Agency Says GA Vulnerable To Terrorist Attacks

On March 5, 2004, the General Accounting Office (GAO) released a report to the Department of Homeland Security entitled Aviation Security: Factors Could Limit the Effectiveness of the Transportation Security Administration's Efforts to Secure Aerial Advertising Operations, identifying possible issues should the ban on such flights be lifted by Congress.

"While we are pleased that the issue of the restrictions on aerial advertising is being addressed," said Eric Byer, director of government and industry affairs for NATA, "we are concerned that the GAO commented on general aviation security as a whole."

Beginning in December 2001, the FAA and the TSA implemented processes to allow certain pilots and aircraft to operate over stadium events by waiving flight restrictions.  However, in February 2003, Congress passed legislation that prevented aerial advertising pilots from flying near stadium airspace during certain sporting events by suspending the waiver process for one year.  In the 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress continued this restriction indefinitely.

In the report, the GAO concludes that a variety of factors make general aviation vulnerable to terrorist attacks.  The GAO also expressed concern over the way background checks were conducted for aerial advertising operations, stating that factors were identified that could limit the effectiveness of the background checks and that inconsistencies existed in the manner in which information was collected to identify pilots and match them to the results of the checks conducted.

"The report the GAO was tasked to accomplish was on aerial advertising flights, not on security at general aviation airports and the supposed inconsistencies in background checks," added Byer.  "Considering that the GAO is in the midst of conducting an investigation into general aviation airport security the comments are completely inappropriate."

However, the report does state that the TSA does not believe that aerial advertising poses a significant threat.

"We sincerely hope that those on Capitol Hill who have been instrumental in preventing aerial advertising operations over stadium events will heed the TSA's belief that those operations are not a significant threat and eliminate the existing prohibition," Byer concluded.

FMI: www.nata-online.org