Hi folks. I don't know how many of you are pilots like I am, but if you are, you likely
have not heard of this latest infringement on our liberties by the FAA. I received the
notice from a friend, and it IS for real. The EAA and AOPA has sprung into action. It's
another case of the government trying to slip in under the radar to burn us. This could
be the death knell for General Aviation.
I wanted to let you all
know of a very disturbing TSA Security Directive (SD) that is being implemented under
the radar that affects ALL U.S. airports with commercial Part 121 scheduled airline
service.
This is reality folks, and several of us here in good ol' western Colorado
attended a meeting with TSA personnel tonight in Montrose MTJ and confirmed this shocking
news firsthand.
This SD would require that every person who steps foot in the
airport operations area be screened for security clearance and badged before being allowed
to have access on the ramp. If you are not badged, then you must wait to be escorted
by a badged representative and escorted off the AOA.
This means that if you
are flying into GJT, you would have to wait in your cockpit until someone escorted you
directly to the FBO. That means no more self-serve fueling opportunities unless someone
is there to meet you, no more mingling on the ramp and talking to your buddies no more
freedom.
However, here is the kicker - Let's say you go through this security
clearance at your local airport (a $175 fee at GJT) and want to fly anywhere else and
land at an airport with scheduled commercial airline service i.e. Montrose, Vail, Telluride,
Loveland, Long Beach, Ontario, Santa Ana etc. you will have to be badged at EACH airport!
The way the SD is written now (and is effective April 23, 2009) there is no provision
for a standardized security learance. Each airport operates independently of every other
airport!!!!!! This is complete madness. This will drive the nail in the coffin of GA,
and combined with the TSA Large Aircraft Security Proposal (LASP) would virtually destroy
the freedoms that all of us have known our entire aviation careers!
AOPA was
not aware of this until last week, NBAA, NATA, EAA are caught off guard. You need to
understand what this will do to our industry.
The TSA personnel are not even
allowing us to view this 14 page directive because it is deemed sensitive to "national
security". Our freedoms are being stripped away right before our eyes.
As soon
as we can get our hands on this document we will make it public to everyone in the aviation
community. Please take the time to question your local TSA representatives about this
proposal and get involved.
If this thing is implemented, just think how long
it will take to be a requirement of EVERY airport in the U.S. If there was ever a time
for action, this is it.
Randy
Vintage Aviation, Ltd.
www.vintagebiplane.com
