I could not have said it better!!!!

Bob hit it right on the head... Now we are all going to be placed under the "suspected terrorist" list, Ya think big brother ain't monitoring these sites??

Ben.

Thank you Bob I second every word.

Rob

RAMP WORKERS BYPASS SECURITY. .... yet the TSA thinks that you and your general aviation airplanes threaten security at places like Lewiston, Idaho.



AP source: 2 held after gun found on Philly plane
AP source: Gun found after US Airways worker bypassed security to let friend get bag aboard

* Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press Writer
* On Thursday June 4, 2009, 3:05 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A US Airways employee let a passenger he knew avoid security at the Philadelphia airport Thursday and accepted a bag containing a gun, which was later found on a flight destined for Phoenix, a law enforcement official said.

The employee and passenger were in FBI custody after the plane was called back to the gate at Philadelphia International, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details hadn't been announced.

The employee was not a member of the flight crew but worked in the airport, the official said.

"This didn't really have anything to do with the plane," the official told The Associated Press. "This was a guy that wanted to get a gun from one place to another ... and had this relationship with someone who worked at the airport."

The detained passenger apparently knew the employee and handed off the bag to him to bypass security, the official said.

Another traveler saw the exchange and contacted authorities, Philadelphia police said. The plane had taxied by the time it was called back to the gate and searched. The unloaded 9 mm handgun was found in an overhead compartment.

There was no evidence the person planned to use the gun on board or harbored any terrorist intentions, the law enforcement official said.

The Transportation Security Administration declined to comment because of the FBI investigation, spokeswoman Ann Davis said.

US Airways Flight 1195 departed Philadelphia several hours later, the airline said. In a statement, the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said only that additional passenger screening took place "after a concern was raised about a carry-on bag."

"We are cooperating with investigators fully and take security considerations very seriously

Just got this by email from AOPA. Wonder what will happen next.

"TSA lessens security restrictions on transient pilots
By AOPA ePublishing Staff

The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that is has a new security directive signed by TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides that tones down proposed security restrictions for transient pilots flying into commercial-service airports.

The new directive, called SD-8G, clarifies and corrects some of the issues that AOPA and the GA community objected to in SD-8F. The new directive will go into effect June 1. As AOPA has previously reported, SD-8F would have required pilots based at or flying into commercial-service airports to undergo a background check and receive a security badge in order to continue to have unescorted access to their airports.

According to the new directive, transient pilots who fly into commercial-service airports no longer need to get an airport badge or background check. However, they must remain close to their aircraft, leaving it only to walk to and from the fixed-base operator, service provider, or airport exit. The TSA also has said that it will make provisions for self-fueling operations and grant allowances for emergency situations.

“We’ve worked with the TSA to have transient and after-hours pilots’ concerns addressed,” said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. “With the release of this clarifying document it is critical that this guidance gets distributed and implemented at the local level. We are encouraging the TSA to have the federal security directors at all airports affected by the SD reach out to the airport community to ensure its implementation is as transparent as possible.”

Pilots who are based at commercial-service airports will have to comply with some new rules. If you lease space, like a hangar or tiedown, or are part of a tenant program, you will still need to get a badge in order to have unescorted access to the airport.

But, the good news is that the TSA did leave some wiggle room. The requirement can be waived if the airport operator approves an alternative, such as an escort program.

How do you know if the airports you frequent are considered “commercial service” and need to comply with the new directive? That term refers to more than airports like Chicago’s O’Hare International or New York’s John F. Kennedy International. It also includes certain smaller airports, like Class C and D airports. About 400 airports are affected, but a list has not been released. AOPA continues to work to obtain a list of those airports.

In the absence of an official list of affected airports, pilots are encouraged to devote some extra time to their preflight planning. Make sure you call ahead to your home and destination airports to get up to speed on the latest security procedures.

AOPA will work with the TSA to address the controversial areas not fixed by the new directive"

Looks like this made CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/07/01/meserve.aviation.threat.cnn?iref=videosearch

Martha King spoke at the Congressional Subcommittee on Transportation Security on July 15. I would have liked to have heard the rest of it too but I hope what she said got through.

Am I reading this correctly? The TSA has conceded several of the hot points in its proposal.

A small win?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123390163

I think we did get a small win. Time will tell. Kinda sounds to me like they are saying we know eventually something will happen then we can come back and say told you so and do what we want.

I can tell you it cost me $175 for a badge and gate access to be able to work out of GJT for a couple of weeks this winter. They have made concesions for the self serve fuel as well, so another small win there. Unfortunatly I think we still sunk a few feet. It's a game of increments inch by inch we lose. Our children will think it's all perfectly normal. Thanks to everyone who wrote or called.