Well it seems chrisbl doesnt agree with my views on the uneducated heavy handedness of the TSA. But luckily most people do, including AOPA (as seen in the link given above) and the EAA- see below. Both of these organisations are fighting the rules and trying to get the TSA to see some sense.
But I do agree with Chrisbl that the bureaucracy forced on pilots under the pretence of the Prevention of terrorism act here in the UK is pointless too. Particularly when going to the channel Islands, and when you consider the fact that you can come back from the channel Islands via France and then completely alleviate the problems of the act and not need to contact special branch.
And I wasnt advocating breaking the rules in the US, I was just hoping that they would not affect the type of flying I do there, where I havent been near a flight school for years and fly out of nice friendly airfields with no fences, no control towers, self service fuel etc.
While I agree that the US hasnt seen the same level of terrorisms that we have suffered from here in Europe, people over there seem to forget the blowing up of the federal building in Oklahoma city which I think killed 30 or more (bigger than most single terrorist activities in N Ireland for example) and the fact that Al Queda already had a previous attemept to blow up the world trade center, but their truck bombs failed to do the job when they went off (I dont recall the exact details), not to mention the many terrorist acts done to US interests and US military abroad.
Unfortunately the uneducated TSA see avaition as a big threat and cannot differentiate between Cessna 152s and 747s and cannot seem to apply logic and intelligance to any of their arguments. Just look at what happens with airport security when travelling as a passenger. They target people for extra searches, the biggest group of people targetted are positioning airline crews, well they are suspicious, they have one way tickets and they werent even booked on the flight!!! (what a surprise when they are travelling on standby trying to get home from wherever their duty left them!!)
On a recent trip to the US I had 4 internal one way tickets as I made my way across the US. Every time I was singled out for extra security becuase I had a one way ticket. Personally I would have thought by now that anyone up to no good would have realised that the first thing you do is buy a return ticket!!!
anyway here is the press release from EAA
Dick Knapinski, Media and Public Relations
920-426-6523
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EAA affiliate NAFI successfully lobbies for relief
from onerous security requirements imposed on flight instructors
EAA AVIATION CENTER, Oshkosh, Wisconsin -- October 22, 2004 -- The National Association of Flight Instructors, an affiliate of the Experimental Aircraft Association, today announced revisions to national security policy answering concerns that NAFI voiced earlier this week.
"We sought to alleviate some of the onerous recordkeeping that recently enacted security policies would have heaped on individual and small-business flight instructors," said Rusty Sachs, NAFI executive director. "The exemptions announced by the TSA [Transportation Security Administration] make a step in the right direction, easing the burden on our members without compromising national security in any way."
Without the modifications for which NAFI lobbied, the policy would have required flight instructors to acquire and maintain meticulous records regarding the national origins of flight students -- even those being trained to fly aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds, which present little or no utility to anyone harboring sinister motives.
"In response to our members' concerns, we lobbied for a more reasonable set of precautions," said Sachs, whose advocacy efforts included an Oct. 19 letter to the Department of Transportation, the federal agency driving the TSA requirements.
The revised policy still provides safeguards, requiring logbook entries attesting to each student's proof of citizenship or nationality, but demands significantly less paperwork on students training to fly light aircraft. "We turned the security requirements into something more manageable and reasonable for our flight instructors," Sachs said.
NAFI sent more detailed information about the TSA security requirements, including these welcome revisions, to its members by e-mail today.
NAFI is the international organization dedicated exclusively to raising and maintaining the professional standing of flight instructors. The association has served as the voice of aviation education since its inception in 1967. Go to
www.nafinet.org to learn more and get involved.
EAA, The Leader in Recreational Aviation, is an international association with 170,000 members and 1,000 local chapters. To join EAA or for more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or go to
www.eaa.org.