Vehicular Ramp Access

On Mar 20, 1:39 pm, "Marco Leon" wrote:
In the interest of security, our airport management wants to ban all
automobile access to our aircraft at Republic Airport (KFRG). It was the hot
topic of discussion during our last tenant meeting on 3/14--a meeting with
the largest turnout of pilots since its inception. Interestingly, other
topics on the agenda for discussion that would normally cause consternation
went unopposed (increase of tiedown fees by $35/month, photo ID badge
implementation for all pilots, and various large-aircraft centric
construction projects to name a few). I don't rule out the notion that this
issue was a strategy to get the others pushed through (if it was,
brilliant!)

This is a complicated issue with what seems to be many motives at play. The
general feeling among the small aircraft GA pilots is that management is
looking to turn the airport into a bizjet mecca like Teterboro. This hardly
surprising since they are both run by the same management company. Many of
the tenants also think that the denial of access is just another ploy to
make the airport more attractive to bizjet operators.

AOPA is involved and has sent them a letter outlining reasons why owners
need access to their aircraft and the little (and arguably DECREASED)
security issues it poses. Lots of rational, relevant, and passionate calls
for a cooperative approach to a solution by the pilots and I was pleasantly
surprised by the lack of disrespect during the 2-hour meeting attended by
about 100 interested parties. Kind of reminded me of this newsgroup--minus
the outlying rude ones.

If anyone has experienced a similar situation at their own airport I'd love
to hear what happened. From what AOPA has told us though, this has some
unique (and arguably inevitable) security aspects that may serve as the
precedent for other airports in the US going forward.

Here's a link to the AOPA letter:http://download.aopa.org/epilot/2007...4ny-letter.pdf

Marco

No, in fact I've been happily surprised how many larger (including
airline and military co-use) airports still allow me to drive my
rental car up to the plane. They probably understand that we are not a
threat.
-Robert

No, in fact I've been happily surprised how many larger (including
airline and military co-use) airports still allow me to drive my
rental car up to the plane. They probably understand that we are not a
threat.

Agreed. Best of all, common sense seems to have reared its ugly head
again, nationwide, since 9/11.

Right after the terrortist attacks on New York and Washington, nearly
everyone restricted drive-on traffic at airports. Now, on our recent
trip across the country (WV, NC, SC, AL, TN, MS), we were once again
able to pick up our rental cars right at our airplane at every airport
we visited.

I'm sorry to see Marco's airport going the other way, against the
grain.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message

Agreed. Best of all, common sense seems to have reared its ugly head
again, nationwide, since 9/11.

Right after the terrortist attacks on New York and Washington, nearly
everyone restricted drive-on traffic at airports. Now, on our recent
trip across the country (WV, NC, SC, AL, TN, MS), we were once again
able to pick up our rental cars right at our airplane at every airport
we visited.

I'm sorry to see Marco's airport going the other way, against the
grain.

The timing is what makes it all suspect. There hasn't been any significant
events that would prompt such an action. It can be argued that the Cory
Lidle crash was one but that can be argued by both sides quite convincingly.

The Airport Director keeps citing the "security experts" as "they" refuse to
name them but will only divulge that they are on the "state" level. Yeah,
OK..experts.

The max payload that any plane on the ramp can easily be stuffed into a
couple of suitcases (if it's dense enough, only one) that can be rolled
across the ramp with nary a suspicious glance. That goes for bad people as
well. The thing is, I think most if not all of the tenants will be open to a
significant increase in security short of the complete denial of vehicular
access. I even think there will be little pushback if they made us foot the
bill for vehicle passes (they have a gate system already and would just need
new card readers). It seems illogical that they would cause a firestorm of
resentment and probably a host of lawsuits when they could avoid it by
coordinating a common solution that will still maintain virtually the same
target level of security.

Unless, of course, there are other factors at play here...

Marco

These things have a rhythm and cycle.. The Bush administration is now
having the courts finally move against some the the decisions they
made early on, so 6 to 8 years is aobut what it takes for these things
to wind through the judicial system...

What it will take for GA to loosen the shackles of the tyranny of the
Patriot Act is someone with the money and determination to make a
court challenge against an airport authority on either constitutional
grounds or of simply not having the authority to arbitrarily restrict
the access of legitimate users of public spaces when there has not
been a single incident of having vehicle access to the ramp having
caused a terrorist incident...
The plaintiff will lose in the lower courts (they almost always side
with government/city hall) but the superior courts tend to take a
longer view and sooner or later some federal judge will vaguely
remember that powers not specifically allocated to the government are
reserved to the people gosh, what a surprise and that discriminating
against vehicle access by pilots while allowing limo drivers, etc., is
discrimination by class of person, etc...

denny

On Mar 21, 8:47 am, "Denny" wrote:

What it will take for GA to loosen the shackles of the tyranny of the
Patriot Act is someone with the money and determination to make a
court challenge against an airport authority on either constitutional
grounds or of simply not having the authority to arbitrarily restrict
the access of legitimate users of public spaces when there has not
been a single incident of having vehicle access to the ramp having
caused a terrorist incident...

Hmmm, how did you go from GA ramp access to Patriot Act. The ability
to listen to terrorist place calls to Iran has nothing to do with ramp
access. How in the world do you find the Patriot Act affecting ramp
access?

-Robert

How in the world do you find the Patriot Act affecting ramp
access?

-Robert

Robert, the Patriot Act is precisely what is driving this, with
specific mandates supplemented by myriad non legislated regulations
and little people who are, for the very first time in their lives,
vested with the mantle of authority, a black belt with a radio and a
shiny pair of chromed handcuffs, prominently displayed.... Wire taps
are nothing, it is the warrantless searches, the power of non LEO's to
accost and detain for no reason other than someone doesn't like how
you look... Is this America or Orwell's 1984? This treacherous act
is vastly, vastly more than just listening to phone calls to Iran...
Ya gotta wake up and notice the coffee is boiling over, my friend...

A man being harassed for riding a bicycle on a public road because it
is near an airport is a lightning shot piercing the darkness of the
storm...... Did you even notice? What gives the minimum wage
meaning minimum skills hourly employee of an airport the legal
right to go off airport property onto a public road and harass
someone? What makes him think he has the "authority" to accost a
citizen passing on a public road?

denny

A man being harassed for riding a bicycle on a public road because it
is near an airport

Well, from the OP the road was =on= the airport.

Jose
--
Humans are pack animals. Above all things, they have a deep need to
follow something, be it a leader, a creed, or a mob. Whosoever fully
understands this holds the world in his hands.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jay Honeck wrote:

No, in fact I've been happily surprised how many larger (including
airline and military co-use) airports still allow me to drive my
rental car up to the plane. They probably understand that we are not a
threat.


Agreed. Best of all, common sense seems to have reared its ugly head
again, nationwide, since 9/11.

Right after the terrortist attacks on New York and Washington, nearly
everyone restricted drive-on traffic at airports. Now, on our recent
trip across the country (WV, NC, SC, AL, TN, MS), we were once again
able to pick up our rental cars right at our airplane at every airport
we visited.


Here in Montana we didn't change one iota. If you could drive on the
airport before you still can. No new fences, no new locks, no new rules.