St. Paul-based 3M has released a product to help general aviation operators comply with a new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requirement that they provide passenger and aircraft data before all flights into or out of the U.S. Called the 3M Mobile Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) Solution, it consists of a mobile ID reader and client/server software.
The company claims the mobile APIS offers a quick and easy way to collect, store, validate and transmit data for border control passenger screening and forwarding to the TSA for vetting purposes. Failing to submit the data or submitting it inaccurately, can result in a fine for an aircraft’s pilot of $5,000 for the first violation.
According to the company, the mobile APIS collects data via one swipe of a passport’s machine readable zone, ID card, visa or other security credential. The system’s front-end software accommodates last-minute manifest changes; can be connected to any back-end system through XML Web services; and supports batch and interactive processing. The ID reader processes OCR data and transmits it via cellular and Wi-Fi networks. Also, the software stores data for easy recall, which often precludes the need for typing, though the reader’s touchscreen allows for manual entry of data. 3M is demonstrating Mobile APIS at its NBAA booth (No. 4812).