Gov. Pataki Calls It 'Tribute' To 9/11 Victims

Aspiring aviators in New York state now have another impediment, besides money, to overcome before beginning flight training. Gov. George Pataki signed a law that will require student pilots to undergo criminal background security checks.

As Aero-News reported several months ago, the legislation has been in the works for years. Late last week, the governor finally put his signature on the bill that had been originally drafted in 2002. It passed both the NY Senate and Assembly nearly unanimously with the exception of a single vote.

Pataki said his signature on the bill was a tribute to the victims of the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Albany Business Review.

In a statement released by his office, Pataki (pictured below) wrote "We'll now have the vital information that can help prevent people harboring bad intentions from gaining access to this critical knowledge, an important part of our firm commitment of doing everything we can to help keep New Yorkers as safe as possible."

Muslim terrorists hijacked four American airliners five years ago, and they had received their aviation instruction from several private flight schools around the nation.

In addition to undergoing the background checks, the prospective flight student must wait for specific writen approval from the Division of Criminal Justice Services before sitting in the airplane with an instructor.

"If New York is putting restrictions on flight training, people will just go to other states," the general counsel for AOPA (Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assn.), John Yodice, told The New York Sun.

While there have been numerous attempts to draft similar pilot background requirements by other states and municipalities, most notably the state of Michigan, this is the first law that has actually gone into effect in the United States.

The AOPA had been leading the fight to quash background checks whenever they have popped up and their legal arguments had apparently been effective until this week.

"We will pursue every possible venue to get this law overturned," executive vice president of government affairs for AOPA, Andy Cebula, said in a statement. "We succeeded in changing a similar law in Michigan, and we are committed to fight this in New York."

FMI: www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us/, www.aopa.org