Says Leesburg Municipal Is Unsecured

In yet another broadcast news story touting the homeland security threat posed to the general population by GA airports, Daytona Beach (FL) NBC affiliate WESH aired a news story Wednesday citing Leesburg (FL) Regional Airport and the theft of an aircraft from Embry-Riddle University. The AOPA said, as has been the case with similar reports recently, this one was chock-full of errors.

The story began with this: "Nearly three years after the worst attacks ever on American soil, you may be no safer from terrorists who use planes as weapons. On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists used big jets; next time they could use small planes..."

The initial focus on the story was the February 17th theft of a Cessna 172 from Massey Airfield in Edgewater (FL). The aircraft was flown to Leesburg Regional and stripped of its avionics and propeller.

Calling Leesburg "typical of most of the nation's 19,000 small airports that are home to more than 200,000 private planes," reporter Greg Fox drove his vehicle onto the tarmac. He said, "Anybody could drive out there, including people who have no idea how to drive around airport property to avoid aircraft to prevent an accident.... Many planes were not locked (Fox opened the doors to several), and a mechanic said it's easier to hotwire and steal a plane than a car."

Citing the possibility that terrorists might use general aviation aircraft as human-guided weapons, Fox told his viewers, "The real question is how dangerous a small plane might be. It doesn't look very big inside a single-engine plane, but experts said a pilot could just remove all of the seats and have storage all the way back into the tail. Besides the pilot, there's enough room to hold 500 to 600 more pounds."

The story quoted AOPA President Phil Boyer, who granted WESH an interview during the recent Sun 'N Fun Fly-In at Lakeland (FL): "There is a tremendous difference between the threat and risk of a small airplane and that of an air transport aircraft loaded with jet fuel."

Fox's report ended with this dire warning: "Leesburg Airport security will improve this fall. The state is spending more than $300,000 on the kind of doors, gates and fencing that is already in place at Daytona Beach, Orlando Executive, and a few other local airports. But for most the gate is wide open to anyone who might use planes as weapons."

FMI: www.wesh.com/news/3297482/detail.html