The TSA today published the large aircraft security program notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register, opening the 60-day comment period on the NPRM. The rules would force nearly 10,000 operators of aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds to create a TSA-approved security plan; be subject to biennial TSA-approved third-party audits; hire and train an in-house security coordinator; ensure that all flight crew, including a pilot-owner, undergo FBI criminal history records checks and TSA security threat assessments; and conduct preflight checks of all passengers against TSA watch lists. Michal Morgan, general manager of the agency’s general aviation branch, said she is looking forward to receiving comments and suggestions from the general aviation community. In an exclusive interview with AIN, Morgan said that airplanes weighing more than 12,500 pounds have “significantly more capabilities” than smaller aircraft and that the TSA is trying to mitigate the risk that nefarious individuals will use such airplanes as weapons or to carry illicit materials. “The purpose of the proposal is not to prevent people from flying or operating their aircraft,” Morgan told AIN, “it’s to require them to establish an appropriate level of security for that level of operation.” Thus far, there has been no proposal to annotate flight plans to indicate that the operator has complied with the LASP, she said. Read the full interview on AINonline.