[JYO] Not a very friendly GA article in today's Washington Post

To view the entire article, go to 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19877-2001Sep24.html

Clamp Down on General Aviation

By Joseph A. Kinney



Since Sept. 11 much welcome discussion has been focused on ways to increase 
commercial airline security, which has often been lacking. But there is 
another, equally frightening problem: the small, private aircraft that clog 
our skies and populate small, often remote, countryside airports.


General aviation, which serves business and recreational fliers, encompasses 
7,120 jets and about 25,000 multi-engine aircraft flown by about 200,000 
pilots who have instrument ratings. Each of these larger planes could easily 
be transformed into a weapon of mass destruction if it were laden with 
explosives.


The sheer number of planes tells only part of the story. Anyone who has 
visited a general aviation facility knows that security is often poor or, 
more often, nonexistent. Most of these facilities have no aircraft control 
towers or patroling security officers. Worst of all, there is no requirement 
at these facilities that aircraft be locked, and many are left open or are 
protected by locks that can be opened in a matter of seconds. In most cases, 
starting a plane is easier than igniting the engine of a stolen car.


Before and after takeoff, there are few restrictions upon general aviation. 
The pilots simply file a flight plan with traffic controllers, often in 
distant locations, and away they go. Nothing can be done to stop them from 
entering urban airspace. As any pilot knows, these small aircraft frequently 
wander into restricted airspace, often jeopardizing commercial or military 
aircraft.


All aircraft should be locked and secured. Larger general aviation airports 
should be fenced and have controled entry. Ignition devices should be 
modified to eliminate the possibility of unauthorized use. Airspace around 
larger cities should be further restricted to prohibit entry by such 
aircraft. This may mean curtailing landing rights of such aircraft at 
commercial airports.


Such measures might make life more difficult for the general aviation 
industry. But if security experts continue to focus strictly on commercial 
aviation, we may find ourselves guilty, once again, of fighting the last war 
only to see ourselves outsmarted by a more creative foe.


<person> -- Joseph A. Kinney</person>


<em>is a security consultant in Charlotte, N.C.</em>

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