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In an effort to keep people informed of the Passenger-Cargo Security Group’s activities, we have developed this information page. The information posted here may not be complete for purposes of protecting various projects as they develop, but will give you a sense of our direction and goals.

PCSG Director of Passenger Initiatives, Ed Folsom, has been a leader in aviation security solutions for some time with an extensive and successful track record while wearing many different hats.
World economies being what they are, PCSG is no longer preparing for a European “Counter-Terrorism for Transportation Conference” at this time. We will, however, tap the PCSG European Liaison, Neil DeSousa, for journalistic input from our European (and worldwide) friends in the AvSec and multimodal transportation arena to be posted on this web site. Future plans tentatively call for a U.S. conference in 2010.
PCSG welcomes you to the year 2009 – the beginning of our 5th year of operation. The PCSG Board of Directors has elected PCSG co-founder and Executive Vice President, Leon Laylagian, to the President position. Former PCSG President and co-founder, Marc Flagg, will remain on as an advisor and VP Tracy Price was elected to the PCSG Executive Vice President position.
PCSG rings out 2008 with the conclusion of our fourth year in operation, bringing security solutions to commercial aviation! We have been involved in a few projects, and have assisted other organizations behind the scenes enabling their success. Our renowned Counter-Terrorism for Transportation Conference, last held in Boston in 2007, is planned for a European format in 2009 and a return to the U.S. in 2010.
Crew screening projects have been initiated at 3 Category X airports by the TSA in coordination with 2 of the nation’s largest airline pilot groups, CAPA (Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations) and ALPA (The Airline Pilots Association). The separate tests include a data base system, and a biometric system, similar to the proposed test PCSG had prepared last year. The result will be a more intelligent and effective manner with which to vet airline pilots in the screening process. As these screening projects move forward, it appears that a potential hybrid system will eventually be implemented. More on the subject as it develops.
UAL Capt. Ed Folsom, Director of Passenger Initiatives at PCSG, is serving on an RTCA Working Group for Secondary Barriers. He is responsible for generating this working group process and is our nation’s leading expert on secondary barrier systems and procedures. The project promises to thoroughly vet this significant layer of security among all involved stakeholders with the hope of future implementation.
The TSA has indicated problems with the implementation of the new cargo security law that calls for the screening of 100% cargo in the sub-load (belly pits) of commercial passenger jets. PCSG believes that this shortcoming is a direct result of a lack of vision and will to carry out the law, as well as pushback from airlines and shippers alike. The technology and logistic methodology currently exist to maintain effective throughput and cost controls, and will only improve with a mandated and focused development program for improved technologies and practices.
April of 2008 marks the 5th operational anniversary of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program, now the 3rd largest federal law enforcement organization in the United States. In spite of the programs successes, its artificially small size mitigated by the TSA has limited its deterrent and defense value as a layer of security. The TSA has effectively capped the growth of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program without such a mandate from Congress which intended the FFDO program to be a robust deterrent to terrorism. The decision to cap the small budget of 22 million dollars in contrast to the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) budget which nears 1 billion dollars unnecessarily diminishes one of the most effective and cost efficient layers of security to combat terrorism; this equates to approximately $16 per flight per FFDO versus $3,500 per flight per Federal Air Marshal (FAM), or 4 times the flight coverage at 1/25th the cost. PCSG does not believe in eliminating or diminishing layers of security, but instead values integrating a “system of systems” that work together effectively. When the FBI crafted a cockpit protection program in September 2001, they envisioned arming up to 60,000 airline pilots within 2 years; the current program under the TSA falls well short of that mark. The PCSG officers recognize and value that FFDOs protected over 1 million flights last year, and continue to serve our nation with honor and distinction.
PCSG is in the planning stages for a European version of the “Counter-Terrorism for Transportation Conference”. This will be the fifth version of what has become a world recognized high quality event that hosts multimodal transportation leaders from around the world. PCSG European Liaison, Neil DeSousa, produces this first class conference, and is putting together the European version by popular demand.
PCSG enthusiastically applauds the TSA for their expansion of the SPOT (Selecting Passengers Observation Technique) program, a Behavior Pattern Recognition (BPR) based tool. This program is better suited to identifying people with bad intent instead of looking for bad things. PCSG hopes the TSA will further expand the SPOT program to airport law enforcement that move about the airport and can act with the authority of law based on observation and detection of behavior associated with terrorism beyond the screening portal.
PCSG strongly supports an initiative to install Secondary Barriers on all commercial passenger jets. In addition to the required reinforced (but not impenetrable) cockpit doors, these secondary barrier systems will buy cockpit and cabin crews time to lock down the aircraft and get the airliner on the ground. Last year, PCSG held a Congressional Briefing to gain legislative support for the secondary barrier measure, but has since deferred to a working group process to secure this extremely important layer of security.
Terrorist Watch lists are for the bad guys, right? The TSA has a significant number of active line flying airline pilots on these lists. That’s right, the same pilots that have their hands on the controls of what is now considered a potential weapon of mass destruction, large commercial airliners. The TSA has yet to reconcile why airline pilots are on these lists and are (also) still allowed to fly their jets routinely from point A to point B. Clearly, if these pilots pose a security risk to warrant being placed on a Terror Watch list, they should not have direct access to the airliners flight controls – right? When these same pilots need to ride in the cabin (no longer have their hands on the controls), they become selectee’s for additional scrutiny at the screening portal. This gross inconsistency is inconceivable, and in spite of repeated requests from various airline pilot groups to remedy this problem, the TSA offers little explanation, and less of a solution.
PCSG enthusiastically congratulates Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) for the passage of his cargo security legislation last year! Now federal law, all commercial passenger airlines will have to screen 100% of the sub-load (belly pit) cargo in a program to be phased-in over 3 years. Rep. Markey has stayed the course on this measure having introduced legislation for cargo security no fewer than 4 previous times, and did not compromise on the measure. PCSG is proud to have contributed to the crafting of this important law.
PCSG is approaching the conclusion of its third year of operation as an airline security trade association! The 2007 year has been extremely busy, and we are looking forward to a very productive 2008. We have accomplished many things, with limited resources, including continued working group participation with the government, recommended legislative language for Congress (some of which has become law), and the continued pursuit of projects that produce workable solutions.
In the project arena, we have worked on a pilot screening project for a significant amount of time, and continue to have the interest and support from airlines and airports; however, we are still having difficulty in our communications with the TSA. PCSG remains committed to the pursuit of this important screening improvement, and will either directly sponsor a test program, or support other such endeavors. Additionally, PCSG has been updating its web site and web master.
We hope to be able to provide some security upgrades that enable us to host a closed forum for participants from our “Counter-Terrorism for Transportation Conference (see “The Conference” page on this site). The host and producer of this world class conference, Mr. Neil DeSousa, has recently joined the ranks of PCSG as its new European Liaison. With Neil’s expertise and enthusiasm, we expect to communicate with our European partners, and chair our next conference in France! As we respectfully acknowledge the passing of the 6th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on our country, the officers of PCSG continue to remember and recognize that solutions are at hand with the appropriate commitment, and will to see them through. In the words of the 911 Commission, lack of success comes from a failure of imagination. See you in 2008!!
PCSG held a Congressional Briefing on December 14th, in cooperation with the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA), and the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA). The briefing, sponsored by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), focused on commercial aircraft secondary barriers supporting the presently installed reinforced cockpit doors. The primary presentation was made by PCSG Director of Passenger Initiatives, Capt. Ed Folsom. You can view information on secondary barriers on the PCSG “Hear from the Experts” page. In addition to nearly 100,000 airline pilots, the 400,000 member International Airline Passenger Association strongly supports this measure.