Bruce Mandelblit
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006

Reprint Information

Book on Katie Couric Makes Waves White House: We're Not Subject to FOIA FBI Seeks 2 Mysterious Men on Ferry Publisher: Conservatives Do Read As Much As Liberals Romney Shrugs Off Mormon History Film

While the security involving most commercial flights and aircraft has been increased considerably since the abhorrent events of September 11, 2001, news headlines have focused a spotlight on whether or not smaller general aviation aircraft may pose a potential terrorist risk.

Although the tragic crash a few days ago of a small private plane into a New York City high-rise building was determined to be an unfortunate accident, there is a small history of attempts to use a small aircraft in a menacing manner.

A few years ago, a man who was reported to have emotional issues threatened to crash his glider-like aircraft into a German high-rise. During 2002, an allegedly intentional incident occurred in which a teenager piloted a stolen Cessna into a downtown Tampa bank building.

Fortunately, to date, these general aviation crashes have resulted in a small number of casualties and a relatively moderate amount of property damage.

Is general aviation a terrorist threat?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued, after the tragic September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a Special Vigilance Alert for both civil and general aviation pilots and airports. This alert states that the United States continues to receive credible indications that extremist individuals are planning additional terrorist operations against U.S. and Western interests.

While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has no credible information concerning potential attack specifics, it suggests the general aviation community should observe good physical security for aircraft and facilities, and be continuously on the lookout for suspicious persons, activities and operations around airports.

Story Continues Below

The TSA recommends the following to help mitigate the risk by the unauthorized use of general aviation aircraft:

1. Your immediate action is requested for these items:
   • Secure unattended aircraft to prevent unauthorized use.
   • Verify the identification of crew and passengers prior to departure.
   • Verify that baggage and cargo are known to the persons on board.
   • Where identification systems are in place, encourage employees to wear proper identification and challenge persons not wearing identification.
2. Increased vigilance should be directed toward the following:
   • Aircraft with unusual or unauthorized modifications.
   • Persons loitering in the vicinity of air or air operations areas.
   • Persons who appear to be under stress or under the control of other persons.
   • Persons whose identification appears altered or inconsistent.

Also, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in a December 2001 news release recommends some additional measures to enhance the security of general aviation operations, such as:

1. Take the steps appropriate to the specific type of aircraft to secure it when unattended.
2. The TSA should evaluate creating a system to electronically compare names of persons renting or purchasing aircraft against the federal government's "watch list."
3. The TSA should develop and distribute a profile to identify individuals requiring additional scrutiny before they are allowed to buy, rent, receive pilot training or be employed in areas where they are routinely allowed access to general aviation aircraft.
4. The FAA pilot certificate should be modified to include a photograph of the pilot, using a format that is difficult to counterfeit.
5. All first-time applicants for a U.S. pilot certificate should be required to show one form of government-issued identification that includes a photo. This form of identification must indicate country of citizenship.
6. Using procedures it deems appropriate, the U.S. government should immediately review the existing FAA registry of all active U.S. pilots and review new pilot applicants to ensure that these individuals are not associated with or supportive of any terrorist groups.

My Final Thoughts: Terrorists are, simply put, bloodthirsty, merciless thugs, without any regard for human life. As certainly documented on September 11, 2001, terrorists will go to any length to destroy our way of life and freedoms. Maniacal terrorists may even view small aircraft as a handy tool to launch a possible biological or chemical attack.

Even if the use of small aircraft is a negligible terrorist threat, it is just common sense that both the government and private sector should work together to take reasonable steps to help make general aviation aircraft a harder target against the potential risk posed by malicious terrorists.

(Note: If you manufacture or distribute any Security, Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Defense or Crime Prevention related products, please send information on your product line for possible future reference in this column to: CrimePrevention123@yahoo.com.)

Copyright 2006 by Bruce Mandelblit

Bruce welcomes your thoughts. His e-mail address is: CrimePrevention123@yahoo.com.

Bruce is a nationally known security journalist, as well as a recently retired, highly decorated reserve Law Enforcement Officer.

Bruce writes Staying Safe, a weekly syndicated column covering the topics of security, safety and crime prevention.

Bruce was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel – the state's highest honor – for his public service.

This column is provided for general information purposes only. Please check with your local law enforcement agency and legal professional for information specific to you and your jurisdiction.

Editor's note:
Get the Picture That Made America Proud on 9/11 – Click Here
Can America avoid a nuclear ‘D-Day'? Get the INSIDE story – Click Here Now.
Homeland Security alert: You must have emergency radio

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Homeland/Civil Defense

War on Terrorism