Well I agree with Larry. Regardless of what you and I may think about what
small airplanes may or may not be able to accomplish in terms of a
terrorist
attack, it is certainly not anti-GA hysteria to discuss the possibility
and
to imagine scenarios by which a terrorist could employ a Cessna to wreak
destruction. In fact it would be irresponsible not to consider them.

The irresponsibility is in the media searching for easy ratings and the
government for poll bumps by focusing so narrowly on what gets an easy
response from the public. This deflects attention from the reality that no
one is paying attention to.

I was driving behind a big propane truck the other day. On the back is a
three inch pipe with a butterfly valve, the kind that is full open with a 90
degree turn. The pipe had a cap but it had big grips on it so it could be
easily removed. I've designed piping systems and had several miles to study
it so I could see that it would only take about 20 seconds to remove the
cap, turn the valve, and dump the tank's contents. There was no locking
device of any kind. A passerby could dump this truck.

Jump out, run up and point a gun at the driver, put him on the ground and
put a bullet in his head so he can't describe the truck, drive it somewhere
and back it up to the storm drain system the runs under a building or back
it into a mall. Light a match.

As long as we have a society that remotely resembles ours, creative and
determined people will have hundreds or even thousands of ways to create
havoc. These scare stories keep the public from realizing that. The only
safety will be in identifying the people that wish to terrorize and keeping
them out. If we focus on denying them the means, of which the GA
restrictions are only the first baby step, it will eventually be a society
none of us want to live in.

Catching terrorists is best done where they live. That requires lots of
help and cooperation from other countries which is what makes our current
"We don't need any stinkin' alliances, we call all the shots" foreign policy
such a disaster.

--

Roger Long