Interesting topic. I have been asked for my licence on a few occasions when I have flown privately in order to get through security. To be very honest a licence on its own is like getting me to show a stranger my birth certificate and convince him/her that my name is actually the name on the document! Security personnel have to assume that what they are seeing is in fact a legal document which belongs to the person who is presenting it! It is a JAA requirement to carry photo ID with your licence but I feel that the picture should be on the licence like it used to be back in the past.. .. .Duplicating a CAA or a JAA licence is far too easy in my view. I knew someone who had recently been awarded his ATPL so his old CPL book was no longer relevant and he passed this onto a well known friend who is a PPL. He managed to experiment a bit and by using a simple PC and a scanner, he made himself a spoof CPL/IR for a laugh. Now I must stress that this was done as a bit of laugh and the person concerned would never use this spoof licence for any malicious purpose but shows how if a simple empty licence cover falls into the wrong hands, then that person could fabricate a licence and potentially have airside access at civil aerodromes.. .. .Some food for thought in these ultra security sensitive times that we are now in!. .. .MG