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Friday, June 7, 2002 |
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"A GOOD landing is one from which you can walk away.
A GREAT landing is one after which they can use the plane again"
-- An old pilots saying
5:40:37 PM 
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Rhino here:
In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, various legislators have decided that
the use of small private planes, known as General Aviation or GA, should be
scrutinized for possible security restrictions. Being a private pilot
myself, I would hope these lawmakers would focus on more effective ways to
protect us from what I fear most, a large commercial airliner crashing into
a nuke plant. No light aircraft would have a chance of breaking through a
containment. Meanwhile, the airlines are still serving soda to passengers in
cans which could be hand folded into most any shape if you catch my drift.
Wake up and smell the aluminum Congressmen!
5:38:10 PM
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From this weeks AV Flash
5:36:12 PM
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It's headed for a little airport you know and love. The Transportation
Security Administration (TSA) is on the brink of establishing an office
of general aviation security -- to see what can be done about all those
pilots and pax who board private planes and fly willy-nilly around the
country with nail clippers and tweezers. John Magaw, head of the TSA,
told the American Association of Airport Executives at their annual
meeting late last month that the TSA will create the new office as soon
as possible. "General aviation is a security concern for us," Magaw
told the gathering. If you're one of those who's been thinking your
freedom to fly is beneath the TSA radar ... think again.
5:34:30 PM
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The mainstream media is doing its part to make sure that little
airplanes are seen as a threat. In the latest round of punditry, Sen.
Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) created newspaper headlines with a rehashed version
of the Chicken Little story. In Sunday's Washington Post, Kohl said
small, privately chartered aircraft could be turned into weapons of
terror. "We're at this point missing entirely on the dangers of private
aircraft," Kohl told the Post. USA Today ran an editorial about GA
security on Monday, and managed to pose some additional concerns that
spill over to Part 91 operators, including worries about VFR flights.
"Flight plans are not required from pilots flying small planes in clear
weather," the editorial said, "so air traffic controllers have no way of
knowing if a plane goes off course, perhaps heading unexpectedly toward
a major city."
5:33:40 PM
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AOPA (Airplane Owners & Pilots Association) jumped to defend GA. "In our
small, private aircraft, our passengers are our family, friends, and
business associates," AOPA President Phil Boyer said in a news release on
Monday. "Just like the family car, we know who is getting in and what
they're carrying. There's no better security screening than personal
knowledge." National Air Transportation Association (NATA) President James
Coyne, in a USA Today commentary published Monday, questioned the wisdom of
a one-size-fits-all approach. "Security procedures that may work for the
airlines, which must efficiently process large groups of people, do not
necessarily work for on-demand air-taxi operators," he wrote.
5:33:05 PM
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CNN's Crossfire smelled the blood and invited the hounds to a nationally
televised fight Monday night. Coyne marched into battle with the air-
charter industry's point of view and managed to get a few words in
edgewise despite the verbal fray. The pundits representing the Chicken
Little viewpoint attacked in true Beltway form. Pay attention, out
there. The charter business is taking it on the nose right now, but it
won't likely stop there. This one could very well affect *your* freedom
to get in *your* airplane and fly somewhere *you* want to go.
5:32:34 PM
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AVflash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest aviation news, articles,
products, features and events featured on AVweb, the Internet's Aviation
Magazine and News Service.
http://www.avweb.com
5:31:43 PM
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© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.
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