bajaguy - 2-28-2009 at 11:02 AM
Received from another site..... interesting info if true.
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NOTICE TO NMPA MEMBERS FROM MEMBER MARC COAN
Date: February 25, 2009
To: All General Aviation Pilots
Subject: TSA to require criminal background checks for GA pilots
Dear Fellow Pilot,
This is a sad day! Just when you thought TSA's proposed Large Aircraft Security Program was about the worst thing that could happen to General
Aviation, a new, possibly far more serious threat has arisen.
Unconfirmed reports are beginning to surface of a "classified" TSA Security Directive which is applicable to all 450+ airports served by an airline
flying aircraft with more than 10 seats.
It requires the airport to develop a security plan to restrict access to all operations areas of the airport to only those people who have passed a
criminal background check, received a security clearance, and been issued an airport security badge. (The same badge airline and airport operations
personnel would be issued at that airport.)
This applies to ALL "behind the fence" areas, even if the GA facilities are located on the other side of the airport from the airline terminal.
Those persons without a badge, including visiting GA pilots and their passengers, must be escorted to/from their aircraft by someone with a badge.
The fee to obtain a security clearance and badge is typically around $175.
Anyone with a felony conviction in the past 10 years will not be issued a badge, nor will anyone on the TSA's secret "do not fly" list. And, even if
you've been issued a badge at one airport, it only works at that single airport: There is no "universal" TSA badge planned!
The directive applies not only to the airports served by MAJOR airlines, but ALL 450+ airline airports, including most of the 105 small airports on
this list:
http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/rural/proximity.pdf
which receive subsidized service by small commuter airlines.
We're talking about places like Great Bend, KS; Clovis, NM; Alamosa, CO; Grand Island, NE, and dozens more that receive only 2 or 3 commuter airline
flights per day in a
Beech 1900.
Unlike the Large Aircraft Security Program, this new 14-page Security Directive is not available for public viewing or comment. Not even AOPA, USPA,
EAA, NBAA, etc. have been allowed to view it.
All AOPA says is,"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the TSA is proceeding with this program. While the full details of the program are
classified, it will essentially require all persons with access to the secure portion of the
airport have a TSA approved airport access badge."
The directive is supposedly effective April 30.
Here are some news articles about Coastal Carolina Regional Airport and how its complying with the directive:
http://www.enctoday.com/news/airport_44044_nbsj__article.htm...
http://www.enctoday.com/news/security_44155_nbsj__article.ht...
Pilots there are upset, but 90 of the 170 regular users of the airport have already applied for their badges.
There are just so many reasons to oppose this directive. Here are four. Let me know if you think of others:
1. It will be a massive inconvenience. Think about it: If you are visiting even a tiny airline airport, at any time of day, you won't be able to use
the self-serve fueling station, won't be able to drive your rental car out to plane to get your bags, and won't be able to wander over and look at
that cool airplane with the "For Sale" banner you saw on the
ramp.
2. It means that, even though you are a federally-licensed pilot carrying both a pilot's license and the required photo ID, you are ASSUMED to be a
security threat to the country that issued you the license.
3. It will be an enormous burden on FBOs, and will cause a further reduction in their business (during the middle of an economic depression, at least
in aviation). Many pilots will choose to avoid airline airports they used to fly to. And when we do use those airports, an FBO employee will have to
drop what they're doing to meet us and play escort service. but many f those operators only have 2-3 people working at a time, if that. Is TSA going
to compensate FBOs so they can hire more staff?
4. It will cause even more of an "us vs. them" attitude by GA pilots vs. the airlines. GA pilots will strongly resist adding airline service to
airports that don't already have it and many will call for the abolishment of the Essential Air Service program that enables their own small airport
to have airline service.
Remember, this is coming on the heels of the TSA's Large(?) Aircraft Security Program, which will require all private operators of aircraft bigger
than a King Air 300 to have an airline-style security plan, including screening all their passengers against the "do not fly" list and inspecting
their bags. All for a threat that has yet to be proved to exist.
I do not see how GA is a threat to this country when compared with trucks which can be rented by anyone from U-haul or Ryder. (Remember the first
World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombings? Those were trucks, not planes.)
And, if GA pilots are such a great threat to this country, how
come the government hasn't even done such a simple thing as run all pilots through the "do not fly" list, revoking the licenses of those who are on
it?
Folks, this may well be The Big One that requires thousands of us to fly our planes to Washington in protest. (Of course, we'll have to take the FAA's
Washington ADIZ test first!)
Hopefully, the actual "badge" directive is not as severe as the early reports are saying...perhaps not all airline
airports are affected. But we just don't know because they aren't telling us!
If true, something has to be done, and it sounds like the only thing we can do is try to get the attention of Congress, which controls the purse
strings of TSA.
About the only compromise I can think of is a universal
pilot badge that costs $50 and is good at ALL airline airports. But TSA is not proposing such a thing, and they aren't taking public comments on their
proposal.
Please forward this message to every GA pilot you know; don't delay! And if you hear any further news, or learn what YOUR airport is being forced to
do to comply, please let me know so I can alert others.
Sincerely,
Marc C. Coan,
marc@skymachines.com
Yep, time for some tea parties !!!!!!!
beercan - 2-28-2009 at 07:38 PM
I have already spent about $200.00 to "get " my concealed carry permit --a complete background check by the FBI and the Arizona Dept of Public Safety
.But doesn't mean a thing to the TSA or DHS. Spent over $100.00 for a Sentri pass, and another background check .
Here goes more f--king money to satisfy another useless gummint program.