Aero-Views: NATA’S Coyne Rebuts 'Ridiculous' New York Times Column | 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-07.21.25

Airborne-Unlimited-07.22.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.23.25

Airborne-Unlimited-07.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.25.25

Fri, Apr 15, 2005

Aero-Views: NATA’S Coyne Rebuts 'Ridiculous' New York Times Column

"Billy Bob Bin Laden"?

There's humor, then there's satire, then there's what the New York Times published on Wednesday.

National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James K. Coyne submitted a rebuttal Thursday to ridiculous comments made by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in an article in Wednesday's paper.


 
Friedman asserts "anyone who has flown on a private jet since 9/11 can tell you that security at these private terminals is still so lax that if you showed up in a Saudi headdress with a West Virginia driver's license under the name of 'Billy Bob bin Laden' and asked for flight directions for your chartered Learjet to Lower Manhattan, there's a good chance no one would stop you."
 
"While Tom Friedman was trying to be funny imagining that "Billy Bob bin Laden" could charter a Learjet and fly it to Manhattan, please inform his readers that the air charter industry is serious about security," Coyne wrote to the New York Times Editor. "Though air charter provides unparalleled convenience and efficiency, we place the highest priority on assuring that terrorists will never misuse our aircraft.
 
"Last year, NBC reporters thought they could charter an aircraft and pretend to attack St. Louis. They ended up in the hands of the FBI after company employees smelled a rat. Although we prudently keep our procedures confidential, every jet charter operator maintains security programs, approved by the TSA, which prevent terrorists from taking control of the aircraft. 
 
"The broader point of the article, however, has merit: As America achieves success in Iraq, we must not let down our guard at home. Air charter companies never have -– and we never will."

FMI: www.nata.aero

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 07.21.25: Nighthawk!, Hartzell Expands, Deltahawk 350HP!

Also: New Lakeland Fly-in!, Gleim's DPE, MOSAIC! Nearly three-quarters of a century in the making, EAA is excited about the future… especially with the potential of a MOSAIC>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.27.25): Estimated (EST)

Estimated (EST) -When used in NOTAMs “EST” is a contraction that is used by the issuing authority only when the condition is expected to return to service prior to the >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.27.25)

Aero Linx: Regional Airline Association (RAA) Regional airlines provide critical links connecting communities throughout North America to the national and international air transpo>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Luce Buttercup

The Airplane Broke Up In Flight And Descended To The Ground. The Debris Path Extended For About 1,435 Ft. Analysis: The pilot, who was the owner and builder of the experimental, am>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: 'That's All Brother'-Restoring a True Piece of Military History

From 2015 (YouTube version): History Comes Alive Thanks to A Magnificent CAF Effort The story of the Douglas C-47 named, “That’s all Brother,” is fascinating from>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

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