Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #50766
From: Jim Scales <joscales98@hotmail.com>
Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
Subject: More info on TSA issues
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:43:28 -0400
To: <lml@lancaironline.net>
I sent an inquiry to AOPA about the TSA proposed policies.  Here is the answer I received.  Not great.  Hope it gets better.  Sounds like they are running into the same stone wall that has been described on this site.
 
Jim
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Mr. Scales,

Thank you for contacting the Pilot Information Center.  Security Directive 1542-04-8F was issued to airport administration at airports with commercial airline service to increase badging requirements for tenants at employees based at that airport.  The security directive should not affect you as a transient pilot to these airports, although you may notice stricter "escort" supervision as you enter and leave the ramp area.
 
AOPA has been involved with this issue since early December when the SD was issued.  However, we are experiencing less than friendly contacts with the TSA.  Because AOPA is not an airport with commercial airline service ("not the regulated party"), most information, including the actual SD itself has been withheld from us.  I can assure that our Vice President of GA Security, Craig Spence, has worked on this issue on a daily basis for months and we will continue to make sure that the GA community is not ignored.
 
At this time, we encourage pilots to contact their congressmen about this issue and ask that TSA to not  ignore the pleas of the general aviation community.  Make sure that they are specifying the security directive (not to be confused with LASP).
 
Here is a direct link to writing your Representative: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Tailwinds and best regards,

Tom Kramer
Aviation Technical Specialist
AOPA Pilot Information Center

--- Original Message Below ---



This is an Info Request from the AOPA Website.
The following information was provided:

Name: Jim Scales
Request:
I participate in an online chat site for Lancairs.  Recently there has been a lot of discussion about a new TSA procedure that is supposed to be implemented in a couple of months.  There have been a couple of meetings between affected airport groups and the TSA people.  These meetings have revealed very bad policies and extremely cumbersome regulations that are potentially going to apply to GA.

Supposedly any airport served by commercial air service will have to have a secure ramp and airport access.  This will involve background checks and badges for everyone who has access to the airport.  If this was not bad enough, each airport will be required to do its own background check and issue its own badges.

Try to imagine what a quagmire that will lead to.  Also, think about the safety issues of low fuel or weather issues causing a pilot to choose between going into an airport for which he has no badge and going to jail, or trying to stretch fuel or challenge weather in order to get to an airport for which he has a badge.

If this is indeed happening it can absolutely kill GA. 

I have not yet seen anything on this from AOPA.  Please check into it.

Thanks.

Jim Scales





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