Alabama congressman 'shocked' by TSA revelation that people on no-fly list can attend flight school

An Alabama congressman told TSA officials this week he's shocked  that people placed on the "No-Fly" list, a post-9/11 Transportation Security Administration initiative, can attend flight school and receive flight certificates.
A House subcommittee chaired by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, held a hearing Wednesday on a new government report showing weaknesses in the vetting policies of U.S. flight schools. The hearing took an interesting turn after a TSA official said that a U.S. citizen restricted from commercial flying is allowed to train for a pilot license.
"There's a reason that they're on the no-flight list," said Rogers, the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security. "That means that they are a risk."
The Government Accountability Office investigated TSA regulations and polices from January 2006 to September 2011, discovering that more than 25,000 foreign nationals applied for airmen certificates. Only trainees who have completed flight training can obtain their flight license, according to GAO testimony.

Read more: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/07/rep_mike_rogers_shocked_by_tsa.html

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