Bruce A. Frank
March 6th 09, 10:25 AM
Forwarded from the Bearhawk group. Read this. If you fly for recreation,
you may not be doing that much longer.
=========================
I apologize for the length of this but wanted people to realize what is
going on. This total insanity is being repeated at all 450 commercial
airports in the US and unless we can counter it will put an end to free
travel around the country for private pilots. I cant think of a better
illustration that our government is totally out of control and needs to
be reigned back in now!
Rod Smith
It seems “ they “ are at it again. We were told AOPA was quite
unaware of this Special Directive
While I am not the MTJ rep, and do not know who is (maybe you could tell
me) I attended, though I am the rep for Delta Blake field some 30
miles down the road, with some 60 plus others tonight, a meeting no one
had even heard about until two days ago. And really only email amongst
folks on the field and the EAA chapter caused anyone to be there. It
was a full house, even though the address given was incorrect. I would
guess the average age was 50 with a lot of former military and airline
pilots in attendance, or folks having other long time security
clearances professionally, and who were a bit amazed at all this. Nearly
all pilots.
Four TSA reps were there from Grand Junction , we think that is where
they were from: Rennie (sp?) Dunn, Chris Putnam, Dick Wiles and a
Peter Cook. Two never said a word, Wiles offered two or three
sentences, and Rennie carried the freight. They all left in the same US
Govt black SUV. One was reputed to be a former special forces Lt Col in
the mid east and therefore familiar with security concerns. Frankly,
none were very impressive but on the other hand, they had been
volunteered for a clearly thankless role.
The basic overall concept is another “Federal Unfunded Mandate”
which several in the crowed noted, in this case known as a Security
Directive affecting all individuals having access to commercial service
airports to become effective April 30.
Anyone wishing access after that date must, on only four near term days,
apply on a preliminary basis for security threat screening. Those
dates are 2/25/ 2/28 3/4 and 3/7.
Anyone not able to be present on those four near term dates must pay a
$50 fee to begin the screening process. Persons must bring approved
identification from the approved list to be found at
www.montroseairport.com
Reportedly the SD is fourteen pages, but no one except the TSA is
allowed to know what the rules are, as we ALL understood it, until or
unless you break one of the rules. Each of the four TSA people there
acknowledged they had seen the document. A Catch 22 - Alice in
Wonderland moment.
A question was raised, what redress or appeal process is available. The
answer was surely it would be reasonably handled.
A local prominent attny who was a former prosecuting attny opined that
not only is this all backwards, in his view it was simply
unconstitutional.
It presently appears that anyone on the ramp without a TSA ID is subject
to fines or convictions in unknown amounts and arrest or detainment by
unknown persons as it seems not to be known how enforcement will be
conducted, or by whom. The sole female TSA person, I could not fathom
or match the persons to the names, quietly said, the one time she even
dared look at the crowd, that patrolling would likely be random and
infrequent. Or something very like that.
Of course the question was then raised, why bother. No answer.
It further appears that each airport will need to conduct is own
application and fee process and then TSA will do the screening. It
further appears that each of the 450 commercially served airports will
have to issue its own security badges, raising a bit of an issue for
those who are professional pilots, travel to more than one airport, or,
put rather dramatically, stop for fuel at self service pumps. The self
service fuel vendor from Grand Junction , Colo traveled down to this
meeting and advised that at a similar meeting yesterday, the first time
fee for a screening and badge there will be $175 per person. Montrose
said their first badge will be free, and subsequent ones on expiry of
the first will be an as yet unknown amount. I myself flew three states
last weekend. The west is a bit larger than the area within the
beltway.
One fellow asked why not have identical badges at all airports so folks
know what to look for>
One on field commercial operator said it would be cost prohibitive for
all employees who might escort someone to be screened and badged. And
there are certainly are no excess personnel available for such duty.
The airport manager then volunteered the same answer for his staff.
A couple of ag spray operators who necessarily fly into a variety of
airports here, and are always on call from various counties, were a bit
troubled by the multiple badge requirement, and since they often are
called out to do SEAT wildland fire fighting as first responders, (until
from what I can see the BLM can figure out what to do,) they felt that
waiting for a badge to get fuel and slurry water might be just a bit of
an issue. How are they to anticipate where to apply, in advance? No
answer. Multiple pleas were made of one badge, nationally, and the
response was that concept would be taken back for discussion.
A local Colorado Dept of Wildlife pilot felt it might be a bit of a
burden to get credentials from all his typical airports, plus those for
the areas served by the other three pilots when they are on vacation, or
out of town, not to mention the economic costs, or the time to go and
apply at different places, etc.
Several FBO employees or free lance mechanics, or the Western Skyways
Engine shop to which has customer s routinely coming in from Brazil,
Mexico and other south and central American countries, were told,
directly, they will need to staff and accompany anyone not credentialed
who is on the field. All of course said this would break them
financially, and the self fuel operators said they too could not staff a
self fuel op 24 x 7.
It is clear the Montrose Airport Appreciation day, when several hundred
people visit with old classic cars, motorcycles, balloon rides, flybys,
the LIONS cooking hotdogs and burgers to raise funds, homebuilts on
display, Civil Air Patrol handling off tarmac vehicle parking and on
tarmac crowd control, Americana if you will, could be a bit of an issue
and the TSA suggested local law enforcement could somehow staff the
escort necessities on the field. How exactly do you escort a large
milling crowd? As it happens, I am also the Young Eagles-
Co-Coordinator for EAA chapter 1373. We typically have about 100 young
Eagles we fly with a variety of pilots on those fall days, and as a
general rule, with mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers; you could
expect maybe 300 or more people in the course of a day, not to mention
grand parents, media folk, etc as a part of that operation.
Montrose airport serves the ski crowd, and movie stars going to
Telluride, when A.) the particular aircraft can not get into Telluride
due to size or B.) Weather. And that field is to close shortly for
extended runway re-work. The Montrose FBO asked how he was to possibly
monitor 30 limousines simultaneously, not to mention accompanying or
escorting anyone within the vehicles, apart from getting changing and
independent drivers to apply for credentials. I have seen easily 30
limos there myself, this is not an exaggeration, may be an
understatement.
Questions were raised about what is or are the levels of thresholds for
pass/fail on a security clearance, no answer.
One asked the TSA folk to verify the fine was $10,000 a day. They could
not verify anything they said. Might be less.
Questions were raised about whether a DUI or childhood infraction would
be cause for a turndown, no answer.
A question was raised whether an existing fire arm permit would be
adequate. (Presumably concealed but unclear.) No answer.
Questions were raised about whether if a person were to escort someone
who had failed a clearance, but the escorter, not the escortee, did not
know it, if that escorting person would be charged with a violation?
(How were they to conduct their own clearances?) No answer.
Questions were raised about how many persons one with a security badge
could escort. No answer. It is being looked at.
Questions were raised about on field ppties or buildings with ramp
access and non-secure or public access, i.e. two doors on opposite sides
of a building, were to be dealt with, and the answer was the doors must
all be locked and monitored, or screened. The following question arose,
what if a mechanic was in or under a plane servicing it, and someone
undetected walked through, who was liable. The impression was the
County might be liable.
An unfielded question was raised, what if locking doors is in violation
of the national or local fire code that all doors must be unlocked
during business hours
Questions were raised about whether this was wheels or boots on the
tarmac, and which would constitute a violation. NO answer.
Questions were raised why an existing Federal ID, was not adequate, say
a pilots license, perhaps with a security clearance stamp on the
corner. NO answer.
Questions were raised why not a national one time clearance for all
airports, no answer.
Questions were raised about how it would be possible to get all this
done by the deadline, no answer. There were ambivalent responses that
this was only version F or G and that further “refinements” were
likely.
Questions were raised about how this was all to be paid for; the answer
was the County or City that owned the airport. The airport manager made
it clear, especially in these economic times; they simply could not pay
for this.
Questions were raised that since by far the largest part of the airfield
is surrounded by old tired three strand barb wire fence, why require all
the pilots and assorted folks to go through the clearance process, when
anyone could simply walk onto the field. Answer County responsibility
to build new fences. County has been trying to expand what is there,
but there are of course multiple demands for funds.
No one thought to ask what would happen if the hundreds of dairy cattle
immediately north of the field were to break down the fence and an
unauthorized herdsman were to enter the field to keep cattle off the
runway.
Questions were raised about any cost-benefit analysis. No answer.
Questions were raised about any risk-benefit analysis. No answer.
Questions were raised about the likely source (s) of risk. No answer.
Questions were raised about what good can any of this possibly do. No
answer.
Questions were raised about how this Directive was promulgated, and by
whom, no real answer except it was signed off on by the Bush TSA
administrator.
Questions were raided about how to contact someone who knew at least
some of the answers. No answer.
Questions were raised about how this clearance would rate as compared to
the various ranges of FBI clearances, no answer.
Questions were raised about whether any of the four TSA folks had pilot
licenses and current medicals, none were current or active.
It appeared these four were selected to stand in front of the pilot
question firing squad, and they acted appropriately enthused.
One young lady said if as a part of her job she would have to get a
clearance and badge, free at first, then renewing, she could not afford
to work at her wage at the airport.
Several questions were raised about what event caused this directive to
be promulgated; we were told they could not answer.
Questions were raised about what would happen if a transient pilot
landed, needed unknown repairs, or fuel, walked about the ramp without
clearance, trying to find a shop or mechanic, and each turned the pilot
away and would not escort him to wherever, were they liable? No answer.
Questions were raised about what would happen if a pilot landed, say at
night, at an unattended field except maybe the tower, if there even were
one, and needed fuel, and were spotted by a local police or sheriff.
What was either the pilot or sheriff to do? No answer.
The six county representative for the newly appointed Senator Michael
Bennett was in attendance, made a few notes, and urged a group letter or
email, not individual contacts, and assured the crowd the Senator would
not see individual contacts but would be aware of a group letter from
someone on his staff.
Virtually every commercial operator said the plan, to the extent it was
disclosed, was either totally unworkable, or will bankrupt them. One
self service fuel vender said it would immediately break them. Some
noted this was not highly desirable for the vendor, the pilot, or the
national financial recovery.
A comparison was made between this directive and early TFR’s which had
no areas defined, and were not published anywhere, until AOPA began
publishing them, but pilots were advised they would be dealt with
harshly if they violated those unpublished TFR’s since release of the
data was secret and a national security issue..
The TSA lead suggested pilots look at the World Aeronautical Guide to
see what airports had commercial service before landing. Several pilots
said what were they to do if weather, turbulence or lack of in in-flight
Guide, or inability to read it and fly the plane simultaneously, and
in-flight mechanical issues were to cause them to make a precautionary
landing at an unplanned airport for which they had no badge.. No
answers.
It was noted this concept was brought by the Dept of Homeland Security
whose first head on national TV proposed everyone getting visqueen and
duct tape to wrap their houses against chemical attacks, and the TSA who
mandated a certain very ill considered pistol holster for Federal Flight
Deck Officers, which most thoughtful and knowledgeable gun folk thought
was sure to result in accidental discharge, and did, in an Airbus, by a
captain who was nearly brought up on charges til covert circulation of
an actual demonstration of how this gun would have inevitably been
accidentally fired.
A wide variety of questions were posed as to whether the TSA or
Department of Homeland Security had really thought all this through. No
real answer.
I raised the question of if there are some 600,000 licensed pilots, and
untold numbers of passengers, limo drivers and their passengers,
mechanics, vendors, etc why not have the TSA and FAA do a mass clearance
by pilots’ licenses, rather than all these one off clearances
nationwide, which would be far more efficient, with a high volume and
low cost per pilot, paid for by the TSA, not the Counties, or pilots,
and at least get those 600,000 clearances to people statistically
unlikely to be a problem, then move on to all the other groups. NO
answer, except it appeared the TSA said they had no funding. Actually,
who does?
What is the estimated cost? Aren’t new proposals supposed to be
accompanied by reasonably estimated cost?
There were a variety of questions and intramural mumbling about how
effectiveness could be measured, whether a program this dumb could be
continued, and whether the real goal, perhaps by the commercial
carriers, was either to kill off general aviation, or at least get it
totally off the 450 air carrier airports? No answer.
A question, by a recently former US Army helicopter pilot, how long
would it take to get clearances, now, or subsequently, if an
ID/clearance was needed for a new or differing airport, where access was
needed? No answer?
A question was raised about whether local police, sheriffs, fire dept or
their volunteers would need clearance to get on the field. The answer
seemed to be, probably not.
It was clear the airport manager and county commissioner were trying to
be gracious in view of a new surprise regulation, for which they too
were not given any or many answers, but were supposed to somehow make
work, and fund, when they are already unable to fix roads, bridges,
human services etc. They made it abundantly clear, they did not see how
they could fund or staff badging on an ongoing basis, much less the
escort issue.
A former county commissioner who does a great deal of heavy and timely
airfreight shipments, asked how that was to be done with a variety of
vendors or delivery services coming to the field with differing drivers
at all hours that needed access to load planes. No real answer on how
he could continue to ship.
I could go on but I can not recall with any specificity all the issues
raised, I might be able to identify and get you a contact for one person
who worked feverishly to record it all on a laptop. The meeting, opened
by one Montrose County Commissioner, was really rather civil, which that
commissioner and the airport manager both charged the crowd to be. In
view of the near total lack of answers, or real responsiveness, this was
remarkable. It certainly did not inspire confidence in the TSA or
Homeland Security folk.
This was not TSA’s finest hour.
Hope this representative recollection helps. I am sure I overlooked
some things, and could not hear others.
Scott Morse Delta Blake ( AJZ)
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=========================
I apologize for the length of this but wanted people to realize what is
going on. This total insanity is being repeated at all 450 commercial
airports in the US and unless we can counter it will put an end to free
travel around the country for private pilots. I cant think of a better
illustration that our government is totally out of control and needs to
be reigned back in now!
Rod Smith
It seems “ they “ are at it again. We were told AOPA was quite
unaware of this Special Directive
While I am not the MTJ rep, and do not know who is (maybe you could tell
me) I attended, though I am the rep for Delta Blake field some 30
miles down the road, with some 60 plus others tonight, a meeting no one
had even heard about until two days ago. And really only email amongst
folks on the field and the EAA chapter caused anyone to be there. It
was a full house, even though the address given was incorrect. I would
guess the average age was 50 with a lot of former military and airline
pilots in attendance, or folks having other long time security
clearances professionally, and who were a bit amazed at all this. Nearly
all pilots.
Four TSA reps were there from Grand Junction , we think that is where
they were from: Rennie (sp?) Dunn, Chris Putnam, Dick Wiles and a
Peter Cook. Two never said a word, Wiles offered two or three
sentences, and Rennie carried the freight. They all left in the same US
Govt black SUV. One was reputed to be a former special forces Lt Col in
the mid east and therefore familiar with security concerns. Frankly,
none were very impressive but on the other hand, they had been
volunteered for a clearly thankless role.
The basic overall concept is another “Federal Unfunded Mandate”
which several in the crowed noted, in this case known as a Security
Directive affecting all individuals having access to commercial service
airports to become effective April 30.
Anyone wishing access after that date must, on only four near term days,
apply on a preliminary basis for security threat screening. Those
dates are 2/25/ 2/28 3/4 and 3/7.
Anyone not able to be present on those four near term dates must pay a
$50 fee to begin the screening process. Persons must bring approved
identification from the approved list to be found at
www.montroseairport.com
Reportedly the SD is fourteen pages, but no one except the TSA is
allowed to know what the rules are, as we ALL understood it, until or
unless you break one of the rules. Each of the four TSA people there
acknowledged they had seen the document. A Catch 22 - Alice in
Wonderland moment.
A question was raised, what redress or appeal process is available. The
answer was surely it would be reasonably handled.
A local prominent attny who was a former prosecuting attny opined that
not only is this all backwards, in his view it was simply
unconstitutional.
It presently appears that anyone on the ramp without a TSA ID is subject
to fines or convictions in unknown amounts and arrest or detainment by
unknown persons as it seems not to be known how enforcement will be
conducted, or by whom. The sole female TSA person, I could not fathom
or match the persons to the names, quietly said, the one time she even
dared look at the crowd, that patrolling would likely be random and
infrequent. Or something very like that.
Of course the question was then raised, why bother. No answer.
It further appears that each airport will need to conduct is own
application and fee process and then TSA will do the screening. It
further appears that each of the 450 commercially served airports will
have to issue its own security badges, raising a bit of an issue for
those who are professional pilots, travel to more than one airport, or,
put rather dramatically, stop for fuel at self service pumps. The self
service fuel vendor from Grand Junction , Colo traveled down to this
meeting and advised that at a similar meeting yesterday, the first time
fee for a screening and badge there will be $175 per person. Montrose
said their first badge will be free, and subsequent ones on expiry of
the first will be an as yet unknown amount. I myself flew three states
last weekend. The west is a bit larger than the area within the
beltway.
One fellow asked why not have identical badges at all airports so folks
know what to look for>
One on field commercial operator said it would be cost prohibitive for
all employees who might escort someone to be screened and badged. And
there are certainly are no excess personnel available for such duty.
The airport manager then volunteered the same answer for his staff.
A couple of ag spray operators who necessarily fly into a variety of
airports here, and are always on call from various counties, were a bit
troubled by the multiple badge requirement, and since they often are
called out to do SEAT wildland fire fighting as first responders, (until
from what I can see the BLM can figure out what to do,) they felt that
waiting for a badge to get fuel and slurry water might be just a bit of
an issue. How are they to anticipate where to apply, in advance? No
answer. Multiple pleas were made of one badge, nationally, and the
response was that concept would be taken back for discussion.
A local Colorado Dept of Wildlife pilot felt it might be a bit of a
burden to get credentials from all his typical airports, plus those for
the areas served by the other three pilots when they are on vacation, or
out of town, not to mention the economic costs, or the time to go and
apply at different places, etc.
Several FBO employees or free lance mechanics, or the Western Skyways
Engine shop to which has customer s routinely coming in from Brazil,
Mexico and other south and central American countries, were told,
directly, they will need to staff and accompany anyone not credentialed
who is on the field. All of course said this would break them
financially, and the self fuel operators said they too could not staff a
self fuel op 24 x 7.
It is clear the Montrose Airport Appreciation day, when several hundred
people visit with old classic cars, motorcycles, balloon rides, flybys,
the LIONS cooking hotdogs and burgers to raise funds, homebuilts on
display, Civil Air Patrol handling off tarmac vehicle parking and on
tarmac crowd control, Americana if you will, could be a bit of an issue
and the TSA suggested local law enforcement could somehow staff the
escort necessities on the field. How exactly do you escort a large
milling crowd? As it happens, I am also the Young Eagles-
Co-Coordinator for EAA chapter 1373. We typically have about 100 young
Eagles we fly with a variety of pilots on those fall days, and as a
general rule, with mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers; you could
expect maybe 300 or more people in the course of a day, not to mention
grand parents, media folk, etc as a part of that operation.
Montrose airport serves the ski crowd, and movie stars going to
Telluride, when A.) the particular aircraft can not get into Telluride
due to size or B.) Weather. And that field is to close shortly for
extended runway re-work. The Montrose FBO asked how he was to possibly
monitor 30 limousines simultaneously, not to mention accompanying or
escorting anyone within the vehicles, apart from getting changing and
independent drivers to apply for credentials. I have seen easily 30
limos there myself, this is not an exaggeration, may be an
understatement.
Questions were raised about what is or are the levels of thresholds for
pass/fail on a security clearance, no answer.
One asked the TSA folk to verify the fine was $10,000 a day. They could
not verify anything they said. Might be less.
Questions were raised about whether a DUI or childhood infraction would
be cause for a turndown, no answer.
A question was raised whether an existing fire arm permit would be
adequate. (Presumably concealed but unclear.) No answer.
Questions were raised about whether if a person were to escort someone
who had failed a clearance, but the escorter, not the escortee, did not
know it, if that escorting person would be charged with a violation?
(How were they to conduct their own clearances?) No answer.
Questions were raised about how many persons one with a security badge
could escort. No answer. It is being looked at.
Questions were raised about on field ppties or buildings with ramp
access and non-secure or public access, i.e. two doors on opposite sides
of a building, were to be dealt with, and the answer was the doors must
all be locked and monitored, or screened. The following question arose,
what if a mechanic was in or under a plane servicing it, and someone
undetected walked through, who was liable. The impression was the
County might be liable.
An unfielded question was raised, what if locking doors is in violation
of the national or local fire code that all doors must be unlocked
during business hours
Questions were raised about whether this was wheels or boots on the
tarmac, and which would constitute a violation. NO answer.
Questions were raised why an existing Federal ID, was not adequate, say
a pilots license, perhaps with a security clearance stamp on the
corner. NO answer.
Questions were raised why not a national one time clearance for all
airports, no answer.
Questions were raised about how it would be possible to get all this
done by the deadline, no answer. There were ambivalent responses that
this was only version F or G and that further “refinements” were
likely.
Questions were raised about how this was all to be paid for; the answer
was the County or City that owned the airport. The airport manager made
it clear, especially in these economic times; they simply could not pay
for this.
Questions were raised that since by far the largest part of the airfield
is surrounded by old tired three strand barb wire fence, why require all
the pilots and assorted folks to go through the clearance process, when
anyone could simply walk onto the field. Answer County responsibility
to build new fences. County has been trying to expand what is there,
but there are of course multiple demands for funds.
No one thought to ask what would happen if the hundreds of dairy cattle
immediately north of the field were to break down the fence and an
unauthorized herdsman were to enter the field to keep cattle off the
runway.
Questions were raised about any cost-benefit analysis. No answer.
Questions were raised about any risk-benefit analysis. No answer.
Questions were raised about the likely source (s) of risk. No answer.
Questions were raised about what good can any of this possibly do. No
answer.
Questions were raised about how this Directive was promulgated, and by
whom, no real answer except it was signed off on by the Bush TSA
administrator.
Questions were raided about how to contact someone who knew at least
some of the answers. No answer.
Questions were raised about how this clearance would rate as compared to
the various ranges of FBI clearances, no answer.
Questions were raised about whether any of the four TSA folks had pilot
licenses and current medicals, none were current or active.
It appeared these four were selected to stand in front of the pilot
question firing squad, and they acted appropriately enthused.
One young lady said if as a part of her job she would have to get a
clearance and badge, free at first, then renewing, she could not afford
to work at her wage at the airport.
Several questions were raised about what event caused this directive to
be promulgated; we were told they could not answer.
Questions were raised about what would happen if a transient pilot
landed, needed unknown repairs, or fuel, walked about the ramp without
clearance, trying to find a shop or mechanic, and each turned the pilot
away and would not escort him to wherever, were they liable? No answer.
Questions were raised about what would happen if a pilot landed, say at
night, at an unattended field except maybe the tower, if there even were
one, and needed fuel, and were spotted by a local police or sheriff.
What was either the pilot or sheriff to do? No answer.
The six county representative for the newly appointed Senator Michael
Bennett was in attendance, made a few notes, and urged a group letter or
email, not individual contacts, and assured the crowd the Senator would
not see individual contacts but would be aware of a group letter from
someone on his staff.
Virtually every commercial operator said the plan, to the extent it was
disclosed, was either totally unworkable, or will bankrupt them. One
self service fuel vender said it would immediately break them. Some
noted this was not highly desirable for the vendor, the pilot, or the
national financial recovery.
A comparison was made between this directive and early TFR’s which had
no areas defined, and were not published anywhere, until AOPA began
publishing them, but pilots were advised they would be dealt with
harshly if they violated those unpublished TFR’s since release of the
data was secret and a national security issue..
The TSA lead suggested pilots look at the World Aeronautical Guide to
see what airports had commercial service before landing. Several pilots
said what were they to do if weather, turbulence or lack of in in-flight
Guide, or inability to read it and fly the plane simultaneously, and
in-flight mechanical issues were to cause them to make a precautionary
landing at an unplanned airport for which they had no badge.. No
answers.
It was noted this concept was brought by the Dept of Homeland Security
whose first head on national TV proposed everyone getting visqueen and
duct tape to wrap their houses against chemical attacks, and the TSA who
mandated a certain very ill considered pistol holster for Federal Flight
Deck Officers, which most thoughtful and knowledgeable gun folk thought
was sure to result in accidental discharge, and did, in an Airbus, by a
captain who was nearly brought up on charges til covert circulation of
an actual demonstration of how this gun would have inevitably been
accidentally fired.
A wide variety of questions were posed as to whether the TSA or
Department of Homeland Security had really thought all this through. No
real answer.
I raised the question of if there are some 600,000 licensed pilots, and
untold numbers of passengers, limo drivers and their passengers,
mechanics, vendors, etc why not have the TSA and FAA do a mass clearance
by pilots’ licenses, rather than all these one off clearances
nationwide, which would be far more efficient, with a high volume and
low cost per pilot, paid for by the TSA, not the Counties, or pilots,
and at least get those 600,000 clearances to people statistically
unlikely to be a problem, then move on to all the other groups. NO
answer, except it appeared the TSA said they had no funding. Actually,
who does?
What is the estimated cost? Aren’t new proposals supposed to be
accompanied by reasonably estimated cost?
There were a variety of questions and intramural mumbling about how
effectiveness could be measured, whether a program this dumb could be
continued, and whether the real goal, perhaps by the commercial
carriers, was either to kill off general aviation, or at least get it
totally off the 450 air carrier airports? No answer.
A question, by a recently former US Army helicopter pilot, how long
would it take to get clearances, now, or subsequently, if an
ID/clearance was needed for a new or differing airport, where access was
needed? No answer?
A question was raised about whether local police, sheriffs, fire dept or
their volunteers would need clearance to get on the field. The answer
seemed to be, probably not.
It was clear the airport manager and county commissioner were trying to
be gracious in view of a new surprise regulation, for which they too
were not given any or many answers, but were supposed to somehow make
work, and fund, when they are already unable to fix roads, bridges,
human services etc. They made it abundantly clear, they did not see how
they could fund or staff badging on an ongoing basis, much less the
escort issue.
A former county commissioner who does a great deal of heavy and timely
airfreight shipments, asked how that was to be done with a variety of
vendors or delivery services coming to the field with differing drivers
at all hours that needed access to load planes. No real answer on how
he could continue to ship.
I could go on but I can not recall with any specificity all the issues
raised, I might be able to identify and get you a contact for one person
who worked feverishly to record it all on a laptop. The meeting, opened
by one Montrose County Commissioner, was really rather civil, which that
commissioner and the airport manager both charged the crowd to be. In
view of the near total lack of answers, or real responsiveness, this was
remarkable. It certainly did not inspire confidence in the TSA or
Homeland Security folk.
This was not TSA’s finest hour.
Hope this representative recollection helps. I am sure I overlooked
some things, and could not hear others.
Scott Morse Delta Blake ( AJZ)
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