Committee on TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE U.S. House of Representatives	Democratic  News
Room 2163 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC  20515 Telephone 202-225-4472	Rep. James L. Oberstar Ranking Democratic Member

For Immediate Release                                                                                                 Contact:  Jim Berard

Thursday, June 26, 2003                                                                                                         (202) 225-4472

 

 

Oberstar Criticizes Bid to Arm Cargo Pilots

Cites lower threat level than on passenger flights

 

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WASHINGTON—A bill to enhance aviation security passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Wednesday, but not before one of its provisions attracted the ire of the committee’s top Democrat.

 

Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.) criticized a section of the bill that would allow pilots of cargo planes to carry firearms under the Federal Flight Deck Officer program.  Oberstar said that arming pilots may be a popular idea, but training cargo pilots as flight deck officers only drains resources from more important security needs.

 

“We ought to be inspecting cargo, not arming pilots,” Oberstar told the committee. “What’s that (gun) for?  To neutralize motivated and determined packages?  To shoot bombs we find on airplanes?”

 

Oberstar, a former chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and one of the leading experts in Congress on airline safety, said it costs more than $5,000 to train a pilot as a flight deck officer.  He also pointed out that some 35,000-50,000 passenger airline pilots are expected to go through the training program, and that training is paid for entirely by the federal government. 

 

He further explained that cargo carriers are exempt from most of the fees and ticket taxes imposed on airlines and their passengers, but benefit from the airport improvements and enhanced security measures funded by those fees.

 

“I think we are headed in the wrong direction.  I think we are asking the public to inappropriately support a cost that the cargo carriers ought to be sharing,” Oberstar said.

 

Despite his objection to this provision, Oberstar did not oppose the bill as a whole, and even praised the legislation for requiring stricter security reviews and audits of aircraft repair stations in foreign countries.

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