An unnamed pilot posted videos on YouTube showing how baggage handlers can access aircraft just by swiping their ID cards at a door. Meanwhile, TSA subjects pilots to thorough searches, even those some pilots are permitted to carry firearms on-board, and have access to a hand ax in the cockpit. Now, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) has responded — not by addressing the security issues, but rather by subjecting the pilot to an investigation. According to San Francisco attorney Don Wersto, federal authorities have confiscated the pilot’s firearm and removed him from a program that trained pilots on advanced security procedures.Mr. Werno told the Associated Press that the pilot has now removed the videos from YouTube. They had documented the difference in security screenings between pilots and ground crews at San Francisco International Airport. The episode raises a concern that TSA is more concerned about its public image than it is about real security. Real security policy makers welcome disclosures about weaknesses in current practices that they can fix. Hopefully, Mr. Wersto will be advising his client about the right to file a retaliation claim within the 90-day time limit under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century ("AIR 21").
