AOPA Defends GA Against Unfounded Nuclear Plant Fears | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.14.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.16.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.17.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Mon, Sep 08, 2003

AOPA Defends GA Against Unfounded Nuclear Plant Fears

Anti-Nukes Will Have To Look Elsewhere For Backing

AOPA last week told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that fears about general aviation raised by two groups opposed to California's Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant are unwarranted.

The San Luis Obispo Mothers For Peace and the Union of Concerned Scientists petitioned the NRC for better protection from potential terrorist attacks, including suicide aircraft assaults, at Diablo Canyon. The petition specifically mentioned general aviation.

But in a formal response to the petition, AOPA reiterated that the average GA aircraft is incapable of causing significant damage and that the government and the aviation community have implemented general aviation security enhancements.

"While the terrorist attacks of September 11 were not orchestrated using general aviation aircraft ... the general aviation industry has taken a very proactive approach to security issues," wrote Andy Cebula, AOPA senior vice president of Government and Technical Affairs. He noted the Airport Watch program, created by AOPA in conjunction with the Transportation Security Administration; a 12-point security proposal put forth by the General Aviation Coalition, much of which has been adopted by the FAA and TSA into federal security procedures; and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association efforts with the US Treasury Department to flag suspicious aircraft purchases.

As for any actual threat posed by light GA aircraft, Cebula referred the NRC to an AOPA-commissioned independent study, "Nuclear Security — General Aviation is not a Threat," conducted by Robert Jefferson, an internationally recognized nuclear safety and security expert. In his report, Jefferson concluded that GA aircraft could not penetrate the reactor containment building, an explosive-laden GA aircraft could not cause a release of radiation, and a small aircraft attack on auxiliary buildings would not cause a safety failure.

AOPA told the NRC that the petition by the two groups ignores the very basic physical differences between a small 1,200-pound general aviation aircraft and a 200,000-pound airliner.

Said Cebula about the petition, "Mothers For Peace and the Union of Concerned Scientists may be sincere in their concerns about safety at nuclear power plants, but dragging general aviation into the argument just doesn't make sense and does nothing to support their claims."

FMI: www.aopa.org

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.15.25): Charted Visual Flight Procedure Approach

Charted Visual Flight Procedure Approach An approach conducted while operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan which authorizes the pilot of an aircraft to proceed >[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.15.25)

“When l became the Secretary of Defense, I committed to rebuild our military to match threats to capabilities. Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.15.25)

Aero Linx: Stearman Restorers Association Welcome to the Stearman Restorers Association. The Stearman Restorers Association is an independent “Not for Profit” 501C-3 Co>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Kjelsrud Gary Kitfox

Airplane Exhibited A Partial Loss Of Engine Power When It Was About Halfway Down The Runway Analysis: The pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane was departing from his pr>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Cessna A150L

The Flight Path Was Consistent With Low-Altitude Maneuvering On June 18, 2025, about 0922 mountain standard time, a Cessna A150L airplane, N6436F, was substantially damaged when it>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC