Flight School Security Awareness Training for Aircraft and Simulators

October 26, 2004
Summary

Congratulations! You have just completed the Flight School Security Awareness training.

You are now able to:
• Identify potential indicator behaviors that should raise suspicion.
• Decide what response or action, if any, is necessary to take for activities or behaviors that may be considered suspicious.
• Identify “Best Practices and Recommendations” to aid in increased security by reducing threats and illicit behavior and/or activities.

Remember:
• Security awareness allows us to take mindful and conscious measures to reduce the risks associated with suspicious behaviors that could lead to unlawful activity.
• Suspicious activity may be defined as activity that creates uneasiness or uncertainty without being criminal or illegal.
• Certain activities and/or behaviors in and of themselves may not be suspicious. However, combinations of multiple signs may indicate a higher degree of suspicious activity than individual signs.
• As the airline industry adapts and becomes more security conscious, those that wish us harm will also adapt their methods in an effort to offset our security awareness defensive gains.
• There are four methods for reporting suspicious activity:
- Question the individual
- Report the suspicious activity to a supervisor or other facility manager
- Contact local law enforcement
- Contact the General Aviation (GA) hotline or Transportation Security Operations Center (TSOC) (703-563-3240) for Flight Training Centers

NOTE: The GA Hotline or TSOC is a 24/7 operation staffed by TSA personnel who will document the reported item, collect your personal contact numbers and pass all the information on to the appropriate regulatory office within TSA. Your report will receive immediate attention by the agency to determine the severity of the action and the next steps to resolve the issue. This report will be followed up by an Aviation Security Inspector either in person or via telecom.

Remember:
• Individuals wishing to do us harm live all over the world and are very diverse in their demographics, i.e., sex, age, political beliefs, culture, financial status, religions, and the list goes on. Therefore, it is important that your focus be on the observable elements of a person’s actions and/or their behaviors, not their physical characteristics.
• In some cases there may not be apparent indicators, but you may have an uneasy feeling about a situation. Share these feelings with other staff members: they could be indicators of something that leads to a security risk. The better you know your students, the easier it will be to identify suspicious activity.

To be the eyes and ears of the aviation industry, those working with aviation students must learn to identify and separate activities and behavior from those considered normal versus suspicious in order to provide security and safety within your facilities. Your efforts help provide a safer and more secure industry for everyone.

Remain Vigilant - Identify and promptly report suspicious behavior and/or activity.

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