Letter to The New York Times

March 14, 2005

Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
fax: (212) 556-3622

A recent report on aviation security made for a sensational Times headline (“Government Report on U.S. Aviation Warns of Security Holes,” March 13), but readers were ill-served when the newspaper mischaracterized what the report said about general aviation security, then overstated the possible impact of the document for the industry.

First, the 24-page report devoted only a single paragraph to the issue of general aviation security. That paragraph restated a long-standing, well-known concern: general aviation, like many other portions of the national transportation system, must remain vigilant in providing security protections. The Times treated this as news, focusing large portions of the story on general aviation. Yet the paper did nothing to detail the many voluntary and regulatory changes the general aviation community has implemented to bolster security since Sept. 11, 2001.

Additionally, contrary to the newspaper’s claims about the impact of the report, it is highly unlikely that an unclassified analysis that merely re-hashes well-documented security concerns will prompt policymakers to impose additional, unnecessary security restrictions.

Sincerely,

Ed Bolen
President and CEO
National Business Aviation Association