By Calvin Biesecker
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) yesterday announced a proposed rule that would require operators and pilots of large general aviation aircraft, typically business jets and turboprops, to meet a range of new security requirements for their operations aimed at reducing risk associated with the operation of general aviation aircraft in the country.
Among the proposed the requirements in the proposed rule are criminal history record checks and security threat assessments for aircraft owners and operators, the establishment of programs to demonstrate how security of aircraft will be accomplished, designation of security coordinators, and passenger checks against the no-fly and selectee portions of the terrorist watch list. The rule would apply to general aviation planes weighing more than 12,500 pounds.
There is no specific threat identified that is behind the rule, TSA said. But the main thrusts are to reduce risk that these aircraft could be used as weapons or as means to carry terrorists or weapons, Michal Morgan, general manager for General Aviation at TSA, told Defense Daily.
The proposal drew a concerned response from owners and pilots who are troubled by the “unprecedented imposition of security requirements on the general aviation community affecting 10,000 individuals and hundreds of airports,” Andy Cebula, executive vice president of Government Affairs at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), said in a statement. “An overwhelming majority of our members surveyed last week expressed strong concerns about the proposal.” AOPA has 415,000 members.
TSA said the Large Aircraft Security Program would affect about 10,000 aircraft operators who use about 15,000 aircraft at 315 airports. The estimated cost to implement the program over a 10-year period is about $1.4 billion, or $44 per flight, TSA said. The proposed rule making would establish a $74 fee per individual to go through the various background checks. The public has 60 days to comment on the proposed rule.
While the proposed rule will certainly affect large companies that own a number of business jets, Cebula told Defense Daily the majority of the operators own just one aircraft and use them to get around their regional operations in all weather conditions.
Cebula said that in their survey responses, AOPA members are not only concerned about the federal government’s intrusion into private aviation but also about the potential cost impacts and that this could be the first step toward mandating security requirements for all general aviation aircraft. He said the government typically underestimates the costs to the aviation community of implementing security programs.
AOPA hasn’t had a chance to closely examine the proposed rule yet and is unsure what exactly the organization’s response will be.