Since the Transportation Security Administration released its plans for a Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP), business aviation providers and pilots have reacted swiftly and vociferously. Reaction to the proposed regulation runs the gamut from strident opposition to resigned acceptance for what operators view as unwarranted governmental meddling in the functioning of the industry.
“This notice of proposed rulemaking is largely a statement that the TSA as a whole does not understand general aviation, and has not spent any time exploring the various segments of general aviation,” said New Hampshire-based aviation consultant Bill Quinn. “Maybe this will be useful, in a sense that maybe it will call for a little bit more of a mandate on the part of the FAA to recognize the fact that there is a difference between people flying single-engine Cessnas and Pipers and people flying large turbine-powered aircraft under Part 91 because we are still all lumped under Part 91 and that’s the way the TSA is looking at it,” he added.
