P of P: Episode 2

In a recent post (CNNFOXNBCABCCBS: Purveyors of Panic) I talked a little about the mountain of an ant hill that the media made out of the Jet Blue emergency landing at LAX. Once again they are preying on the general public's lack of familiarity with aviation, and short attention span, by making much ado out of the recent theft of a business jet. Where to start?

First of all let's consider this, and I won't even have to look up statistics to back it up. Anybody with a moment's reflection could surmise this on their own. More moving vans are stolen in this country everyday than business jets. The only reason this story got any traction at all is because the vehicle in question has wings. "But Larry, but Larry that means you cound fly it into any building anywhere and do horrendous damage!". True, but I could more easily steal a moving van, pack it full of diesel fuel and fertilizer, park it in front of an elementary school and walk away. All without popping up on radar, being chased by fighter jets and dying in the fiery crash. Read the news story yourself (here) and substitute "moving van" for "corporate jet" and "driven" for "flown". It won't take long to figure out why the media isn't going to a lot of trouble to report missing U-Hauls.

"But Larry, but Larry, didn't you hear what the FBI guy said? Jets are easy to steal if you know how to fly them! You don't even need keys!" Yes they are easy to steal, IF you know how to fly them. The jet in question here, a Citation VII, has very complicated start up and operating procedures that require extensive training. Training that costs thousands of dollars, requires extensive documentation including a type rating. A type rating means you are qualified to fly only that type of aircraft. And while you may certainly do it in an illegal manner, the FAA is going to have your name on file as one of the less than 1% of individuals in the country that is qualified to fly that plane. The group of suspects for this particular crime is extremely small. Keep in mind that many if not all the 9/11 hijackers were being tracked by the FBI prior to the attack because of all the documentation that is required to get something as simple as a Private Pilot's license. They will find this guy, too.

"But Larry, but Larry! Didn't the terrorists fly those complex airliners?" Yes, after they were already in the air. Once an airplane is flying, anyone with a basic knowledge of aircraft control can fly it, especially if you don't plan on landing in one piece. This is why Atta and co. were only concerned about learning the basics. The pilots who they murdered before taking the controls did all the complex stuff for them.

Now, I didn't see it in this news story, but several of the radio reports I heard (on one network) made a huge deal out of the fact the control tower was closed when he landed and the pilot could remotely control the runway lighting. First of all, many control towers, including Champaign's, have limited hours of operation. This is because they don't have enough traffic late at night to merit the expense of staffing them. They also are not equipped with missles, lasers, AA or anything else that could stop a stolen aircraft from landing even if they were open. As for PCC (pilot controlled lighting), that has been around for decades and is not anything new. It is controlled using the same radio frequency as the common traffic advisory frequency for that aiport. Just click the mic 7 times and "Voila!", you have lights. Everything from a Piper J-3 to a 777 can do it. The pilot did not, as seemed to be implicated by the ominous tone the newscaster used when describing how he "remotely controlled the runway lights", have some kind of Bond-ian gadget that is allowing him to manipulate airport facilities.

But the part that just really got to me, and it's not mentioned in the link I gave you, was when the reporter I heard on the radio, in even more ominous tones, went to great lengths to point out the airport the jet was found at was where two 9/11 hijackers had trained. Again, a moment's reflection and you say, so what? But since most of the folks listening this morning were probably already in a lather over the "remote controlled lights" that little dollop of hysteria inducing whip cream was the perfect topper for a media that's much more concerned about tittilating than telling.