Just a week after telling a Congressional panel that maybe GA is not such a big security threat after all — remarks that elicited much glee from AOPA, as AVweb reported last Monday — TSA chief James Loy was nominated by President Bush to fill the No. 2 slot in the Department of Homeland Security. If approved by the Senate, Loy will take over as Tom Ridge’s deputy, filling a vacancy created when Gordon England became Secretary of the Navy this month. EAA applauded the nomination. “Admiral Loy has come to adopt a view of general aviation that is generally balanced, fair, and grounded in the need to preserve the American citizen’s right to freedom of movement,” EAA said in a news release on Thursday. “Most importantly, [Loy] set forth for the congressional record what EAA and others have believed all along; that the perceived security threat posed by general aviation has been consistently overstated in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.” Loy took over the agency in July 2002. TSA Deputy Administrator Steve McHale will serve as acting chief until a successor for Loy is named.
TSA’s Loy Nominated To No. 2 DHS Job
Key Takeaways:
- TSA chief James Loy was nominated to become the No. 2 official in the Department of Homeland Security.
- This nomination came shortly after Loy publicly stated to a Congressional panel that general aviation (GA) may not pose a significant security threat.
- Aviation organizations, including AOPA and EAA, praised Loy for his balanced perspective, asserting that the security threat attributed to GA had been overstated since 9/11.
- TSA Deputy Administrator Steve McHale will serve as the acting chief for the agency until Loy's successor is named.
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