(www.secure-skies.org)

 December 2003 Update

Cargo Pilots Legislation Passes!

Cargo pilots will soon be permitted to apply for the FFDO program by law !  The language was included in the FAA Reauthorization Bill, signed by both houses of Congress very recently.  Thanks to Senators, Bunning and Boxer, for closing this vital loophole in aviation security!  The overwhelming majority by which this law passed says very clearly that Congress is behind the FFDO program.  With enthusiastic persuasion, we are confident we will be able to make changes to the FFDO program to accelerate it and bring back the 40,000 pilots that changed their minds about volunteering  when the TSA established its overly restrictive protocols.  The enthusiastic persuasion is YOU!  Please get in the habit of checking our website and watching for updates…because it may get busy soon!

Captain’s Club going Strong!

The new Captain’s Club is a huge success and memberships are selling very quickly!  Many pilots and not a few “normal people” have signed up for the deep discounts on security and training products available to our Club members.  It’s only $25 to join, and with the holidays coming up, it’s a great opportunity to buy yourself or a friend a great gift, while contributing to a cause that may save a lot of lives!  In the Club, we are offering BeamHit Laser Targeting Systems’ home-based computer targeter that allows you to train with your own weapon at home!  You can purchase a membership at www.secure-skies.org.  Within a week of joining, you’ll receive a personal PIN to access the restricted areas of the APSA website and also to start enjoying the discounts.  In the near future, the PIN will be provided instantly.  It’s important to APSA that you join if you’re interested in our cause.

Thanks for your Support!

Your support has been invaluable!  APSA continues to grow as the primary airline security working group in the United States.  We are the only organization with no second agenda and no political debts.  More people are learning the truth about the scary state of airline security and terrorism and are coming to APSA for the straight talk.  Congressman John Mica recently said he was originally against arming pilots, but changed his mind when thousands of pilots came forward and demanded the program.  If thousands of pilots come forward again, we’ll get the fixes we need.

Notwithstanding the success of the Captain’s Club, we need to ask for support from our members.  We’ll do the footwork, but we’re going to need you politically and financially.  Solutions won’t come if you miss the opportunity to make change happen by not getting in the game!  Without going into a lot of detail, we are not sitting idly by.  We are actively – let’s say ‘very actively’ -- pursuing solutions to the myriad problems with the FFDO program to make it an effective deterrent to terrorism and to make sure no more of our wives or kids face what some did a little over two years ago.  Stuff is going on.  And I believe you’ll see the fruits of our labor in the not so distant future.  It takes money, and we’re fanatical about spending it wisely.  You may donate at www.secure-skies.org.  Take the top $25 dollars of your donation and use it to join the Captain’s Club though.  You’ll get something back and it really does offer some pretty substantial deals!

Mr. Loy Goes to Congress

In late October, retired Admiral Loy, TSA Director, testified before Congress that the FFDO program was “a success story” and alluded to APSA endorsing it on our website.  Of course, this is completely out of context and deliberately misleading.  APSA states on our site that the tactical training FFDO’s receive from FLETC instructors is outstanding. It is.  But, we continue to have serious problems with a program whose nonsensical psychiatric screening, weapons carriage, credentialing, and disqualification problems, have caused 90% of the original 40,000 FFDO volunteers to change their minds about participating in the program.  We won’t mention that there’s only one remote facility to train those who are left, or that they’re being routinely disqualified in screening and, if they are accepted, are trained at only about fifty per week.  TSA says it will ramp up training to 100 FFDO’s per week, but this will still mean only the smallest percentage of commercial flights will be protected by next summer.

APSA responded to Mr. Loy’s statement with a five-page report to the Aviation Subcommittee and the new Government Reform Committee, detailing the continuing “designed to fail” nature of the FFDO program, and TSA’s intransigence, even amid obvious failures.  We included five additional pages of comments sent to us by pilots who applied and were rejected.  Among them were former police officers, military wing commanders, and firearms instructors.  The comments are a complete indictment of the TSA’s program.  You can read both APSA’s report and pilot comments at www.secure-skies.org.  We must have multiple facilities, we must use standard screening, training/credentialing and weapons carriage protocols; and we MUST encourage pilots to come forward, and guarantee them time off to train, if this program is to succeed.   And we must continue to put pressure on Congress to fix this critical program!

ALPA (again)

The Airline Pilots Security Alliance, has tens of thousands of airline pilots from every airline on the map, and 80% of the American public, solidly behind us.  We represented those thousands of people in getting the FFDO law passed (with a lot of help from some good friends in Congress)!  Now, the Airline Pilots Association’s (ALPA) president continues to support sending his pilots to psychiatrists before they’re allowed to defend their aircraft;.  Duane Woerth is not aggressively objecting to other program attributes, either.  Why ALPA’s members accept this arrogant attitude from their leadership that risks their safety is impossible to understand.  Captain Woerth’s email is woerthd@alpa.org.

FFDO’s, TSA Needs Your Comments!

The Allied Pilots Association (APA) has suggested a compromise that eliminates the locked container restriction and then “badges” an FFDO during his first six-month requalification.  TSA is studying the proposal.   TSA has also indicated they may be willing to change certain program restrictions when they have enough statistical evidence from FFDO’s in the field that their missions are being compromised by the program’s design.  We encourage any FFDO who has a problem, safety issue or weapons custody concern; or has a problem with the recognition of his authority because of his credential, to notify TSA early and often through the channels given him.  Happy Holidays!  And watch your email!