Blog Archives
-
Honolulu Lulu - The Plot Thickens
By Art Kosatka - Tuesday October 25, 2011I had to rewrite this column at the last moment. Originally, the story centered on the news reports from Honolulu Int’l Airport: TSA was quoted as “moving to fire” 36 TSOs for not screening luggage of certain airlines for explosives. This was apparently based on complaints to management from two other TSOs about the sloppy work. I took an admittedly reactive stance: “ Moving to fire”? Seems to me they should have been escorted directly to jail without passing Go. It’s not clear if this was a deliberate avoidance of responsibility, old-fashioned laziness, plain ol’ stupidity, poor training, or all of the above. Without waiting for the other shoe to drop, I noted that TSA leaped into the breach, announcing that... -
Bosom Buddy's Butt Bomb
By Art Kosatka - Tuesday October 25, 2011Yes, that’s what I said. It’s rare in this or any other business that one gets to publicly utter the phrase “butt bombs” without a snickering reference to certain natural functions. This is one of those times. Welcome to my world. There is information making the media rounds that suggests terrorists from Yemen may attempt to board U.S.-bound European commercial flights with bombs surgically implanted in their bodies. TSA's warning did not relate to a specific plot or threat; only that the bad guys continue to “consider” this special delivery process, particularly in those areas for which TSA searches are most often criticized: breasts, buttocks, and bellies. I have tried to follow the discussion with an open mind and a... -
Down The Rabbit Hole
By Art Kosatka - Tuesday October 25, 2011As soon as I submit one of these columns, I begin to collect items of possible interest for the next one, due a scant 30 days away. Some are several paragraphs extracted from extended news articles, some are links to IG and GAO reports about TSA and DHS program successes and failures, research studies on new technologies, and sometimes bizarre notions that will, we’re told, “revolutionize” passenger and baggage screening. As we speak, I have 27 pages of such security-related clips set aside, each clamoring for attention this month. It seems I could almost do a daily column with little risk of repeating myself. Lucky me, I suppose, but it also illustrates the notion that after ten years, they’re still not getting it. So in an... -
TSA - One Step at a Time
By Art Kosatka - Tuesday October 25, 2011As I write this, just prior to the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I’m making a conscious effort to not write yet another retrospective piece. It continues to be done by so many more thoughtful and talented journalists that I cannot improve upon them, nor shall I try. [Pause] You’re welcome. One thing I do continue to comment on is that tangible positive progress in aviation security still seems hard to come by. Indeed, TSA itself notes it still hasn’t found that comfort zone; it claims a “perpetual state of evolution” as it defends itself against naughty images in the machinery and bad PR stories about certain screening processes at the checkpoint. Perhaps that’s not an altogether bad thing. One would expect technology will... -
Another Pilot Program; Another Poke in GA’s Eye
By Art Kosatka - Monday October 24, 2011The media has been all over the recent TSA announcement about testing “risk-based” passenger screening at four airports – ATL, DFW, DTW and MIA – so I won’t belabor the details, except to note that it is very much a “trusted traveler” concept: If/when you get a full intelligence-based background check and approval based on a lot of personal data, you can be shunted to the fastest of three lanes, keep your shoes on, laptop stashed, and generally avoid the lengthy queues. The other two lanes are for those with no known history – the “regular” folks – and those who, for any number of possible reasons, exhibit a need for enhanced screening, i.e., the full monte. TSA has not specified which technologies will be deployed...
Sign Up
for FREE newsletters
Events
-
- 06/17/13 - 06/23/13
- Paris Air Show
-
Conference/Expo, Paris,
-
- 06/18/13 - 06/19/13
- Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings Training Program
-
Training, Andover, KS
-
- 06/19/13 - 06/20/13
- 2rd China Aerospace Propulsion Technology Summit
-
Conference/Expo, Shenyang,
-
- 06/24/13 - 06/24/13
- Ultrasonic Testing Level 2 Training Course
-
Training, Houston, TX
-
- 06/25/13 - 06/27/13
- SMART Terminal Asia 2013
-
Conference/Expo, Jakarta,
