General Aviation in US: Does TSA do their thing?

Factual Questions
1

This article got me thinking.

I should know this, I really should know this. . . but for some reason I’m drawing a blank. Does general aviation in the States have to go through the same rigamarole those on certificated carriers do? I haven’t flown GA in years, but I don’t ever remember being patted down or having to prove my identity to the pilot. The article mentions he’s a pilot for a “major airline,” but does Joe Blow with a $14.3M LearJet have to screen his passengers too?

Tripler
I’m limited to time in an $82/hr Cessna.

2

And why do you want to kno :dubious:

3

'Cause I don’t ever recall seeing anything other than a caveman and a baggage cart at the Clovis, NM municipal field.

Tripler
At least in Minot, the caveman had a parka.

4

This 1 minute video seems to say that the TSA doesn’t do the same stuff at GA airports.

5

I spend more time than I should watching planes at various GA airports around Houston, and none of them, to my knowledge, have TSA screening staff on the premises. GA pilots and their passengers show up, walk out to their planes, do their preflights and just take off. Hell, at DW Hooks, one can stand under a tree next to the ramp and practically touch the wingtips as they go by, and no one says boo. Even more surprising for me is that military flights on cross-countries regularly set down at Hooks and park on the GA ramp without any security precautions (there’s a pretty good airport cafe there), although I recall reading somewhere that they’re only allowed to do this if they are unarmed.

6

I’ve been on dozens of general aviation corporate flights in the US (both chartered, and private, corporate owned aircraft), and have never seen any TSA screeners. We just walk through the general aviation section, shake hands with the pilot, and get on the plane.

The one exception is international flights - I’ve experienced a slight bit of screening returning from Canada.

7

The general answer is no, with a couple exceptions.

Keep in mind that with most GA flying the pilot actually knows the passengers. Even before 9/11, if I didn’t trust you or thought you might pose a hazard in the air I just wouldn’t invite you to come into my airplane. If I am so suspicious of you that I’d want you to be searched and patted down prior to boarding my airplane I just won’t take you along. It’s not at all like commercial flights where you’re packed into a tube with random strangers who may or may not be good people.

If it’s a corporate jet, well, it’s owned by the company and I’ve yet to see such a situation where employees were allowed willy-nilly to commandeer the company jet because they are Very Expensive even just to start the motor, so who had access/authority to use the company airplane was pretty tightly controlled. Where I used to work in corporate America the company didn’t own a jet but used charter. The charter service did want to know who was boarding the airplane and asked for identification to make sure they had the correct people on board (wouldn’t want to mix up two groups of executives, right?) and reserved the right to make further inquiries, but because most of the people using the service were repeat customers, often to the point the charter company staff would recognize them on sight or their voices over the phone, repeated TSA-style searches would have been a bit ridiculous, wouldn’t it? Luggage might generate inquiries, and that’s always been the case, because of concerns about weight and balance in small airplanes and also some things that are safe on the ground might cause problems when airborne. Charter services have the authority to search your luggage, but they may choose not to do so.

In other words, non-commercial GA generally isn’t flying complete strangers around. Commercial GA might, but there are usually other layers of access control already in effect, and while they don’t have to, they certainly have the authority to ask for a search or even to refuse service if they have a reason to be suspicious. In both cases, passengers are frequently much more of a known quantity to the operator than is the case with the major airlines. Requiring everyone to go through TSA-style searches would, it is currently believed, not do much to increase security and cost enormous amounts of money and time. The cost far, far outweighs any imagined benefit.

The exception to this would be GA flights out of commercial hubs. For example, if I were to fly my GA airplane in to Midway, go do business in the city, and come back to my airplane I would have to go through security screening to get back to my airplane. Likewise, passengers boarding a charter plane at such an airport would also have to go through screening. This is because of concerns about a possible security breach between the GA and airline areas at the airport. Another way airports with passenger service handle this issue is by maintaining rigid separation between GA and non-GA areas of the airport. Gary airport in Indiana does this - GA airplanes are not permitted on the areas of the airport used by airlines (when we have airline service - it’s been off and on), nor can a GA pilot simply walk over to that area via the non-public areas of the airport. Indeed, there are wandering security people patrolling that airport and once or twice I have received a knock on a cockpit window or simply been asked my business while there. Perhaps I should add that it’s not unusual for a large airport to have separate areas for GA, airlines, and military operations as well. We may share the same airspace, but that doesn’t mean we’re parking next to each other on the ramp.

As far as parking an airplane and leaving it without apparent guards - there are ways to secure an airplane that make it more difficult to randomly steal it. These are not always obvious from the outside of the airplane. Locking devices are becoming ever more common as well. Granted, that wouldn’t stop a determined team of ninjas from mounting an armed assault on a GA ramp, using tools to defeat anti-theft devices, and hot-wiring the ignition system but then a lone security guard or the unarmed TSA guy inspecting your socks won’t stop that, either.

Bottom line is that security doesn’t have to be squads of uniformed people or even particularly visible to be present. With GA the emphasis has been more on limiting access to equipment rather than minute inspection of the passengers (a lot of GA flights don’t even have passengers, not even one.) Regardless, though, if I as a pilot get on the radio and yell for help, or simply say something looks funny over there, rest assured there will be all sorts of authority figures coming out of the woodwork. That nice lady behind the counter in the office - you know that reception area, the one with all the windows overlooking the field? - has some idea of what’s normal and who should be where and knows how to dial 911 or various other emergency numbers to deal with a situation.

8

Broomstick, thanks! A detailed response that confirmed my memories/suspicions.

It’s funny you mentioned flightline security–back when I was in college, we took a Cessna from Prescott to Sedona, AZ and landed at the local strip. While we were eating our burgers ‘n’ fries, a couple of Marine Corps AH-1 Cobras landed, presumably for the same thing: burgers ‘n’ fries. T’was the first time (and probably last) I was able to walk right up to a gunship and touch the thing.

Nowadays, I’d probably be licking pavement before I got within arm’s reach of the thing.

Tripler
Oh, those wacky college days. :sigh: :smiley:

9

Someone mentioned this upthread, but what about GA aircraft arriving from out of the country – are passengers on those planes required to pass through security? It may be reasonable to say that private aircraft owners can control who gets on their planes, but the government has an interest in controlling who gets into the country. (It’s often occurred to me that any terrorist organization capable of mounting a major attack would probably have the resources to put its operatives on a private jet or a yacht in order to get into the country.)

10

A GA flight from out of the country has to land at a port of entry, and the pilot and passengers must go through customs. Flight plans and prior notification are required. I don’t remember all of the rules, since I’ve never crossed a border in an aircraft other than commercial scheduled airlines. I could look it up if you want.

11

A GA flight crossing an international border has to file a specific type of flight plan, as well. Failure to do so will attract attention. In areas close to the Canadian and Mexican borders (usually student) pilots have accidentally strayed over the line and found themselves in handcuffs a short while later. It usually gets sorted out pretty quickly, but sneaking over the border is a little more difficult than you might think. In fact, they suspect drug smugglers have started using small, cobbled-together submarines because getting illegal flights across the border has become much too difficult to be practical anymore.

12

Thanks for the information. I figured it was (at least theoretically) harder than just chartering a jet and hopping across the border, but I was wondering if there was any serious effort to police that. Sounds like there is (probably, I’m guessing, as a result of drug smuggling).

Not necessary, but thanks for the offer.

13

Ah, what the heck. International Flight Information Manual. The part you’ll be interested in is about half-way down, under ‘Private Flights’.

14

Yes, drug smuggling is a huge factor in border security, although 9/11 did have an impact as well. Post 9/11, every licensed pilot in the country was sent detailed information on the changes that were made in security, and various aviation organizations/clubs likewise disseminated the information. I haven’t flown for over a year, but the FAA still sends me an occasional letter about airspace and regulatory changes. There has also been a “hot line” set up so anyone can report aviation issues of that sort. You don’t have to TSA, FBI, or anyone official to report something suspicious.

There are certain internal regions of airspace where failure to gain prior authorization will also result in significant problems. The airspace over Washington, DC is probably the best-known example, but there are other areas off-limits to GA flights. Learning about these, and how to avoid them while traveling, is part of basic flight school.

I realize many in the general public would like to see visible security, it does provide a level of psychological comfort. However, even if you can’t always see it, there is security involved with GA.

15

It also has become far more difficult for a non-citizen to get flight training in the US. They can’t even start until clearing a background check, and that can get, well, bureaucratic.

Access “through the fence” to actual contact with airplanes is also pretty tightly controlled now, too. Places where you used to be able to walk right in now require a pass system of some kind.

We are not yet at the point where a passenger has to get frisked before getting on a plane with a pilot who personally knows him, for pity’s sake - but there are rumors already.