A general aviation working group met with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials early last month to begin discussing procedures and processes that would reduce the current level of redundancy in security vetting and badging.
Among the topics the working group expects to tackle are universal identification, GA incident response, TSA policy on security grants, interagency communication and temporary flight restriction issuance and access.
The GA security group was created last September to increase industry involvement in the development of GA security measures. At the first meeting, representatives of GA organizations met with TSA staff to discuss the group’s major areas of concern about TSA initiatives that are not currently undergoing rulemaking and provide recommendations to the agency.
In December, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a Senate committee that the TSA would incorporate input from GA stakeholders before it issues a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking on its widely criticized
Large Aircraft Security Program (Lasp). That included re-engaging its GA security advisory committee.
The working group included representatives from AOPA, the American Association of Airport Executives, Airports Council International-North America, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the FAA, the National Air Transportation Association, NBAA and TSA staffers.