Pilot Crashes Into Texas Building

There is an admonishment amongst military strategists not to fight the last war. TSA was created with one purpose in mind, to fight the last war. The agency was supposed to prevent another 9/11 by federalizing all personnel who would screen baggage and boarding passengers. The shortfall of course is would TSA have really be able to prevent 9/11 since the hijackers did not use explosives and carried items that would not have been suspicious prior to the hijackings. In theory, TSA screeners are supposed to prevent another large aircraft from being hijacked.

We now have this event in Austin showing that even light aircraft can be used as a type of cruise missile. Most people don't realize how many small airports, many unattended, operate within a few minutes flight time of their work or home. There is usually at least one municipal airport located in every county. Colleges and universities with aviation programs have airports. All of these are relatively quiet with small fixed base operations (FBO).

Having TSA in place at all of these airports would be cost-prohibitive and would not prevent this type of attack. Why? Remember the role of TSA is basically to screen for weapons and explosives. There is no way for them to determine the intention of a private pilot getting ready to take-off. We certainly don't need TSA or any other agency taking away more of our additional civil liberties by interviewing every pilot before they take off (but I won't be surprised if the President or Secretary Napolitano doesn't try to float this idea). Most small aircraft are parked at the airports with little to no security. The locks on these aircraft are easy for a pilot with a little lock picking skill to defeat. There are also countless farms with small aircraft stored in a barn or simple hangar.

The threat of a small aircraft being flown into a soft target will continue to challenge our safety and security for sometime. There is no easy solution without giving up even more of our freedom as well as our money.

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