By Deborah Charles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of airline pilots gave the U.S. government
failing grades on Thursday in several areas of aviation security including the
screening of employees and cargo, and defending planes from shoulder-fired
missiles.

The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association released its Aviation Security
Report Card that showed aviation security gets average to failing grades in over
a dozen subject areas.
The trade group gave failing "F" grades to the government in five areas --
screening of employees, screening of cargo, high-tech credentialing of crew
members, self-defense training for crew and the plan for countering
shoulder-fired missiles.
The group gave good grades to the government on improved bag screening and on
reinforcing cockpit doors on commercial airplanes.
Jon Safley, president of CAPA, said filling some of the "gaping holes" in
aviation security will require major changes in the way the airlines and
airports do business, and in the way the government manages airline security.
"The technology exists, or could be updated, to address many of these security
problems," said Safley, whose group represents about 22,000 pilots from American
Airlines, United Parcel Service, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways .
"But neither the airlines, the airports nor government officials have given
these issues the priority they deserve."
CAPA said that while screening of airline passengers and their bags had improved
since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airline attacks, screening of ramp employees
and cargo has not improved.
"We should have one level of security to protect the American people," Safley
said. "If we're screening passengers, we certainly need to screen employees who
have access to aircraft and baggage. And not screening cargo on all-cargo
carriers invites disaster."
The Department of Homeland Security is studying how it might be able to adapt
anti-missile technology, which is common on military aircraft, for use on U.S.
commercial airliners to thwart shoulder-fired rocket attacks by al Qaeda or
others.
Concern over the possibility that attackers might use shoulder-fired weapons to
down a plane grew after a missile nearly hit an Israeli airliner leaving Kenya
in 2002. Cash-strapped airlines are skeptical of the plan for anti-missile
systems due to high costs and liability.
CAPA also gave low grades to the government on security of airports, saying that
the Transportation Security Administration did not properly or consistently
oversee the security.
It also said there was poor sharing of information on potential threats to
aircraft, and said airlines did not share the crucial information with their
captains.
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George Patterson
I prefer Heaven for climate but Hell for company.