A Sign Of Things to Come?

AOPA tells us the TSA is up to their shennigans again. With only three days'notice, the agency has called a public meeting to gather ideas on how the it should proceed in regulating foreign and domestic repair stations. This is the first time that TSA is proposing to regulate businesses located at general aviation airports. AOPA is concerned that the congressionally mandated repair station security measures may eventually become the model for regulating other general aviation airport businesses.

The meeting is scheduled for this Friday, Feb. 27, 2004, at 1 p.m. ET at the Drug Enforcement Administration in Arlington, Virginia.

Questions TSA will be asking at the public meeting:

• What security measures are currently in place at foreign and domestic aircraft repair stations? Do you use access control, perimeter security, or identification media? What kind of employee background checks, if any, are conducted on employees prior to hiring, or periodically?
• What security vulnerabilities do you believe currently exist at foreign and domestic repair stations?
• What minimum standards should be in place to prevent unauthorized access, tampering, and other security breaches at foreign and domestic aircraft repair stations?
• What does your current security system cost?
• Should TSA regulations be tailored to the type of rating the repair station holds, number of employees, proximity to an airport, number of repairs completed, or other characteristics? If so, please explain how that could be accomplished.
• Should aircraft operators play a role in ensuring that repair facilities maintain a secure workplace? If so, what should aircraft operators do to enhance repair station security?
• Have you experienced security breaches at your facility? If so, what measures were instituted to prevent recurrence?

TSA will use information presented at the public meeting to develop the notice of proposed rulemaking. The agency has a congressionally mandated deadline of August 8, 2004, to implement the new rule. The agency expects its proposed security regulation will affect approximately 650 foreign repair stations that are certified by the FAA to repair aircraft that enter U.S. airspace and approximately 4,500 domestic repair facilities.

Anyone who cannot attend the meeting may submit written comments using the Department of Transportation's Docket Management System by March 29, 2004. Click on "Simple Search," then enter docket number 17131. Details on the proposal, public meeting, and submitting comments are available online.

FMI: www.tsa.gov, www.dot/gov