I'm Not a Threat! It's Official!!!

K

KennyFlys

Guest
As a courier, I have to be approved by the TSA to carry packages which make their way onto a commercial airliner or other cargo service. It doesn't matter if it's an envelope going on-board an Airnet cigar tube or a Delta 757.

Today, I finally get the letter informing me:

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has reviewed the Security Threat Assessment application submitted on your behalf pursuant to Title 49 CFR Part 1540. TSA has determined you do not pose a security threat.

Accordingly, this letter serves as a Determination of No Security Threat under 49 CFR 1540.205(b), whereby:
  • You may be authorized to gain unescorted access to cargo and may be identified by an indirect air carrier, aircraft operator or foreign air carrier as an employee or agent of the indirect air carrier, aircraft operator or foreign air carrier who has successfully completed a security threat assessment, and/or
  • You qualify as a proprietor, general partner, officer, director or owner of an indirect air carrier who has successfully completed a security threat assessment.
Please retain this letter acknowledging successful completion of your security threat assessment for your records.
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Isn't it wonderful? I'm not a threat!

And, all that time I was worried when I had the ability to file IFR and fly right into Hartsfield any dang time I wanted. :rolleyes:

By the way, they had to come to the courier office where dispatchers are located and "inspect the premises" whatever that entailed. We don't keep anything there that would ever end up on a plane. The whole thing just adds to the absolute silliness.

It's no wonder they want to make life more difficult for private pilots with this requirement to file a passenger list electronically before leaving or entering CONUS.

Oh, my temporary certification was provided when I read a twenty-five page booklet and took a test... of eleven questions. It was asking me how to identify suspicious packages or individuals who are trying to interfere with my handling of the package. It's too bad it didn't have essay questions. I would have described the TSA idiot who sits at Delta Cargo... he wanted to open sealed containers with sterile orthopedic implants. Yeah, I'd call that interference. :eek:

The stupidity of the TSA and its actions are only going to get worse. We as pilots are not immune as is already seen.
 
KennyFlys said:
The stupidity of the TSA and its actions are only going to get worse. We as pilots are not immune as is already seen.
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No surprise. As with any government bureaucracy, it quickly evolved from having a real mission plan, to just another bloated, monster that exists to feed itself. And people actually want to turn over our healthcare system to these clowns?
 
I agree. It is a monster.

I do want to be careful to not send this to the spin zone. I was looking at this issue more as it exist to demonstrate a pursuing threat to the freedom in general aviation.
 
I wonder if Mr No Security Threat is on the No Fly List.

It would only make sense if he were.
 
I haven't flown commercially in a couple years so it remains a mystery. I do wonder if the long delay in getting my letter back had anything to do with holding a pilot certificate.
 
KennyFlys said:
I do want to be careful to not send this to the spin zone. I was looking at this issue more as it exist to demonstrate a pursuing threat to the freedom in general aviation.
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Oops, my apologies Ken. I forgot that this was in hangar talk. Never mind.
 
After my experience dealing with Virginia DMV in attempting to get my DL transferred into state, I am convinced the the DHS move to create a NAtional ID (oops, RealID) is going to cause an absolute meltdown as millions of folks will have to prove their identity and citizenship over and over and over.

I was unsuccessful, not because I didn't bring a ream of documents as required: I was unsuccessful because the ****ing computer that verifies one's social security number went down 15 minutes before I was called to the window (and over an hour after I arrived and started waiting).

And oh, by the way, I was told that it "wasn't DMV's fault", even though it was their computer system, and that I'd just have to return another day and wait all over again, because they can't possibly allow folks that were inconvenienced from delaying those that show up and wait in line at a later time.

This is a function that government ought to contract out to 2 or more competitive providers.
 
KennyFlys said:
Do I sense anxiety?

Matt, why do you hate your mother? Eh.. I mean, the TSA?




:D
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I don't think they're happy just being my mother...I think Over-lord and proctologist is what they're shooting for. You havn't seen "absurd government entity" until you've seen the TSA at a small airport like AUG or LEB. If we have 9 passengers getting on here, we call that a full flight. 3-6 is closer to average for us....yet there are AT LEAST 6 TSA "agents" on duty at any given time (plus the local cop who has to be present because the TSA is ultimately powerless to do anything effective). And then it comes time for the screening process...I'll stop there, lest my keyboard end up outside :eek:.
 
Well then, at least the security line should be rather short with one agent per pax. Or is it like any other gov't organization in that one person works while five supervise?
 
AWACSEng said:
Well then, at least the security line should be rather short with one agent per pax. Or is it like any other gov't organization in that one person works while five supervise?
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Oh it's definitely the latter. One person looks at the X-Ray screen (Hailing the cop: "what's this tube in your flight bag??" It's the mag lite that I'm required to carry by FAR 121. IT's the same mag lite I had yesterday and the day before and the day before that, and it's the same one I'll have tomorrow.) One person stands in front of the metal detector and takes 20 minutes to compare our ticket with our ID (even though they refer to us by name as we walk up, know what we're going to take out of our pockets to get through the detector, see us come through here every day, and despite the fact that we can just walk out to the airplane through the crew door any ol' time we want). One person does the protology/wanding (they randomly selected my CA and I last week...we're going down to BOS to fly the same a/c that's sitting outside back up here, but it seems nessisary to delay the flight for this). And then the other three...I have yet to figure out what they do...I think they're just the "floaters." Compare that to the major airports where they process twice as many people in half the amount of time.

On most days when we're trying to do a quick turn, the TSA is the #1 reason we have to delay a flight. We'll pull in, kick the passengers off, keep the right engine running, I'll help the gate agent unload and reload the baggage, we're all ready to go in less than five minutes and...oh crap...the TSA is only half done screening (despite the fact that when we called "in range" 50 miles from the airport we told them we wanted to do a quick turn). So then we have to decide whether we want to shut the engine down and kill the battery/spike the ITTs by restarting it in 10 minutes when TSA finally finishes, or keep it running (at 400 decibels) and burning gas at 250pph.



Damnit, you got me started.
 
HA! Oh the joys of walking into base ops, picking up the weather, and out the other door to the ramp. Only security is the cop at the jet checking line badges.(and that's only if he or she is awake!)
 
That's what we can do when our first flight is out of here, we can just walk straight out to the plane. But if we have to deadhead down to BOS to pick up the plane, we have to get the full work over before touching the plane we're going to fly. It's totally asinine.
 
Teller1900 said:
I don't think they're happy just being my mother...I think Over-lord and proctologist is what they're shooting for. You havn't seen "absurd government entity" until you've seen the TSA at a small airport like AUG or LEB. If we have 9 passengers getting on here, we call that a full flight. 3-6 is closer to average for us....yet there are AT LEAST 6 TSA "agents" on duty at any given time (plus the local cop who has to be present because the TSA is ultimately powerless to do anything effective). And then it comes time for the screening process...I'll stop there, lest my keyboard end up outside :eek:.
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:D I'm a witness. I noticed at FKL the TSA had two permanent offices and I think I counted 6 employees on duty. The duty evidently was to sit in the office.

There were as many as 4 passengers getting on the 1900 that loaded.
 
mikea said:
:D I'm a witness. I noticed at FKL the TSA had two permanent offices and I think I counted 6 employees on duty. The duty evidently was to sit in the office.

There were as many as 4 passengers getting on the 1900 that loaded.
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I don't know... sounds like an overburdened staff to me!
 
Well, if this thread is still alive late next week I'll give you a rundown of TSA at PUW. I haven't flown commercially out of that airport since 9/11, but have flown myself in and out several times and I know the drill for that. Get dropped off at Interstate Aviation, pay the fuel bill, walk out to the plane, pre-flight and be gone. Like it's supposed to be. The terminal for Horizon Airlines is a bit down the flightline. Government. Who needs it?

On the other hand, Will Rogers was right when he observed that we should be thankful that we don't get all the government we pay for.
 
At least the TSA is predictable. That helps because you can refine your sarcastic answers to their stupid remarks everytime you fly :)

Important looking TSA guy: Sir, this is more than 3 oz of toothpaste!
Answer: Oh, but it's half empty!

Done that (I'm not kidding) about 8 times now. I'll need to come up with a better come back...

-Felix
 
Actually had Thousands Standing Around come on Board a flight(121 Charter side of Aviation) just before departure out of Denver wanting to inspect our security equipment(wands, manuals, tuff cuff and releases, and other security related stuff). She had NO ID what-so-ever. "Oh, I left it in the car". Told her to go get it and threw her off the airplane immediately. She came back just as were closing the door. Told her " I'm sorry Ma'am it is departure time, we have to go. If we let you do your inspection, we will be late. I am Capt. So and So, and if you have a problem, write it up". She knew she F....d up and would be in a whole lots more trouble than I would have been if she reported it... Never heard a word about it after that.
 
They do that all the time to us at the out stations...perform their "random" a/c checks. Best thing I ever saw was when my CA damn near to forcefully kicked two of them off. We were over an hour behind thanks to wx and trying to do a quick turn, so I did a quick post-flight run around and was doing my cabin walk through/cleaning when TSA approached. CA was on the phone with dispatch and I was in the back of the airplane when they just walked up and onto the plane and started moving things around in the closet and going through seat-back pockets, without the required escort by a gate agent and without announcing themselves and showing ID to the CA or I.
I looked up, said hi, and asked for their ID before they continued. I could see they both had TSA badges, but we were at an airport that required SIDA badges, too.

They told me "not to worry" they know we're in a hurry and they'd be done quick. I asked them to wait while I talked to the CA real quick, but they said they'd just be a second and kept going. Turns out the CA (also a check airman) had long since been done with his phone call and was actually listening to the exchange. He had already signaled the cop to come over and, before I knew it, was out of his seat and had one of the TSA "agents" by the back of his reflective vest. What followed was the best rant ever.

"Don't touch another thing on my a/c...you never showed ID...unauthorized entry...breaking FAR ###...my FO asked for ID...disrespect him and I...delay the flight...badge numbers please."

Turns out they both had the SIDA badges, but they weren't properly displayed. Because they hadn't been escorted out to the plane, we had to conduct another security sweep of the a/c, thus missing our EDCT time. Guess who the delay code was on?
 
sba55 said:
At least the TSA is predictable. That helps because you can refine your sarcastic answers to their stupid remarks everytime you fly :)

Important looking TSA guy: Sir, this is more than 3 oz of toothpaste!
Answer: Oh, but it's half empty!

Done that (I'm not kidding) about 8 times now. I'll need to come up with a better come back...

-Felix
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How about "only when it's full of it!":goofy:
 
The stupidity continues...

From Avweb today:
A recently-retired airline pilot told Colorado television station 9News on Friday that while he has all the clearances he needs to fly an airliner, his appearance on the "no-fly" list makes being a passenger a major ordeal. Robert Campbell says that even though the Transportation Security Administration assured him in 2006 that he was off the list, he still gets the third degree when he checks in for a flight as a passenger. "The fact is, I'm authorized by the TSA to fly the airplane and ride the jump seat on air carriers," he said. "But if I want to ride in the back, I'm on the no-fly list."



Campbell found out he was on the list in 2005 and tried everything he could think of to get off it. "I've talked to everybody under the sun — my Congressmen, my union, union legal people, the airlines, my chief pilot — and nobody seems to be able to get me off the no-fly list," he told 9News. "This is absurd. Even the TSA knows it's absurd."
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Oh, I think there has to be a word stronger than "absurd."
 
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