US Government Accountability Office says small aircraft are unattractive to terrorists and so pose reduced threat
The US general aviation community is breathing a collective sigh of relief following the release of the long-awaited Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on general aviation security.
In its study, which was commissioned last year by the US Congress to assess the vulnerability of GA aircraft and airports to potential terrorist activity, the GAO acknowledges "the small size, lack of fuel capacity and minimal destructive power of most general aviation aircraft make them unattractive to terrorists and thereby, reduces the possibility of threat associated with their misuse".
The report says continued liaison between government and the GA industry, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Airport Watch initiative and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) -led Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Access Certificate programme is "vital to the long-term success of efforts to enhance security at the nation's nearly 19,000 GA landing facilities".
The GAO, which visited 31 airports during its year-long investigation, says that, while increased federal oversight is needed, continued partnership with the private sector is critical to long-term success.
AOPA president Phil Boyer and Doug Carr, NBAA corporate secretary, say the GAO report confirms what the GA industry has been saying since 9/11: that general aviation airports are numerous and varied and a one-size-fits-all security plan is not feasible. "The report does not see the need for any specific physical security mandates at general aviation airports," AOPA says. Instead, its conclusions call for changes within, and better oversight by, the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration. "The fact that several of the recommendations are either already in place or in the works shows that general aviation security is on the right track," says Boyer.
Carr says a risk-based approach to security is imperative. "We don't want to go down the regulatory path as the voluntary measures in place are working well."
If security legislation is imposed by the US government, Carr says the industry must see some tangible benefits in the form of increased access to airports and airspace, including Washington National, which has been closed to GA since 11 September 2001. "We must stop being treated like second-class citizens," he says.
The GAO report criticises the FAA for not developing a standardised, documented way to review security-related temporary flight restrictions. It recommends:
* the TSA should develop a risk management plan that helps airports assess vulnerabilities;
* the TSA should apply risk communication principles including specific threat information;
* the FAA should develop a plan for reviewing and revalidating flight restrictions;
* the TSA needs to better monitor foreign nationals learning to fly in the USA;
* the TSA and FAA need to review the process for issuing waivers to enter restricted airspace.
KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Source: Flight International
