Confirmed: TSA allowed illegal aliens on airliners

In July, Breitbart issued an exclusive report that alleged that the Transportation Security Administration was allowing illegal immigrants to travel on airline flights without proper identification. According to the story, Border Patrol officers claimed to have witnessed TSA agents permitting illegal aliens to board domestic airline flights with only a Notice to Appear, a federal citation for illegally crossing the border. To determine whether these allegations were true, Examiner contacted the National Border Patrol Council, a union for Border Patrol officers, and the TSA.

For those unfamiliar with a Notice to Appear, also called Form I-862, Nolo.com explains that it is a charging document that signals the initiation of removal proceedings and means that the recipient must appear in immigration court. The document lists the recipient’s name, aliases, address, alien registration number and date of birth, but does not include a photograph and is easy to duplicate. A sample Form I-862 is available on the Justice Department’s website.

Read the full story on Aviation Examiner

My first trip to the world’s busiest airport… in a small propeller plane

Piper Warrior II (Gzy84c/Wikimedia)

In June 1995, I was a flight instructor at the Ben Epps Airport (KAHN) in Athens, Ga. I had just graduated from the University of Georgia and was about to leave my part-time job flight instructing for a job in the claims department of the now defunct Fortune Insurance Company in Jacksonville, Fla.

Even though airline hiring was going on at the time, I hadn’t really thought about an airline career. The mid-1990s were at the height of the pay-for-training years in which airlines would hire pilots as long as the pilots agreed to pay for their own initial simulator training. This could cost tens of thousands of dollars and, with several student loans already, I didn’t want to add to my debt load.

Read the rest of this story  on Aviation Examiner

How professional pilots can land at the wrong airport

 

Dan Ashe/Wikimedia

Twice in recent memory a large jet airliner has landed at the wrong airport. The Kansas City Star reported on January 14 that a Southwest Airlines 747 landed at the M. Graham Clark Taney County airport in Hollister, Mo. instead of the larger airport in Branson. Several months earlier, in November 2013, a Boeing 747 freighter operated by the Boeing Company itself, accidentally landed at Wichita’s Col. James Jabara airport instead of McConnell Air Force Base.

The Dallas News reports that the Southwest jet landed at Hollister at 3:40 p.m. Archived weather reports on jesseweather.com show that the weather was partly cloudy with the clouds at about 5,000 feet. Similarly, in the case of the Boeing in Wichita, the preliminary NTSB report notes that “visual meteorological conditions prevailed,” meaning that cloud ceilings were at least 1,000 feet and visibility was at least three miles. The 747 landed at 9:20 p.m.

 

Read the rest on Aviation Examiner

 

Canada to the rescue at Salute America Air Show

As the 2013 air show season draws to a close, it was set to go out with a bang at the Salute America Air Show near Atlanta. The show, held on Oct. 5-6 at the Paulding Northwest Atlanta airport in Dallas, Ga. (airport details can be found on GlobalAir.com) featured a variety of aviation acts. Saturday night’s show included rare twilight aerobatic acts.

Many 2013 air shows were canceled due to the sequester budget cuts enacted earlier this year. The military jets and helicopters often featured at local air shows were in short supply due to the cuts in the defense budget. For the first half of the summer, the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels were grounded, prompting the cancellation of many air shows. The Thunderbirds resumed flying in July when the Air Force found money to fund the unit. At Wisconsin’s Oshkosh air show, the FAA charged the Experimental Aircraft Association to operate a temporary control tower at the field.

It is ironic then that the only active duty military aircraft featured at the Salute America Air Show were a pair of Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets. A star attraction was the Royal Canadian Air Force Hornet Demonstration Team which performed daylight and twilight routines. A second CF-18 was on hand as a static display.

Read the rest on Aviation Examiner

 

 

 

New Globalair.com mobile site for pilots

Globalair.com has introduced a new mobile version of its website for pilots. The site is free, but resembles many downloadable applications in both appearance and utility. The site contains a wealth of information for pilots and can be a valuable resource. Additionally, the site can be easily used by nonpilots since it does not require a pilotlicense or any login information.

The mobile site, which was introduced to the public at Oshkosh, contains three sections, which are selectable from the home page. Users can choose from “Aircraft for Sale,” which lists aircraft classified ads. The “Airport Resource Center” provides pilots with access to airport, airspace and weather information. The “Aviation Directory” contains listings for a variety of aviation businesses.

Read the rest on National Aviation Examiner

How to avoid travel hassles with the TSA

Many Americans will soon head to the airport to take off on a holiday journey. As these passengers head for their flights, they will have to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints for security screening. For many travelers, the prospect of a TSA screening is daunting, but the process can be made quick and stress free with a little preparation.

Making your TSA experience stress free begins with packing correctly. The TSA website contains a list of prohibited items. In general, anything with a blade or anything that can be considered a weapon cannot be in a carryon bag. Many items, from knives to guns, can be placed in checked baggage, but some items, such as flammable products, cannot be carried on aircraft at all. If in doubt, the TSA website offers a search engine where travelers can search for information on specific items.

Read the rest of this article on Examiner.com:

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/avoiding-hassles-with-tsa-security-screenings?cid=db_articles

 

Are Muslim women exempt from TSA screening?

A Muslim woman in a hijab (Steve Evans-wikimedia commons)

Today I once again don my tinfoil hat to tackle a series of internet rumors about the new TSA screening procedures. These procedures include body scanners and random pad-downs (what most people would probably being frisked). I am actually taking an airline flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport today. While riding in from the parking lot, I had the rare opportunity to talk to a TSA officer on an informal basis about the new procedures. While many of his answers are incorporated into this article, I will respect his anonymity.

To read the rest of this article, please click the links below:
Part 1:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-muslim-women-exempt-from-screening-other-tsa-myths

Part 2:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-muslim-women-exempt-from-screening-other-tsa-myths-part-2

Are TSA screenings constitutional? What to expect at the airport

Two Standing Around (public domain)

Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest travel times of the year. This year many travelers, me included, will be undergoing new searches by the Transportation Security Administration. The new searches, which include highly detailed body scans and random pat-downs, have many fliers up in arms. There is a movement to opt out of the body scans in protest, and some are even claiming that the scans are a violation of the Constitution’s fourth amendment. Still others are concerned about the health risk of radiation from the body scanners.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where my trip will originate, is one of the airports that has the new imaging technology, so if you plan on flying through ATL be prepared to submit to the body scan or a pat-down. The TSA insists that there is little to fear from the machines and that a traveler would have to have 1000 scans before approaching the maximum allowable radiation dose (although some radiation experts dispute the TSA’s claim). This is especially true since not all scanners use x-rays. About half of airport scanners use millimeter-wave technology and have no known health risks. If you are a frequent flyer or are still concerned, you can opt for a pat-down.

To read the rest of this article, please click the link below:

Part 1:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-tsa-screenings-effective-and-constitutional

Part 2:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-tsa-screenings-effective-and-constitutional-part-2