Defining The Threat From The Sky…
The Department of Homeland Security’s enduring belief that terror could come from the sky in the form of light GA aircraft is behind the FAA’s proposal to permanently establish restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FAA says the DHS has “no specific information that terrorist groups are currently planning to use general aviation aircraft” in attacks, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. According to the NPRM, al Qaeda has hatched several plans to use GA aircraft in attacks and the Sept. 11 plan originally used light aircraft until Osama bin Laden upped the ante. “Based on this and other information, the DHS believes that GA aircraft may be vulnerable to targeting by terrorists for misuse,” the NPRM reads.
GA Terror Concern Behind Permanent ADIZ
The Department of Homeland Security's enduring belief that terror could come from the sky in the form of light GA aircraft is behind the FAA's proposal to permanently establish restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the FAA says the DHS has "no specific information that terrorist groups are currently planning to use general aviation aircraft" in attacks, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. According to the NPRM, al Qaeda has hatched several plans to use GA aircraft in attacks and the Sept. 11 plan originally used light aircraft until Osama bin Laden upped the ante. "Based on this and other information, the DHS believes that GA aircraft may be vulnerable to targeting by terrorists for misuse," the NPRM reads. The DHS's somewhat shadowy fears are backed up by a report in The Hindu, quoting "confidential U.S. government assessments" as saying that another attack from the air may be on the terrorists' drawing board. "Intelligence officials are also concerned that terrorists linked to al Qaeda or other terrorist groups may again turn to airplanes as a method of attack by sending operatives to flight training schools or using 'an increased number of operatives' in the aviation industry to evade tightened airport security measures," the newspaper said.
