4 ms·
From my very limited experience of flying on private planes, I have never gone through any security or undergone any form of inspection by TSA.
by balbaugh 14y ago
From my very limited experience of flying on private planes, I have never gone through any security or undergone any form of inspection by TSA.
- neurotech1 14y agoFrom what I understand, its at the discretion of the Captain or owner/operator of the jet, and what their FAA Air Operators Certificate allows. For charter flights with vetted/verified clients, that is very minimal security, and rarely by the TSA. Technically speaking, TSA, who are not federal agents, have to be invited onto an aircraft by the Captain.
- saraid216 14y agoEr. I'm a bit confused. How is the TSA not a federal agency? I know there are state transit authorities, but the TSA is federal, no?
- icebraining 14y agoA government agent or a federal agent is an agent of a federal law enforcement agency. They're a federal agency, but not of law enforcement (AFAIK).
- roc 14y agoI wonder where the TSA VIPR teams land on that axis. As I understand it, they can be comprised of actual law enforcement personnel, including federal. But don't necessarily. And even if a VIPR team included federal law enforcement personnel, it's not clear that they're necessarily acting with federal law enforcement authority. As if the TSA wasn't a confusing-enough bureaucratic monstrosity.
- neurotech1 14y agoNot sure.. but my comment was referring to TSA Screeners, which despite labels to the contrary are not federal agents or (sworn) federal officers. My guess (IANAL etc) they can be refused permission to search a private aircraft without probable cause or invitation by the Captain, same deal for any federal agent.
- roc 14y agoRight. But screeners can also be on VIPR teams. And as the VIPR program falls under the TSA's law enforcement office, it seems an open question whether random TSA gate goons gain federal law enforcement authority in those situations. The old rules are simply not something I'd be confident applies. In the trivial case, sure, a gate agent isn't a federal officer. But if a TSA agent were to appear at a private aircraft, that would be out of the ordinary. And once you start talking about out-of-the-ordinary set-ups, it's worth noting that even a random TSA gate rapist may have out-of-the-ordinary legal authority in some situations. To say nothing of what law enforcement officers may be operating under the TSA's purview in said out-of-the-ordinary set-ups.
- neurotech1 14y agoI think your mistaken. The TSA personnel don't get privileges just because their part of some "law enforcement office", only the sworn "Federal Agents" in the team have the actual privileges. I know an attorney who flies their own jet, and if the TSA "agents" are doing something "out-of-the-ordinary", that is the time when there is a "badge check". I think this is a moot point, as what VIPR teams are typically for securing public transportation or public events, neither of which is a private jet. Air Marshals, although actual federal agents, don't typically fly on private jets unless under Space-A (invited) privileges.
- roc 14y agoI'm wondering aloud here. I quite specifically don't know how it would go down. I'm just saying that it doesn't seem clear beyond the trivial case -- gate agent and private plane -- and that doesn't seem to happen anyway. As to what VIPR teams do, a small airport is a VIP away from all sorts of federal officers asking all sorts of questions, private planes or not.