Archive for the ‘Aviation’ Category
Fact Sheet: Aviation Enhanced Security Measures for All Commercial Flights to the United States
Thursday, June 29th, 2017The United States and the global aviation community face an adaptive and agile enemy. Terrorist groups continue to target passenger aircraft, and we have seen a “spider web” of threats to commercial aviation as terrorist pursue new attack methods. Based on these concerns, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to raise the baseline of global aviation security to keep the traveling public safe, in coordination with our international partners.
Change to Global Aviation Security Requirements
In light of evaluated intelligence, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly has determined it is necessary to implement enhanced security measures for all commercial flights to the United States. These measures, both seen and unseen, include enhanced screening of passengers and electronic devices as well as heightened security standards for aircraft and airports.
- Countries: 105
- Airports: 280 (approximate number as it will vary based on seasonal airports)
- Total airlines: 180
- Average daily flights: 2,100
- Passengers: 325,000 average daily passengers
Enhanced Security Measures and Timeline
The enhanced security measures include but are not limited to:
- Enhancing overall passenger screening;
- Conducting heightened screening of personal electronic devices;
- Increasing security protocols around aircraft and in passenger areas; and
- Deploying advanced technology, expanding canine screening, and establishing additional preclearance locations.
Over the course of the next several weeks and months, DHS/TSA will work with aviation stakeholders to ensure these enhanced security measures are fully implemented. Those stakeholders who fail to adopt these requirements with certain timeframes run the risk of additional security restrictions being imposed.
International Flights Bound for the United States
These enhanced security measures will help to secure all commercial flights departing from 280 airports that serve as last points of departure to the United States.
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Drones & ISIS: Could it happen here as a weapon of terror?
Wednesday, February 1st, 2017“….In the past two months, the Islamic State has used more than 80 remotely piloted drones against Iraqi forces and their allies. About one-third of the aircraft, some as small as model airplanes, dropped bombs or were rigged with explosives to detonate on the ground……
Through a partnership with the Government of Rwanda, Zipline (& its drones) will deliver all blood products for twenty hospitals and health centers starting this summer, improving access to healthcare for millions of Rwandans.
Thursday, January 19th, 2017
A Nigerian air force jet has mistakenly bombed a camp for displaced people near Rann, killing up to 100 people and injuring dozens more.
Tuesday, January 17th, 2017A Turkish cargo plane flying from Hong Kong has crashed in Kyrgyzstan, killing at least 37 people, most of them on the ground
Monday, January 16th, 2017HiRO: Health Integrated Rescue Operations & Disaster Drones
Sunday, January 15th, 2017“….One HiRO (Health Integrated Rescue Operations) package is designed to provide help for a severely injured victim, another is intended for up to 100 people with significant to minor injuries……Drone experts from…Hinds Community College, with advice from the researchers, designed and built the disaster drones, which are equipped to fly in bad weather. “These drones have impressive lift and distance capability, and can carry a variety of sensors, including infrared devices, to help locate victims in the dark,” says Dennis Lott, director of Hinds CC’s unmanned aerial vehicle program.
Lott notes that any progress toward EMS response drone technology remains limited by Federal Aviation Administration ‘Part 107’ regulations that currently restrict most privately owned drones to a maximum weight of 55 pounds, an altitude ceiling of 400 feet, and line-of-sight operations, that is, within visible range………”
Futuristic: Drones in Disaster Response
Sunday, January 15th, 2017“….A tourist bus has tipped over and slipped into a gully…….you call 911.
Soon….a flashing light appears overhead, accompanied by a buzzing sound. You look skyward ……an EMS response drone drops from the heavens deux ex machina. The 3-feet-tall, 6-feet-diameter octo-copter has been automatically guided to your location using your smartphone’s GPS coordinates.
It lands nearby, carrying a kit stuffed with meds, gauze and bandages, a chest seal, clotting sponges, scissors, and tourniquets. As you rummage through it, a video screen inside lights up and a face appears. “I’m an emergency care physician. I’m here to help.”….”
December 21, 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie with 259 souls aboard and 11 on the ground killed
Wednesday, December 21st, 2016Traces of explosives have been found on victims of the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean in May.
Friday, December 16th, 2016- EgyptAir Airbus A320 flying overnight from Paris to Cairo crashed into the eastern Mediterranean Sea early on Thursday 19 May, 2016.
- 66 passengers and crew on board.
- Some flight debris was later found floating in the Mediterranean, 290km north of Alexandria.
