Safeguarding Skies: The Early Years

Aviation security is an integral part of modern air travel, ensuring the safe transportation of passengers, crew, and cargo worldwide. The framework underpinning this critical sector has evolved significantly over the decades, particularly since the 1970s. This era marked a turning point when the need for heightened security measures became starkly evident due to a rise in aviation-related crimes and global terrorism.

THE 1970’S: A DECADE OF AWAKENING

Although the first US in-flight hijacking occurred in 1961, the late 1960s to the early 1970s witnessed a surge in aviation-related security incidents such as hijackings, bombings, and other criminal activities. These events exposed vulnerabilities in the aviation system and underscored the urgent need for coordinated international efforts to ensure the safety of air travel. These incidents compelled nations to reevaluate their aviation security strategies.

FAA rule, issued on February 1, 1972, instructed air carriers “to use a screening system, acceptable to the FAA, that would require screening all passengers ‘by one or more of the following systems: behavioral profile, magnetometer, identification check, physical search.”‘ And then issued an “emergency rules that required screening all passengers and carry-on baggage on all certified, scheduled passenger

Airport Passenger and Carry On Bag Screening: The introduction of passenger screening using metal detectors and X-ray machines became a standard protocol in many countries by the mid-1970s, marking the beginning of modern airport security measures.

Fact Time:

• In 1968, Eastern Airlines used a Friskem Metal Detector at

Washington National Airport Gate 14 for some flights to Miami.

• New Orleans International Airport was the first airport to screen all passengers with a Metal Detector in 1972.
• “Magnetometers” have never been used in an airport in North America. One of those long-standing urban legends that turned into fact when people pointed at a Metal Detector and called it a Magnetometer. They are based on the same principle, but are two different technologies. However, your smartphone contains a magnetometer in miniature form.
• The Philips SAFERAY Detection system was deployed at a few airports for baggage screening in 1971. However, the maintenance requirements were so high that it did not last long.
• American Science and Engineering, Inc., and EG&G, Inc. adapted military and space technology for use in the early carry-on baggage screening systems.
• The early checked-bag scanning units were tube-based and displayed a grey scale outline of the object in a contrast-based system based on the density of the material used.

Advancing Security in the 1980s and Forward 

Building upon the lessons of the 1970s, the subsequent decades saw the expansion and refinement of aviation security measures. The 1980s, however, introduced a new wave of challenges, including the tragic bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. This event, caused by an explosive device hidden in checked luggage, highlighted vulnerabilities in baggage handling and screening processes. 

In response, governments and international organizations implemented stricter protocols: 

The deployment of sophisticated scanning technologies to inspect checked luggage for explosives became a priority. Airlines introduced systems to ensure that checked baggage was only loaded onto a flight if the corresponding passenger was onboard. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has played a central role in establishing global security standards and promoting collaboration among its member states. 

The 1990s further emphasized the importance of intelligence sharing and preemptive measures. Agencies worldwide began coordinating efforts to identify and neutralize threats before they could manifest. 

Fact Time: 

• By 1995, High-Efficiency Screening Systems with advanced weapon detection capabilities, automated exit lanes, checkpoint technology integration, recording systems, and remote screening capabilities were being developed and deployed in US airports. 

• The 1996 TWA Flight 800 explosion led to a recommendation for 100% checked baggage screening.  

• San Fransico International Airport is the first US-based airport to have an automated baggage screening system. It is the first major US airport to achieve 100% fully automated and integrated screening. 

• 9/11 stops all commercial aviation over North America.  

• 9/13 Commercial aviation started back in North America with new screening rules, the US National Guard, and increased law enforcement at all major airports.  

• The Aviation and Transportation Security Act creates the Transportation Security Administration as part of the Federal Aviation Administration and mandates 100% screening of checked Baggage. 

• The federal government takes over airport security screening, with Baltimore-Washington International Airport being the first location to convert to all federal screening in April 2002. 

• TSA removes all of the advanced technologies and screening systems and creates two standard and simple airport checkpoint configurations with limited to no advanced pilots or systems left in place to create a “uniform†approach to aviation screening.  

• The US implements 100% screening of all checked baggage at all commercial airports by December 2002.. 

Where do these early adopters of advanced technologies in aviation security with decades of experience go? They find their niche in small consulting companies and the corners of government offices, striving to make aviation safer one day at a time. Want to find or work with these experts? You can contact us here.