http://www.libertyforall.net/2003/archive/jan19/pilots.html
Armed Pilots Update from APSA, January 2003
Welcome to the APSA armed pilot update. We last left you just after the November 25, 2002 signing of the Homeland Security Act that mandates arming pilots. Now we're back to work and we have much news to report, some good and some ominous. Here's the latest on the ONGOING fight to arm pilots.
First of all, please note that ARMING PILOTS IS STILL A FIGHT! We have won a decisive battle, but the war is a long way from over and APSA still needs to be there and WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP. Let's start with the law that President Bush signed on November 25th:
* ARMING PILOTS IS NO LONGER AN OPTION to the TSA or any other federal agency, it is a requirement of the law.
* Individual passenger AIRLINES MAY NOT OPT OUT OF THE FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICER (FFDO) PROGRAM. Airlines may not harass, or in any way discriminate against a pilot that chooses to participate in the program.
* The FFDO PROGRAM IS NOT A "TEST" PROGRAM with a limited number of pilots or a future date that the program will terminate. All passenger airline pilots are eligible to volunteer for training and screening with no limit on the number of FFDO's.
* Individual FFDO's and airlines are given IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY for an FFDO's use or failure to use a firearm to defend an airliner.
OK, all of the above sounds great, so why does APSA still need to be supported? Read on!
The TSA is charged with implementing the armed pilot law and, even though much of their discretion has been removed, the TSA STILL HAS VERY BROAD DISCRETION on how the program will be constructed. APSA has had numerous meetings with the TSA. The Joint Implementation Team that APSA is participating in has met with TSA officials as well (most recently on December 10th). We expect the pace of meetings to be quite busy, starting early this month. Here are some of our concerns:
* The TSA might enact UNREASONABLE SCREENING STANDARDS for FFDO's that are EVEN MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN THOSE USED FOR FEDERAL AIR MARSHALS (FAM's).
* The TSA might VIOLATE THE PRIVACY RIGHTS AND ENDANGER THE JOBS OF FFDO CANDIDATES by providing the FAA and/or the airlines with results from FFDO screening evaluations.
* The TSA might create A TRAINING PROGRAM THAT IS EXCESSIVELY LONG and covers subject areas that are outside of the narrow focus of the FFDO: Defending the cockpit of an airliner.
* There are no limits in the law on how quickly the TSA must deputize all pilots that are successfully trained and screened, or how quickly the training must be accomplished if a pilot volunteers to be an FFDO. THE TSA CAN DRAG ITS FEET INDEFINITELY AND STILL REMAIN WITHIN THE LETTER OF THE LAW.
Clearly, airline pilots and citizens that want pilots to be armed need a STRONG ADVOCATE with a PROVEN RECORD to ensure that the TSA complies with the letter and the spirit of the law passed by Congress and signed by the President. APSA is the organization that fought in congress to get the law passed and we want to continuing to fight for a program that is both strong and reasonable, BUT WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP.
Additionally, threats to the armed pilot program remain in Congress. At any time, a Senator or Representative that does not want pilots to be armed could slip in an amendment that kills, or significantly weakens, the FFDO program. Unfortunately, these threats will never go away. APSA WILL need to respond when (not if) they try to take away our right to defend our cockpits, passengers and crew. This is simply the reality in Washington, D.C.
What is APSA doing to address these threats to a strong FFDO program?
* APSA is participating with the APA, IPA and CAPA on a Joint Implementation Team that is WORKING CLOSELY WITH KEY PEOPLE AT TSA to build a program that ensures MAXIMUM SAFETY AND SECURITY WHILE PROTECTING THE PRIVACY RIGHTS OF PILOTS who volunteer for the FFDO program.
* APSA's Government Affairs team has made many strong allies that are very influential in Congress. APSA will maintain a WATCHFUL EYE FOR LEGISLATION THAT COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE FFDO PROGRAM and we will keep a close eye on the implementation process. It is possible that further legislation may be needed to ensure a strong FFDO program.
The biggest, most glaring deficiency with the FFDO program is the fact CARGO PILOTS REMAIN COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS AND VULNERABLE. That's right, cargo pilots are not allowed to participate in the FFDO program. This is doubly amazing when you consider that cargo planes NEVER have a FAM on board, they have NO PASSENGERS OR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP POTENTIAL HIJACKERS and many large cargo planes do NOT EVEN HAVE A COCKPIT DOOR. Further, cargo aircraft security leaves much to be desired and stowaways have already been found! A CARGO AIRLINER WILL DO JUST AS MUCH DAMAGE TO THE SEARS TOWER IN CHICAGO AS A PASSENGER AIRLINER. Clearly, cargo pilots must be armed and APSA IS WORKING - RIGHT NOW - IN CONGRESS TO FIX THIS MAJOR WEAKNESS in the FFDO law, but, again, WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND HELP.
Some have said that it is not necessary to support APSA because the pilots unions can advocate for an armed pilot program. APSA has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with almost all of the pilots unions, including our good friends at APA representing the pilots of the world's largest airline: American Airlines. However, it must be recognized that UNIONS HAVE LIMITATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO ADVOCACY. Pilots unions are mostly concerned with labor issues and bargaining for their membership. As we saw more than once during the congressional fight to arm pilots, the UNIONS CAN HAVE A CONFLICT between advocating for strong security and their rightful labor agenda. APSA HAS NO SUCH CONFLICT. APSA IS A SINGLE-ISSUE, GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT ADVOCATES FOR STRONG AIRLINE SECURITY AND NOTHING ELSE! One senior official from a large pilot union recently said that IF IT WEREN'T FOR APSA, WE PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE AN ARMED PILOT LAW TODAY.
Since the FFDO program was signed into law, APSA's funding has dropped considerably. It is critical to the future of the armed pilot program that APSA remain on the scene. APSA IS A GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT DEPENDS UPON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRIVATE CITIZENS to continue to do our work. We have no corporate sponsorships or government funding - we depend solely upon you to help us to stay in the fight! Here's how you can help:
1) JOIN APSA TODAY, APSA MEMBERSHIP IS FREE!
2) MAKE A DONATION TO APSA. IT TAKES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CLEAR-THINKING AMERICANS LIKE YOU to keep APSA in the fight for REAL airline security. Whether you contribute $997 or $99.70, $485 or $48.50, $148 or 14.80, $59, $18 or $8, YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
3) FORWARD THIS UPDATE to everyone in your address book.
Nobody at APSA draws a salary and each dollar we receive goes directly to the fight for real airline security. APSA VOLUNTEERS WANT TO REMAIN IN THE FIGHT, BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DO IT.
Click the link below, or cut and paste to your browser to join APSA and make a donation through our secure web site right now. With your support, we can make a difference in airline security!
http://www.secure-skies.org
Armed Pilots Update from APSA, January 2003
Welcome to the APSA armed pilot update. We last left you just after the November 25, 2002 signing of the Homeland Security Act that mandates arming pilots. Now we're back to work and we have much news to report, some good and some ominous. Here's the latest on the ONGOING fight to arm pilots.
First of all, please note that ARMING PILOTS IS STILL A FIGHT! We have won a decisive battle, but the war is a long way from over and APSA still needs to be there and WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP. Let's start with the law that President Bush signed on November 25th:
* ARMING PILOTS IS NO LONGER AN OPTION to the TSA or any other federal agency, it is a requirement of the law.
* Individual passenger AIRLINES MAY NOT OPT OUT OF THE FEDERAL FLIGHT DECK OFFICER (FFDO) PROGRAM. Airlines may not harass, or in any way discriminate against a pilot that chooses to participate in the program.
* The FFDO PROGRAM IS NOT A "TEST" PROGRAM with a limited number of pilots or a future date that the program will terminate. All passenger airline pilots are eligible to volunteer for training and screening with no limit on the number of FFDO's.
* Individual FFDO's and airlines are given IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY for an FFDO's use or failure to use a firearm to defend an airliner.
OK, all of the above sounds great, so why does APSA still need to be supported? Read on!
The TSA is charged with implementing the armed pilot law and, even though much of their discretion has been removed, the TSA STILL HAS VERY BROAD DISCRETION on how the program will be constructed. APSA has had numerous meetings with the TSA. The Joint Implementation Team that APSA is participating in has met with TSA officials as well (most recently on December 10th). We expect the pace of meetings to be quite busy, starting early this month. Here are some of our concerns:
* The TSA might enact UNREASONABLE SCREENING STANDARDS for FFDO's that are EVEN MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN THOSE USED FOR FEDERAL AIR MARSHALS (FAM's).
* The TSA might VIOLATE THE PRIVACY RIGHTS AND ENDANGER THE JOBS OF FFDO CANDIDATES by providing the FAA and/or the airlines with results from FFDO screening evaluations.
* The TSA might create A TRAINING PROGRAM THAT IS EXCESSIVELY LONG and covers subject areas that are outside of the narrow focus of the FFDO: Defending the cockpit of an airliner.
* There are no limits in the law on how quickly the TSA must deputize all pilots that are successfully trained and screened, or how quickly the training must be accomplished if a pilot volunteers to be an FFDO. THE TSA CAN DRAG ITS FEET INDEFINITELY AND STILL REMAIN WITHIN THE LETTER OF THE LAW.
Clearly, airline pilots and citizens that want pilots to be armed need a STRONG ADVOCATE with a PROVEN RECORD to ensure that the TSA complies with the letter and the spirit of the law passed by Congress and signed by the President. APSA is the organization that fought in congress to get the law passed and we want to continuing to fight for a program that is both strong and reasonable, BUT WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP.
Additionally, threats to the armed pilot program remain in Congress. At any time, a Senator or Representative that does not want pilots to be armed could slip in an amendment that kills, or significantly weakens, the FFDO program. Unfortunately, these threats will never go away. APSA WILL need to respond when (not if) they try to take away our right to defend our cockpits, passengers and crew. This is simply the reality in Washington, D.C.
What is APSA doing to address these threats to a strong FFDO program?
* APSA is participating with the APA, IPA and CAPA on a Joint Implementation Team that is WORKING CLOSELY WITH KEY PEOPLE AT TSA to build a program that ensures MAXIMUM SAFETY AND SECURITY WHILE PROTECTING THE PRIVACY RIGHTS OF PILOTS who volunteer for the FFDO program.
* APSA's Government Affairs team has made many strong allies that are very influential in Congress. APSA will maintain a WATCHFUL EYE FOR LEGISLATION THAT COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE FFDO PROGRAM and we will keep a close eye on the implementation process. It is possible that further legislation may be needed to ensure a strong FFDO program.
The biggest, most glaring deficiency with the FFDO program is the fact CARGO PILOTS REMAIN COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS AND VULNERABLE. That's right, cargo pilots are not allowed to participate in the FFDO program. This is doubly amazing when you consider that cargo planes NEVER have a FAM on board, they have NO PASSENGERS OR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP POTENTIAL HIJACKERS and many large cargo planes do NOT EVEN HAVE A COCKPIT DOOR. Further, cargo aircraft security leaves much to be desired and stowaways have already been found! A CARGO AIRLINER WILL DO JUST AS MUCH DAMAGE TO THE SEARS TOWER IN CHICAGO AS A PASSENGER AIRLINER. Clearly, cargo pilots must be armed and APSA IS WORKING - RIGHT NOW - IN CONGRESS TO FIX THIS MAJOR WEAKNESS in the FFDO law, but, again, WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND HELP.
Some have said that it is not necessary to support APSA because the pilots unions can advocate for an armed pilot program. APSA has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with almost all of the pilots unions, including our good friends at APA representing the pilots of the world's largest airline: American Airlines. However, it must be recognized that UNIONS HAVE LIMITATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO ADVOCACY. Pilots unions are mostly concerned with labor issues and bargaining for their membership. As we saw more than once during the congressional fight to arm pilots, the UNIONS CAN HAVE A CONFLICT between advocating for strong security and their rightful labor agenda. APSA HAS NO SUCH CONFLICT. APSA IS A SINGLE-ISSUE, GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT ADVOCATES FOR STRONG AIRLINE SECURITY AND NOTHING ELSE! One senior official from a large pilot union recently said that IF IT WEREN'T FOR APSA, WE PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE AN ARMED PILOT LAW TODAY.
Since the FFDO program was signed into law, APSA's funding has dropped considerably. It is critical to the future of the armed pilot program that APSA remain on the scene. APSA IS A GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT DEPENDS UPON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRIVATE CITIZENS to continue to do our work. We have no corporate sponsorships or government funding - we depend solely upon you to help us to stay in the fight! Here's how you can help:
1) JOIN APSA TODAY, APSA MEMBERSHIP IS FREE!
2) MAKE A DONATION TO APSA. IT TAKES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CLEAR-THINKING AMERICANS LIKE YOU to keep APSA in the fight for REAL airline security. Whether you contribute $997 or $99.70, $485 or $48.50, $148 or 14.80, $59, $18 or $8, YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
3) FORWARD THIS UPDATE to everyone in your address book.
Nobody at APSA draws a salary and each dollar we receive goes directly to the fight for real airline security. APSA VOLUNTEERS WANT TO REMAIN IN THE FIGHT, BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DO IT.
Click the link below, or cut and paste to your browser to join APSA and make a donation through our secure web site right now. With your support, we can make a difference in airline security!
http://www.secure-skies.org