By ANN Guest-Editor Max Trescott, 2008 National CFI of the Year

ANN E-I-C Note: Our good friend (indeed, aviation's good friend) Max Trescott is up in arms over the TSA LASP cluster#$%^/mess/proposal/you name it and he doesn't like sitting idly by while the TSA continues to make a mockery of this embattled process we've come to know as DEMOCRACY.  Max has been taking a close look at the TSA's Large Aircraft Security Program  and like most pilots who've read the proposal, he doesn't like what he sees. We encourage you to read his blog posting, "TSA's LASP: A Solution in Search of a Problem." Comments are due to the TSA by midnight of February 27, 2008, so you'll need to act soon to file your comments.

Heres what Max has to say... for now.

So far, more than 2800 comments have been filed. However, in spite of this strong opposition, there always remains the possibility that the TSA may choose to go forward with the program with few substantive changes. Therefore, it may be even more important that you let your elected representatives, particularly those with TSA oversight responsibility, know your thoughts on the TSA proposal.

In the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology is responsible for TSA oversight. Specifically, members of the Aviation Operations, Safety and Security subcommittee are responsible. Fortunately, some of the states with the largest number of pilots and flight activity-California, Texas and Florida-are represented on this committee. Here's the list of Senators on the subcommittee. If you live in one of these states, we strongly urge you to contact your Senator now and express your thoughts on the TSA's LASP proposal.

• Arkansas: Mark Pryor
• California: Barbara Boxer
• Florida:  Bill Nelson
• Hawaii:  Daniel Inouye
• Louisiana: David Vitter
• Maine:  Olympia Snow
• Massachusetts: John Kerry
• Minnesota: Amy Klobachar
• Mississippi: Roger Wicker
• Missouri: Clair McCaskill
• Nevada: John Ensign
• New Jersey: Frank Lautenberg
• North Dakota: Bryon Dorgan
• South Carolina: Jim DeMint
• South Dakota: John Thune
• Texas:  Kay Bailey Hutchinson
• Washington: Maria Cantwell
• West Virginia: Jay Rockefeller

In speaking about the improved security benefit, the proposal says that the TSA "cannot quantify these benefits." Nonetheless the proposal goes on to say that "…TSA has concluded in this NPRM that the security benefits of the lower weight threshold of 12,500 pounds are justified by the risk."  The proposal is unclear as to how they determined the benefit of including 12,500 pound aircraft, when they can't quantify the overall benefits of the program.

The proposal is much clearer on the costs. "TSA estimates that the large aircraft operators would spend approximately 1 million hours annually establishing and/or maintaining appropriate security programs." They also estimate that pilots would pay $1.9 billion over 10 years, or an average of $44 per flight.

Some of the requirements include:

• Ensure that their flight crew members have undergone a fingerprint-based criminal history records check (CHRC).
• Conduct watch-list matching of their passengers through TSA-approved watchlist matching service providers.
• Undergo a biennial audit of their compliance by a TSA-approved third party auditor.
• Screen passengers for prohibited list items including among other things, guns, firearms, and certain sharp objects or tools such as knives, including steak knives and pocket knives.

We at Aero-News are totally opposed to a program that will cost pilots $1.9 billion, but for which the TSA cannot quantify the benefits. We're also concerned that while the proposed program includes aircraft as small as 12,500 pounds, it's conceivable that the TSA might expand the program in the future to cover all aircraft. We're all for having security and freedom. However this program seems to provide no increase in security while greatly decreasing the utility of aircraft to fly freely where and when they want. Please let your elected representatives know how you feel!

How to comment:
Refer to:
Docket No. TSA-2008-0021, “Large Aircraft Security Program, Other Aircraft Operator Security Program, and Airport Operator Security Program.”

• Electronically: through the Federal eRulemaking portal at www.Regulations.gov. (Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.)
• By Mail or in Person to: Docket Management Facility, US Dept. of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave SE, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington DC 20590-0001.
• By Fax to: 202-493-2251.

FMI: www.tsa.gov, www.maxtrescott.com