Uh-oh: CBS News to air anti-GA hit piece on Wed. 1/14

Here's the email I sent to our CBS channel 5 in S.F. last night.
So far no response.
Max T, MCFI


Brian,
Regarding the teaser for Wednesday's CBS Evening News:
"There are thousands of general aviation airstrips around the country with little or no security. How can that be after
9-11? We'll have the story on Wednesday's CBS Evening News."

You might want to consider on the local news going to a local airport and showing people how small these planes are,
how little they carry, and hence how tiny a threat they are compared to airliners carrying thousands of gallons of
gasoline.

From the www.aopa.org website, AOPA President Phil Boyer testified before congress in 2001 that "in this national
tragedy, it was airline security that was breached, and airline transport category equipment used as weapons. However,
general aviation was the last allowed to return to the sky, and not all GA is yet flying. "We're not talking about big
airplanes," Boyer told Congress. "We're talking about 4-place, single-engine aircraft that are on average 30 years old,
cost the same as a car, and have the same weight and kinetic energy of a car."

You only have to look at the pictures of the Cessna that the teenager flew into a building in Tampa to see that these
planes are incapable of causing much damage. Most of these planes carry so little fuel they don't even burn when
there's an accident.

Give me a call if you want to talk further. I'll be in a meeting from 9-11AM, but should otherwise be free.
best regards,
xxxxx

Great points. Another would be the relatively small amount of fuel they
hold compared to the semi tractors running the roads these days. When
loading potatoes on these trucks, the drivers routinely tell me to leave
room so they can put on up to 300 gallons of diesel fuel. Much much more
than your typical 172.
--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply


"Max T, CFI" wrote in message
news:t0hNb.66605$xy6.125011@attbi_s02...
Here's the email I sent to our CBS channel 5 in S.F. last night.
So far no response.
Max T, MCFI


Brian,
Regarding the teaser for Wednesday's CBS Evening News:
"There are thousands of general aviation airstrips around the country with
little or no security. How can that be after
9-11? We'll have the story on Wednesday's CBS Evening News."

You might want to consider on the local news going to a local airport and
showing people how small these planes are,
how little they carry, and hence how tiny a threat they are compared to
airliners carrying thousands of gallons of
gasoline.

From the www.aopa.org website, AOPA President Phil Boyer testified before
congress in 2001 that "in this national
tragedy, it was airline security that was breached, and airline transport
category equipment used as weapons. However,
general aviation was the last allowed to return to the sky, and not all GA
is yet flying. "We're not talking about big
airplanes," Boyer told Congress. "We're talking about 4-place,
single-engine aircraft that are on average 30 years old,
cost the same as a car, and have the same weight and kinetic energy of a
car."

You only have to look at the pictures of the Cessna that the teenager flew
into a building in Tampa to see that these
planes are incapable of causing much damage. Most of these planes carry
so little fuel they don't even burn when
there's an accident.

Give me a call if you want to talk further. I'll be in a meeting from
9-11AM, but should otherwise be free.
best regards,
xxxxx

I'm not supporting CBS in anyway, and I do believe GA gets a lot of this
kind of publicity, as is often stated on this forum, because we are a small
"elite" minority. OTOH, I don't think the fear, rational or irrational, is
based on the Tampa scenario. It is based on loading up a small twin, or a
heavy single with explosives and following that with some suicide activity.
I don't know anything about explosives, but I suspect that the 900+ useful
load in a 182 could carry enough explosives to be pretty brutal in a crowded
place.

I know, I know - there are plenty of equivalent threats that are not
monitored (I liked the post about trucks/OKC). I just don't like to take the
stance that GA is no threat - what happens after some incident occurs? Does
GA become shut down?

On a macro scale the problem is trying to manage all terrorist risk at the
expense of common sense and reality. On a less grand scale, I just would
like to see GA as concerned and proactive, since I'm afraid of what the
government will do if they are allowed, through an incident, to become
reactive.

This doesn't take away from the fact that the CBS trailer is ridiculous.

Michael




"Max T, CFI" wrote in message
news:t0hNb.66605$xy6.125011@attbi_s02...
Here's the email I sent to our CBS channel 5 in S.F. last night.
So far no response.
Max T, MCFI


Brian,
Regarding the teaser for Wednesday's CBS Evening News:
"There are thousands of general aviation airstrips around the country with
little or no security. How can that be after
9-11? We'll have the story on Wednesday's CBS Evening News."

You might want to consider on the local news going to a local airport and
showing people how small these planes are,
how little they carry, and hence how tiny a threat they are compared to
airliners carrying thousands of gallons of
gasoline.


From the www.aopa.org website, AOPA President Phil Boyer testified before
congress in 2001 that "in this national
tragedy, it was airline security that was breached, and airline transport
category equipment used as weapons. However,
general aviation was the last allowed to return to the sky, and not all GA
is yet flying. "We're not talking about big
airplanes," Boyer told Congress. "We're talking about 4-place,
single-engine aircraft that are on average 30 years old,
cost the same as a car, and have the same weight and kinetic energy of a
car."

You only have to look at the pictures of the Cessna that the teenager flew
into a building in Tampa to see that these
planes are incapable of causing much damage. Most of these planes carry
so little fuel they don't even burn when
there's an accident.

Give me a call if you want to talk further. I'll be in a meeting from
9-11AM, but should otherwise be free.
best regards,
xxxxx

"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:hChNb.66255$8H.106469@attbi_s03...

I'm not supporting CBS in anyway, and I do believe GA gets a lot of this
kind of publicity, as is often stated on this forum, because we are a
small
"elite" minority. OTOH, I don't think the fear, rational or irrational, is
based on the Tampa scenario. It is based on loading up a small twin, or a
heavy single with explosives and following that with some suicide
activity.
I don't know anything about explosives, but I suspect that the 900+ useful
load in a 182 could carry enough explosives to be pretty brutal in a
crowded
place.


You could carry a lot more explosives in a 3/4 ton pickup or a 12 foot
U-Haul or fake UPS truck.

As I said in my original post "I know, I know - there are plenty of
equivalent threats that are not monitored (I liked the post about
trucks/OKC). I just don't like to take the stance that GA is no threat -
what happens after some incident occurs? Does GA become shut down?"

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message
...

"Michael 182" wrote in message
news:hChNb.66255$8H.106469@attbi_s03...

I'm not supporting CBS in anyway, and I do believe GA gets a lot of this
kind of publicity, as is often stated on this forum, because we are a
small
"elite" minority. OTOH, I don't think the fear, rational or irrational,
is
based on the Tampa scenario. It is based on loading up a small twin, or
a
heavy single with explosives and following that with some suicide
activity.
I don't know anything about explosives, but I suspect that the 900+
useful
load in a 182 could carry enough explosives to be pretty brutal in a
crowded
place.


You could carry a lot more explosives in a 3/4 ton pickup or a 12 foot
U-Haul or fake UPS truck.

I haven't even had my first flight yet and they want to close down all
the GA airports!?!? Ugh!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in593216.shtml

--------------------------------

David H wrote in message ...
I just saw a "teaser" piece during the CBS Evening News promoting their
"investigation" on security at GA airports, to air tomorrow (Wed.
1/14). It looks like it's going to be just awful.

It showed a home on a residential airpark, and a woman in a hangar
saying "we can just come and go anytime we want, with no restrictions!"
Footage shows a Cessna approaching and landing. Announcer voice-over:
"You heard that right, NO RESTRICTIONS. Wait until you see what we
found. You'll be shocked. Tune in tomorrow for a CBS Evening News
Investigation."

Disgusting. This looks like it's going to be awful.

I just heard it again as I was typing this: "The trouble with security
at small airports, tomorrow." Looks like they're going to hype it a
lot. Ugh, where's my barf bag....


David H
Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle, WA
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Visit the Pacific Northwest Flying forum:
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying

Fred wrote:

I haven't even had my first flight yet and they want to close down all
the GA airports!?!? Ugh!

Get used to it. Some form of "they" have been trying to close down airports since
at least the end of WW II.

George Patterson
Great discoveries are not announced with "Eureka!". What's usually said is
"Hummmmm... That's interesting...."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in593216.shtml

In case anyone missed the broadcast, they have a streaming copy of the
report at the above site.. (Click the 'free video' link)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in593216.shtml

Doesn't the American Homeland Security Department (or whatever
it is called) have some rules/laws about spreading unnecessary
fear and/or threats? If they have something like that maybe
one of the Americans reading this can file a complaint with
the department that CBS is terrorizing the American public
with this invented fear.

--
Peter Weaver
Weaver Consulting Services Inc.
Canadian VAR for CHARON-VAX
www.weaverconsulting.ca

Did anyone catch who the sponsors were? I don't think I would want my
company advertising on a program that was obviously Clueless, and Uniformed.
Wouldn't that reflect poorly on my product? If "They" are ignorant, and I
hire them to represent me, am I not ignorant by association? By
demonstration?


Wait until you see what we found. You'll be shocked.
Tune in tomorrow for a CBS
Evening News Investigation."

This pretty much says it all. Some geek with too much time on his hands
takes a cheap shot at an industry for his own glory and profit. I think I
need to know where this "terrorist" gets his financing. Not with my dollars
you don't

Al Gerharter