CAA: GA News, "Crop dusting attack would be difficult, says expert"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wednesday, September 26, 2001 

Crop dusting attack would be difficult, says expert 
The New Hampshire Union Leader 


Crop dusting is a close-knit, specialized field that demands extensive
training, so terrorists would have a hard time using aircraft to carry
out biological or chemical assaults, one expert said yesterday. 

"The only way they could get into something like that is to either steal
the aircraft or become a part of the organization where they worked for
two to three years and then commit some terrorist act," said Ray
Newcomb, president of JBI Helicopter Services, an agricultural aviation
company in Pembroke. 

"For somebody to come into an aerial-application business and work in
day-to-day operations, you would become pretty close to that person. It
wouldn't take very long (for co-workers) to figure it out," he added. 

JBI Helicopter Services and Ag-Rotors of Gettysburg, Pa., are the only
two agricultural aviation companies registered in New Hampshire. 

Ag-Rotors has not done aerial spraying here for at least three years and
has no planes in the state, company vice president Ed Cunningham said. 

JBI Helicopter Services has a fleet of six helicopters that spray
cranberry bogs in Massachusetts and Maine blueberry fields. 

JBI President Newcomb said he had provided the Federal Aviation
Administration with a list of all their aircraft, their pilots, pilots
who have flown in the past three years and where they trained. 

The FAA also requested the company know where its aircraft are and "keep
care, custody and control" of their aircraft at all times, Newcomb said.


In other developments, the FAA ordered all airports to revalidate
identification security badges for employees who have access to secure
areas, such as flight crews, cleaning crews and screeners, spokesman Jim
Peters said. 

The order affects three New Hampshire airports: Manchester Airport,
Lebanon Municipal Airport and Pease International Tradeport. 

Security at Manchester Water Works also has been heightened. 

Director Tom Bowen said the department is reviewing recommended security
policies its professional associations put out. 

The city water department, which already had 24-hour security at is
treatment plant, increased patrols at all its facilities, he said.

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