Now in my latest ASK THE PILOT post...
The arrest of five airline employees in Boston underscores one of the most ridiculous protocols of airport security: the fact that tarmac workers are exempt from TSA screening, while pilots and flight attendants are not.
For the past thirteen years, pilots and flight attendants have been subject to the same tedious screening as passengers, while baggage handlers, cleaners, mechanics, caterers and the like have been able to saunter through unmanned checkpoints.
No disrespect to the thousands of honest and hardworking ground staff out there, but let's be truthful: which is the potential higher-risk employee group, airline pilots or apron workers?
At many airports Known Crew Member (KCM) checkpoints now allow flight and cabin crew to bypass the normal TSA rigmarole. That's a welcome change, but the fact that it took over a decade for this program to get going is an embarrassment. And we still have to stand at a kiosk while a guard fusses with our credentials, while ramp workers merely swipe their badges at an electronic door or turnstile.
PLUS...
Also last week the renowned graphic designer Massimo Vignelli passed away at age 83.
Unfortuantely for Vignelli, he lived just long enough to witness the ruination of what was perhaps his greatest work: the famous "AA" emblem of American Airlines.
It was once said of Vignelli's work: "If you do it right, it will last forever,"
Alas, not necessarily.
The full story is here...
http://www.askthepilot.com/tsa-arres...simo-vignelli/
Patrick Smith