In fact, Boyer said, neither GA airports nor the small aircraft
they host represent a significant security threat. The
Transportation Security Administration has looked closely at
general aviation and determined there are other areas that
represent a much higher risk to the American public. That's a fact
CBS didn't report.
And the aviation industry and the federal government have worked
cooperatively to improve security. Most notable is AOPA's Airport
Watch, a joint program with the Transportation Security
Administration that enlists the help of the nation's 550,000 GA
pilots to watch for and report suspicious activities at
airports.
"GA aircraft are a lousy terrorist weapon," said Boyer.
"Maybe that's why no one has yet used a small aircraft for a
terrorist attack anywhere in the world." As was tragically
demonstrated in Tampa (shown right), an aircraft that weighs less
than a Honda Civic just can't do much damage.
Pilots are well
regulated by the federal government. Every name on the pilot list
is checked by TSA and other security agencies. The government can
immediately revoke a pilot's certificate if he or she is deemed a
security threat.
And at AOPA's urging, the FAA developed a new pilot certificate
with security features that make it harder to forge. Since the
September 11 attacks, the federal government has imposed
regulations that make foreign flight students go through a much
more stringent review process.
In December 2001, the aviation industry submitted a 12-point
plan to enhance GA security; the government eventually adopted most
of those proposals. In November 2003, a special GA committee
presented new airport security guidelines to TSA for distribution
as "best practices" to all airports. At the heart of guidelines is
AOPA's Airport Watch.
"GA airports are secure. Americans shouldn't feel threatened by
our personal aircraft," said Boyer.
"Shame on CBS for sowing fear."