TSA Unveils Pilot Programs...For Pilots

No matter what your feelings are on whether or not flight deck crew members should have to be screened before they get to their aircraft, the TSA is still going to require it. So just get used to it. At least the TSA is now starting to come around with some innovative new approaches to getting pilots through the security checkpoints quickly and with little hassle. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is teaming up with the TSA for a pilot screening program for pilots called CrewPass at Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in South Carolina. CrewPass is a dedicated line at the checkpoint for flight deck crewmembers with a kiosk where pilots enter their badge number. The kiosk then displays the pilot's photo (as seen below) which a TSA agent can use to match with the face of the pilot trying to pass.


Another system being used at BWI was developed by Southwest Airlines and uses special lane for pilots only as well but introduces biometrics to the equation. The pilots present a "clear key", which looks like a USB drive with a fingerprint scanner on it. After inserting the device and scanning their fingerprint, the pilot's photo is displayed for matching like in the device mentioned earlier for screener comparison. High tech, yet simple. While I'm sure the debate on whether or not pilots need to be checked will continue forever, at least in the mean time it's getting a little easier for pilots to avoid the pain and agony of the long and invasive checkpoint procedures.


[Evolution of Security]

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Political Conventions: TSA Busts Out New Technology, Uniforms

It's political convention season and if you're a delegate, like Jerry Springer, and you've flown into either Denver or Minneapolis/St. Paul recently, you may have noticed something new and different from our beloved TSA. In an attempt to bolster security for the added masses transiting these airports, the agency decided to throw in a few new technological gizmos like passive millimeter wave radar. This portable system, also known as standoff detection technology, measures energy generated by the human body to detect explosives hidden on a person. Used for years in other environments, this is the first time it has been employed at U.S. airports. The TSA claims the devices are safe and non-invasive, but don't be surprised if you develop webbing between your toes after getting a dosage. Another new gadget being used is the hand-held spectrometer which has the ability to penetrate sealed containers using laser technology to detect solid and liquid explosives. It cannot, however, tell you what's in that old tupperware dish that's been in your fridge for the last six months. Of course, not to be outdone by all of it's new toys, the TSA has had their Transportation Security Officers screeners at Denver and Minneapolis break out the controversial new uniforms to highlight their professionalism to the delegates and politicians alike. Convinced?



[Evolution of Security]

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TSA's Damaged Planes Reaction: Fine The Airline

The recent post on a TSA inspector damaging 9 American Eagle aircraft at O'Hare drew an enormous amount of honest personal views on what people think of the TSA. This post should only exacerbate those feelings. Instead of apologizing for the now highly publicized incident of using sensitive TAT probes to climb on top of aircraft, the TSA is actually considering levying fines on American Eagle for not properly securing the aircraft. Here's what the TSA posted on their website:

On August 19 a Transportation Security Inspector (TSI) was conducting a routine compliance inspection on aircraft parked on the airfield at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (ORD). The TSI inspected nine American Eagle aircraft to look for and test, among other things, access vulnerabilities or areas were someone with ill intent could gain access to the aircraft.

Aircraft operators are required to secure each aircraft when left unattended. The TSIs are encouraged to look for and follow through on vulnerabilities. During the inspection process at ORD the Inspector used a Total Air Temperature (TAT) probe – a probe that protrudes from the side of the aircraft that is used to measure outside air temperature – to pull himself up while investigating possible access vulnerabilities with the unattended aircraft.

The Inspector was following through on regulatory inspection activity. The Inspector was able to gain access to the interior of seven of the nine aircraft inspected, which is an apparent violation of the airline’s security program. TSA is reviewing the inspection results and depending on the conclusion, could take action with the airline, up to and including levying of civil penalties.

While the inspection process is a vital layer of aviation security, it is not TSA’s intent to cause delays or potential damage to aircraft as a result of our inspections. TSA took immediate steps to re-enforce education about sensitive equipment located on the exterior of a plane.

Somehow I don't think that last paragraph is going to make any Eagle pilots feel any better about the whole ordeal. The TSA's blog also was quick to point out that this was no ordinary screener but a highly trained and qualified inspector. Wait for it...wait for it...uhmm...nope. No credibility reestablished here.

[Evolution of Security]

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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 Inspector Damages 9 Planes At O'Hare

Nine American Eagle aircraft were grounded today at Chicago O'Hare after they were damaged by a TSA inspector according to ABC News. TSA spokesperson Elio Montenegro confirmed the incident occurred when an inspector was conducting an overnight security check and decided to see if he could climb on top of parked aircraft in order to gain entry into them. Unfortunately, instead of using a ladder, the TSA inspector decided to use the aircraft's sensitive exterior probes to climb up on top. Specifically the TAT (Total Air Temperature) probe was selected as a foot hold. No word on what type of aircraft were damaged but American Eagle pilots were obviously furious with this act and one was quick to post on an online forum, "The brilliant employees used an instrument located just below the cockpit window that is critical to the operation of the onboard computers." Another commented the TSA agents, "are now doing things to our aircraft that may put our lives, and the lives of our passengers at risk." Forty Eagle flights were delayed today as a result of the inspector's action. Montenegro assured that the "inspector was following routine procedure for securing the aircraft that were on the tarmac." Interesting tactic by the TSA as I guess a plane that can't fly is the most secure plane.

[ABC News]

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Baltimore passenger hides mace in his "body cavity"

This post practically writes itself. A passenger trying to go through the security checkpoint at the Baltimore Washington International Airport this last weekend was detained after it was learned that he was attempting to smuggle a can of mace through the checkpoint...in his poop chute. Security screeners were tipped off when the man ran from the checkpoint barefoot straight to the nearest restroom. His shoes were still on the X-ray table when he abandoned the line because the placement of the can was, undoubtedly, quite uncomfortable. Airport police caught up with the man as he was attempting to discard the "recovered" mace. The can of mace was confiscated (hopefully with rubber gloves and a Ziploc baggie) and the individual was eventually allowed to rebook his flight. Of course, the man was denied boarding again when he showed up at the checkpoint because he had a bottle of lighter fluid on hand. I'm guessing with these skills, the man has spent a little time behind bars. At least he wasn't trying to hide a medieval mace in his cavity.

(via Terminal Madness)

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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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Get Ready to Strip at Reagan National (and other large airports)

Calling all passengers flying out of Reagan National (and other large airports), you will now be referred to as virtual strippers (like it or not). The TSA is introducing millimeter wave scanners at its checkpoints there and other airports nationwide.

Millimeter waves bring X-ray vision from the supernatural world and into airports. Passengers step into a booth whose cameras see through their clothes to photograph the body underneath. The photo process takes about 3 seconds. Then the photo is analyzed on a "remotely located" (TSA lingo) monitor by a trained screener, which takes another 45 seconds or so. The TSA assures that the screener watching the monitor will not see the passenger in person -- so as to make it okay to see someone virtually naked if they are not standing in your eyesight.

As you would expect, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) are all over this as. The ACLU claims the image resolution is high so the picture of the body presented to screeners is detailed enough to show genitalia.

Currently, only passengers the agency selects for the infamous "secondary screening" are scanned, and they can "choose" a pat-down instead. But the TSA seems to indicate this is what is coming, not as a choice, but as a requirement to pass through the checkpoint in the future.

TSA maintains that millimeter wave technology is safe because the scanning machines emit 10,000 times less energy than a cell phone. It plans to purchase and deploy 30 more millimeter wave machines this year.

I am not sure how I feel about this. Seems the risk of terrorism is pretty low for such a high and mighty agency to be yielding such power. Maybe this new machine, which seems more foolproof for the TSA screeners to use, will actually be useful since the TSA cannot seem to catch anything now anyway.

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Not everyone thrilled about TSA's new uniform

Remember that new uniform the TSA screeners are getting? Well they're being rolled out now and it seems that not everyone thinks its such a great idea. According to an article by USA Today an item of that uniform of particular contention is the new metal badge replacing the old uniform's embroidered badge. It seems as though airport police, the other toters of metal badges at airports, aren't too happy with TSA's new look. One of the reasons for the new uniforms, according to TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe is that "Some of our officers aren't respected". Well, that's nothing a shiny metal badge can't fix, right? One big problem seen by airport police is that unsuspecting travellers will go to TSA screeners for criminal or law enforcement matters according to Duane McGray of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, an airport police association. The real sworn law enforcement officers with firearms and arrest powers are not thrilled according to McGray who says they "It's another way of saying (to airport police), you're not important." Both the TSA and the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network admit there will be some growing pains with these new uniforms (and badges). Sounds like a battle of the power trips coming on here.

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Air Marshals' Names Tagged on "No Fly" List

This one makes no sense to me. According to the Washington Times, some federal air marshals have been denied boarding onto flights on which they were assigned to protect because their names matched those on the terrorist no-fly list! The Transportation Security Administration is not denying this and has said they are taking steps toward fixing this problem. The air marshals said that this problem has persisted for years.

One air marshal said he has been harassed for the last six years because his name matched a suspected terrorists name. This is ridiculous...the people who are hired by our government to protect the citizens are not being allowed to fly on their flights because their names happen to be the same as a suspected terrorist. Sweet job TSA.

In traditional reactionary form, a new directive has been issued that “mitigates any misidentification concerns by empowering airlines to quickly clear an air marshal’s status after positively identifying their law enforcement status.” Sounds like fancy mumbo jumbo that should have been understood and implemented back when the "no-fly" list was created.

The worst thing about it is that the Federal Air Marshal program is administered by the TSA.

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New Uniforms for TSA Screeners

Well another tax day has come and went and I'm sure everyone is happy to know that a portion of your hard earned tax dollars will be spent to provide all TSA federal agents screeners with a new police-esque uniforms. Yes, they got their blues and no more embroidered "TSA" on the back of their shirt. They even got a REAL metal badge, no more sewn on badges for these screeners. This must be a reward for catching 2 our of 22 test bombs sent through a checkpoint.

Go on over to the TSA Checkpoint of the Future, and you can also check out a 360 view of the new uniforms. When you go, please note the wider belt and the "high-quality" tie. Move over Barney Fife, there's a new sheriff in town and it's the TSA.

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TSA Bob screens the Macbook Air in the world's most pointless video

I meant to post this last week and forgot. I'm sure many of you have heard about the difficulty some TSA screeners have had recently in accepting that the new Apple Macbook Air is actually a notebook computer and not a terrorist's bomb. Part of the issue is the new fangled Apple gizmo has a solid state hard drive instead of the typical hard drives with platters making screeners perk up in their seats. Well, the folks over at the TSA's blog got a hold of a Macbook Air recently and filmed Bob the Screener's review of the screening of this device. Seems interesting, right? Well the hip folks over there at the TSA won't let you see what the x-rayed guts of the Macbook Air look like in the video claiming it is Sensitive Security Information. Well then what's the point of the video??? We want to see the insides!!

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Airline Pilots Blame TSA for US Air Cockpit Shot

Ah, the moment I was waiting for. The usual fingerpointing has ensued, approximately one week after the captain of the US Airways flight accidentally discharged his firearm in the cockpit while attempting to stow it away for landing.

The Airline Pilot Security Alliance (APSA) Thursday released a statement blaming the TSA for the accidental weapon discharge because of its weapons handling rules. The APSA pointed specifically to the TSA's requirement that pilots remove guns from their person, lock them, and carry them "off body" when off the flight deck.

The APSA further claims that another pilot involved in the federal flight deck officer (FFDO) program said the US Airways captain was preparing for landing and was trying to remove his gun and secure it when "the padlock depressed the trigger." Shoving away any personal responsibility, the ASPA feels that the rules may force some pilots to handle their guns ten times per day, which is a recipe for disaster.

So, once again, expect a federal investigation and rule changes to follow. If the ASPA gets its way, they would have the pilots involved in the FFDO program follow the same procedures as the federal air marshals, which I'm assuming allows them to carry the gun on their person all the time. Nice, so this means the FFDO pilots would look like undercover police officers dressed up as a pilots.

Maybe we should just give tasers to all pilots, spend less money on firearms training, and allow the FFDO program to go on without guns in the cockpits. Then we can have great Youtube videos of unruly passengers saying "don't tase me bro..."

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Woman forced to remove nipple ring with pliers at airport checkpoint

Sorry, no nipple picture on this one. The AP is reporting that an attorney for a female airline passenger in Los Angeles is claiming that security agents gave his client a pair of pliers and forced her to remove her nipple ring in order for her to board her flight. TSA spokesperson Dwayne Baird told the AP that he was unaware of this nipple incident. While the TSA has no specific policy on nipple rings or other body mods, if an alarm is triggered they will be forced to investigate and delay a boarding. Other individuals (non-nipple-ringers) with wedding rings or other rings typically can usually pass through metal detectors without setting them off according to Baird. I am proud to say that every sentence in this post has the word nipple in it.

nipple

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UPDATED: Pilot's Gun Goes Off In Cockpit

It has become known that the Captain of US Airways Flight 1536 from Denver to Charlotte is now on leave while the airline, TSA, and most likely the FBI and all the other one-hundred federal agencies investigate how/why his gun went off in the cockpit of an aircraft full of 124 passengers. What is even more interesting is that no one else on the aircraft, aside from the first officer, was aware that the gun went off. No news yet on whether the bullet breached the through the aircraft's hull. This pilot is not making things easier for his fellow gun carrying pilots.

T-minus 48 hours until one of the federal agencies involved overreacts, as usual, and bans all guns in cockpits until further notice.

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Pilot's gun goes off in cockpit

US Airways released a statement today regarding an interesting flight they had from Denver to Charlotte on Saturday when a pilot's firearm apparently discharged...in the cockpit. The pilot is a member of the Transportation Security Administrations Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program that allows certain pilots to carry firearms on board the aircraft for "security" reasons. None of the 124 passengers were injured according to WCNC, and the aircraft was never in any real danger. The TSA and the Federal Air Marshals Service are investigating. Itchy trigger finger, maybe?

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TSA contaminates teen's feeding tube, puts health at risk

An "overzealous" TSA screener in Orlando is under fire after reportedly contaminating a sealed up feeding tube belonging to a teenage traveler. The passenger is claiming the screener would not allow him to pass through the security checkpoint without having the sterile clear plastic bag containing a spare feeding tube opened and checked. The teen is insisting the screener involved was adamant about opening the bag and by doing so contaminated his sterile feeding tube thereby putting his health at risk. The TSA has opened an investigation on this one.