Fri, Aug 12, 2005
AOPA Tries To Educate Homeland Security Group
General aviation airplanes are not
so-called weapons of mass effect. That's been the AOPA mantra in
talks with just about every federal agency that will listen. "We
just added another agency to the list," the organization said in a
statement on its web site Wednesday.
The AOPA says its representatives were invited to address the
Homeland Security Advisory Council Weapons of Mass Effect
Prevention Task Force last week. The group is tasked with designing
defenses to prevent large-scale weapons (such as large bombs or
nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons) from entering the United
States, and it advises Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
as well as the president.
AOPA's senior vice president of
government and technical affairs, Andy Cebula, talked with members
of the task force on general aviation, using facts, figures, and
graphics from the association's GA Serving America Web site.
"I explained again that most general aviation aircraft don't
have the size or carrying capacity to make an effective weapon,"
said Andy Cebula, AOPA senior vice president of government and
technical affairs. "And I reiterated all of the steps we've taken
since 9/11 to improve security of our aircraft and airports."
Cebula reviewed airspace restrictions, flight training and pilot
identification requirements, checks of pilot certificate records
against terrorist watch lists, and the Transportation Security
Administration security guidelines for GA airports as a few of the
security enhancements now in place — many at the instigation
of the aviation community.
"The task force members seemed to be particularly impressed with
AOPA's Airport Watch as an effective way of engaging the pilot
community to enhance security," said Cebula. "And that reinforced
the concept that voluntary programs are the quickest and most
effective way to address security issues."
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