Ever since a software engineer furious with the IRS launched a suicide attack against the agency’s Austin, Texas, office, slamming his Piper Cherokee into the building, killing himself and an IRS worker, politicians and the media have focused on general aviation as a significant terror threat. But, according to a recent column at Officer.com, law enforcement professionals need to ask: Is general aviation a significant terror threat or just a red herring?
The column’s writer, Lt. Kenneth J. Solosky, who retired as Chief Pilot/Director of Training in the NYPD Aviation Unit, notes:
“If history is our guide, the answer is no; general aviation poses no more of a threat than any other vehicle such as a car or truck and, indeed, perhaps is less of a threat.”
His column — well worth the time to read — relates several attempts to cause damage using GA aircraft, then compares those to the damage wrought by cars and trucks. Check it out here.
