Commercial Pilot Sues DHS For Putting Him On "No-Fly" List

A commercial airline pilot is suing the Department of Homeland Security to have his name removed from the "no-fly" list claiming it has cost him his job with regional carrier Colgan Air. New Jersey native Erich Scherfen is not only a commercial pilot, but also a Gulf War combat veteran who claims, "My livelihood depends on being off this list." One reason Scherfen believes he is on the watch list intended to keep terrorists off flights is that he converted to Islam back in 1994. It's not just him either. His Pakistan-born wife is also on the list. Scherfen's lawyers have teamed up with the ACLU alleging the move by the TSA to put them on the list violates both of their civil rights. After flying for Colgan for a year, the airline suddenly placed him on a paid suspension because of the "positive match" and subsequently moved him to unpaid leave two weeks later. Although they are both Muslim, Scherfen asserts that both he and his wife have no ties to terrorism or even a criminal record. TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis claims "religious and political affiliation does not impact whether an individual is placed" on the list. Either way, Scherfen won't be able to make a living in his chosen profession until this is resolved which may take a while.

[TBO.com]
Thanks, Tom.

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TSA screeners have low morale (no shocker here)

A recent report from the Inspector Generals Office of the Department of Homeland Security suggests TSA airport screeners in this country have low morale which could jeopardize aviation safety. The controversial report is not the first to point out a few of the personnel problems with the force of 48,000 TSA screeners which face the highest turnover and injury rates in the federal government. DHS IG Richard Skinner (yeah, think about that name for a minute) points out that "Given their frustration, employees may be distracted and less focused on their security and screening responsibilities." The whole thing was quickly shot down by TSA administrator Kip Hawley who feels the results were flawed because the investigation focused on disgruntled employees. The report claims screeners have complained about discrimination, selective hiring, nepotism and "management misconduct" to include retaliation by superiors. A union rep for screeners at Boston Logan admitted that "With low morale, you can definitely lose your focus." Gale Rossides, deputy administrator at TSA, told USA Today through the rose colored glasses that morale is "very good" and that screeners "are very much turned on" and focused on security. It was only two years ago that Hawley commented screening was a "dead-end job", but he is now looking to rejuvenate the force with several new incentives including newer, more authoritative uniforms and badges.


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DHS takes on airport security ala Jack Bauer

The Department of Homeland Security just won't give up on the MANPADS (Manned Portable Air Defense Systems) issue. They still see shoulder fired missiles as a great threat to civil aviation in this country. Several proposals to counter MANPADS have been in testing for years now, including this one that gets repeated comparison to the TV series 24 by Jay Cohen in the video below from the DHS. This concept involves using an unmanned aerial vehicle loitering above 60,000 feet that can monitor and track missile launches as well as confuse the missiles by shining a low-power laser at their seeker heads. The name of this project has actually been coined as Project Chloe, after the fictional character from the CTU in 24. I know this technology is very feasible, but I also think the guys in Homeland Security might watch a little too much TV. How many references can this guy make to 24?

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