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Congressional Hearing Addresses GA Security
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Yesterday, at a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, general aviation proponents had an opportu
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Yesterday, at a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, general aviation proponents had an opportunity to express their concerns about Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules proposals and security directives. GA representatives such as King Schools cofounder Martha King, Denver Centennial Airport executive director Robert Olislagers and Jeppesen president and CEO and GAMA chairman Mark Van Tine urged members of Congress to prevent the TSA from imposing economically damaging and ineffective new security regulations. The representatives did, however, acknowledge that the TSA has been working more closely with industry on the Large Aircraft Security Program regulations, first issued as a proposal last October. The agency expects to issues a revised or entirely new proposal in the coming months. “I think the TSA is reaching out in an effort to better understand the general aviation community,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. At the hearing, TSA’s John Sammon acknowledged that the proposed requirements for air marshals and third-party no-fly-list matching and audits have been dropped. “In areas like that we feel are making some progress,” Bolen said. The TSA might also revise the currently proposed 12,500-pound weight threshold, he added.