[IP] Security and Pittsburgh's Airport

David -- just to make it clear - deer on the airfield are a very serious
safety issue. Much more serious than all terrorists in the world - the
likelihood of hitting a deer and wrecking the landing gear (with likely
fatal outcome for the pilot and passeners) is much higher than being a
victim of a terrorist attack. And this is not like "no one knows who
these people are", they have to be escorted by a cleared airport employee.

Besides, "non-authorized" personnel can easily walk onto airfield through
the general aviation parking and FBOs in *all* US airports. As a member of
a flying club I got codes to combination locks on gates in different
airports, so I can pick up aircraft during off-hours - and I didn't have
to go through any clearance process. I can easily bring firearms, too, -
no one's looking, and it is not prohibited (i.e. one can rent an airplane
to go for a hunting trip). The only "guns prohibited" signs I've seen in
GA areas are at the entrances to the federal facilities such as control
towers, radar sites, etc. Heck, I do not even have to show my ID to get
keys to an aircraft, as long as I know the name under which the
reservation has been made, the a/c registration number, and smile nicely.

The "access to airfield" controls are security theater, plain and simple,
designed mostly to impress and intimidate the sheepie. It is nearly
impossible (and prohibitively expensive) to secure a civilian airfield
against an intruder which has minimal tactical and camouflage skills (and
a bolt cutter, if he's too lazy to climb over the fence), so no one really
tries.

So this article should be read as a barely covered pimping for more funds
to TSA (and more useless restrictions and hassle for the rest of us), and
not as a valid alert about some new security threat or especially lax
attitude of the airport administration, with obligatory anti-gun paranoia
mixed in for a good measure.

Regards,

--vadim

On Mon, 12 May 2008, David Farber wrote:

Begin forwarded message:

From: K.E. <admin@edu-cyberpg.com>

Date: May 12, 2008 2:49:16 PM EDT

To: "ip@v2.listbox.com" <ip@v2.listbox.com>, David Farber <dave@farber.net

Subject: Security and Pittsburgh's Airport

The airport is restricted private property but if you know someone

and get your name on the list and go shoot animals.

Video: Hunting On Pittsburgh International Airport Property

Favorite Quotes:

The airport should have a professional wildlife biologist on site,

as have many other major airports, including Philadelphia and

Cleveland. Those airports contract with the USDA for that service.

Pittsburgh does not.

Allegheny County Airport Authority gave 28 of its employees

exclusive rights to hunt deer on its 9,000 acres in and around

Findlay Township.

You can carry a gun and shoot . You can even bring your friends with

you and no one at the airport knows who those people are.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/16192688/detail.html

"The airport authority allows those 28 authorized employees to bring

buddies along, and officials have no idea who those buddies are. We

do not track the names of the guests," Jenny said.

Just how many deer live on the airport's 9,000 acres is unknown,

because according to a 2007 USDA document, the airport authority has

never commissioned a deer density survey.

Even without the study, the USDA says current density far exceeds

the recommended five-to-12 deer per square mile.

Karen Ellis

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