Air Security Legislation

 

   After September 11, 2001, airport security has grown and been more in depth to mitigate what happened on that terrible day. Before this day the threat of hijacking and using a plane as weapon did not appear as a possibility. The Federal Aviation Administration published 14 CFR Part 121.346, which was the Transponder Continuous Operation. All aircraft must be equipped with air traffic control (ATC) transponder, which under normal operations will provide a radar beacon code and altitude used for ATC to know a aircraft's location at all times (The Federal Register, n.d). The flight crew also have access to being able to manual dial to an ATC transponder beacon in about 5 to 10 seconds. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has the ability to input a code for unlawful interference which is, "7500 or Hijack code" (Rulemaking, n.d). 

This law is instrumental in shaping the safety in the aviation world. This helps aircrew have a better chance at fighting hijackers and getting the information out to the appropriate individuals for notification and assistance. This new transponder doesn't allow an individual to just unplug or pull a circuit breaker without a notification automatically being sent (Rulemaking, n.d). The FAA recieved a very one sided feedback on the newly implemented regulation. Most individuals were opposed because they felt it was unnecessary with the increased security requirements with TSA. But when it comes to safety in-flight I feel like you can't be to careful.

Rulemaking. Rulemaking | Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2022, from https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking

The Federal Register. Federal Register :: Request Access. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2022, from                 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-G/part-121/subpart-K/section-121.346