JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON
Association says rogue pilot's threat to crash stolen motor glider led to "unrealistic" calls to tighten procedures
Light aircraft proponents in Germany have rejected calls for tighter security measures at general aviation airfields as an over-reaction to an incident earlier this month when a man stole a motor glider at gunpoint.
The German branch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will meet this week with the German federal government and Hesse state, but rejects demands for tighter security at airfields as proposed by some officials immediately after the incident.
The pilot, Franz-Stefan Strannbach, commandeered the Diamond HK36 Super Dimonaon 5 January at Babenhausen airfield 20km (13 miles) south-east of Frankfurt before threatening to crash into one of the city's financial district skyscrapers. He eventually landed 2h later at Frankfurt Main Airport after being talked down by air traffic controllers. The Super Dimona was escorted by two German air force McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom fighters and a police Eurocopter EC135 helicopter. Frankfurt Main was closed during the incident, which prompted calls from airport chief Wilhelm Bender to step up security calls at small airfields.
AOPA Germany's managing director Michael Erb says reaction to the event was out of proportion to the potential impact damage of the HK36, known in North America as the Katana Xtreme, which has a maximum take off weight of 500kg (1,100lb) and a fuel capacity of 70 litres (15 US Gal).
Erb says that as Strannbach had previously held a private pilot's licence, he would have met Babenhausen security checks, but adds that "all methods of transport are open to some abuse and to expect 100% security is unrealistic".
The German transport ministry is awaiting the conclusions of a defence ministry study into "rogue aircraft" but had previously been attacked by AOPA for suggesting the installation of metal detectors at every aerodrome without considering its previous safety mandate on emergency axes in cockpits.
The transport ministry says although it has drawn up a plan for tightened security at international airports, airfields are the responsibility of individual states. AOPA Germany has instructed its air traffic information officers, who have undergone training with Germany's border guards, to be extra vigilant following the incident.
The Israeli civil aviation authority is to register and regulate motorised parachutes after two controlled airspace incursions led to fears of a possible terrorist application. The authority will enforce the marking and flightpaths of the 170 motorised parachutes flying in Israel in response to the incidents. In November last year, the airspace of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed for an hour, after air traffic controllers spotted three powered parachutes near the runways. In late December, two air force Boeing F-15s were scrambled to an area near Gaza after powered parachutes entered a no-fly zone.Source: Flight International
