ABSTRACT
When the term GA is mentioned, the image most likely to be conjured is one of a small singleengine airplane droning over America’s farmland on a tranquil summer’s day. In the post-9/11 context, this pastoral image of GA has been tarnished to a degree by knowledge that the 9/11 hijackers trained in small GA aircraft in the United States and amid lingering concerns that GA aircraft could be used to carry out a future terrorist attack. While some recent high-profi le breaches of GA security have pointed to persisting vulnerabilities, and limited intelligence information may suggest a possible terrorist “fi xation on using aircraft to attack U.S. interests.”1 GA aircraft vary considerably with regard to the risks they pose. The security risk posed by a small single-engine airplane operating in rural settings is intuitively quite different than the risk characteristics of large business jets operating in and near major metropolitan areas. Most experts agree that an adaptive, risk-based approach to securing GA aircraft and airports that takes into account the unique characteristics of the various distinct components of GA is needed to assure that security needs are adequately met and balanced with economic and operational considerations of the GA industry.2
