CAA: GA News, "General Aviation Experts Work to Enhance Security in Aftermath of Terror"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday, October 12, 2001

General Aviation Experts Work to Enhance Security in Aftermath of Terror


CORVALLIS, Ore., Oct 12, 2001 (ASCRIBE NEWS) -- The vast world of
general aviation faces its own unique challenges to counter the threats
of terrorism, and a group of experts is preparing to make a range of
recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to enhance the
security and safety of this important industry. 

General aviation - the multiple types of aircraft that are not used for
regularly scheduled passenger traffic - accounts for about 95 percent of
the planes in the nation, operates from thousands of small and large
airports, actually carries almost as many passengers as the commercial
airline industry and transports huge amounts of cargo. 

But this diverse group of aircraft, which ranges from a single-seat
airplane to large corporate jets, needs to implement tighter security
measures that effectively deter terrorists while allowing the industry
to continue its operation in a commercially viable manner, a group of
experts concluded recently at a planning conference at Oregon State
University. 

"We have to start thinking differently and we have to ensure general
aviation is safe without slowing down commerce," said Dave Kuper, a
representative of the FAA who attended the meeting. "We know terrorists
may be here and have the will and logistics to attack, and we have to
defend against this." 

Participants at this meeting, which was sponsored by the OSU
Transportation Research Institute and the Oregon Department of Aviation,
worked to develop specific recommendations that they believe could
improve airport and airplane security in general aviation and might form
the basis for voluntary improvements, new FAA regulations or even
legislation. 

"Oregon has become a national leader in advancing general aviation and
this is the first statewide effort of this type in the nation," said Ann
Crook, director of the Oregon Department of Aviation. "A lot of people
around the country are watching to see what we come up with that can
help this industry progress into the future." 

The group is still working to finalize its recommendations, but some of
the plans outlined at the work session included: 

-- Create a formal, statewide "airport watch" program using the many
pilots, maintenance people and staff at airports, in an initiative that
has a designated leader, can provide emergency contact phone numbers for
people to use, coordinate security training and education, and make
security recommendations to users of various airports. 

-- Recommend installation of perimeter fencing, improved security
lighting and surveillance technology at a wide range of airports that
are not currently served by regular passenger airlines but handle
significant amounts of general aviation air traffic, with funding to be
sought from the Federal Airport Improvement Program. 

-- Recommend that airports develop emergency response plans and signage
that alerts users and customers to various security measures which have
been installed. 

-- Seek funding for ground-based radar installations in areas of the
state where there are gaps in radar coverage that would allow the FAA to
better track aircraft and improve safety and security. 

-- Cross-reference applications for pilot licenses and aircraft
registrations against lists of suspected terrorists maintained by the
FBI. 

-- Recommend employment background checks for all airport employees or
anyone else, such as outside contractors, with access to aircraft; and
photo identification badges for people working at airports to wear. 

"In order to safeguard the future of general aviation, we now have to
assume there are people with skills, tools and the capacity to use them
for terrorist acts," said Bill Wilkins, dean emeritus at OSU and chair
of the Oregon State Aviation Board. "We must do what we can to control
access, to know the people who work around our aircraft and to take what
pro-active steps we can to prevent any problems or incidents from
occurring." 

General aviation, Wilkins said, is a huge branch of the aviation
industry of which many people are unaware. Large numbers of aircraft
operate all over the nation on everything from commercial service
airports to private landing strips, provide a wide range of air services
to thousands of airports not served by the large passenger air carriers,
and carry an increasingly high passenger load of people who want to
travel to specific or remote sites quickly, easily and often very
economically through shared use of aircraft. 

Many of these aircraft can take off and land pretty much whenever their
pilots wish, often without even filing a flight plan. Most are small
aircraft, but there are also many larger ones such as small jets and
turboprops that can carry 6-15 passengers and several thousand pounds of
cargo, as well as large airline-type jets. In Oregon alone, there are
300 private landing strips and 101 public use airports, only seven of
which are served by passenger airlines. The users of general aviation
account for the rest. 

Participants in the recent meeting included officials representing the
FAA, OSU, Oregon Department of Aviation, private aviation companies,
local law enforcement agencies, Oregon Airport Managers Association,
Oregon Pilots Association, the Oregon State Aviation Board, agricultural
aviation, the Oregon legislature and both of Oregon's United States
senators. 

When completed, the recommendations of this working group will be
transmitted to the FAA, they said, for review and consideration.

   Post your opinion on this story in the CAA General Aviation Forum
http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID2

*****************************************