Through The Fence and trailered aircraft question

I am sorry to hear that you were challenged and ejected from the airport property when merely wanting to visit a memorial. I find increasing security at the airports that ultimately will lead to near gridlock to those of us who are trying to work in, or enjoy aviation. I remember as a child being allowed into hangars with my father at airports, and warmly welcomed at that. TSA as a government agency needs to be responsive as our public servants;  it is the public that created aviation and pays their salary. Coming up with solutions to maintain viable usage that does not limit access is what will allow vibrant commerce, and hopefully at least, not contraction of aviation as we (have) know(n) it. What has happened at Punta Gorda needs to be addressed and a viable solution found before simply locking away a part of our aviation heritage of openness. Certainly the Experimental category is part of the American heritage, consistent with the spirit of our country and a testament to what the American spirit should be and hopefully not what it was. The idea that we have lost ourselves to security means terrorists really have won, that would be sad.

I believe that those who desire access to do wrong will tend find a way regardless. A national ID, while I loathe the idea, is probably part of the ultimate solution. I just wish it was still possible to walk up to a hangar at night, with old aircraft projects stacked outside ( a P-40 and a P-51 in my case as a kid) and then get up the nerve to knock on the door and be invited warmly inside. That has been a memory that I will carry for my lifetime. The possibility of that must be kept for children today, or we will lose our American spirit. We are heading that direction!

Could the person walking around be someone up to no good, maybe, but probably a greater likelihood someone who just loves aviation. The guy wanting to do wrong is probably cutting through the security fence out back.

Clarke,

  I'm afraid that the term "public servant" has become a misnomer. More often than not they have become "self servants". I wonder what percentage of TSA or FAA employes or decision makers have actually been employed within commercial aviation or other transportation industries. So much of this over regulation and over protection is in the name of anti-terrorism, well guess what, they are winning without doing anything more. We have lost to many freedoms to over protection in the last 8 years.

Ed Walker, N3145M

Tom, I'm not an airport security expert but I was one once. 

The problem at KPGD was not due to the basic TTF agreement structure (which the FAA wants to cut off, but that's another problem).  The PIC taxied clear of the area before the gate closed, which could have allowed unauthorized entry behind the PIC's aircraft.  This was a "failure to comply with established procedures" problem, not an authorized entry problem.  A sensible enforcement alternative would have withdrawn that PIC's authorization to use the gate without an escort or would have levied a fine, or both - not penalized the persons who were complying with the rules by restricting their access, too.  I will withhold my biased opinion about what inevitably happens when a bureaucrat thinks the power of the office is personal power.

This is not related to your issue of continued access with a trailer, which has most likely become a hemorrhoid of its own dimension.