David Board came to the United States from England to pursue his dream.
"I wanted to fly," says Board, a pilot and owner of the aviation school Innovative Flying, "and in the U.S., you have the most freedom to do so."
He compares how he flies in his two small aircrafts perched at the Horry County Airport in Conway to driving an automobile. "This is like a Ford or Chevy to me. But instead of needing hundreds of miles of road, I only need one mile to take off and one mile to land."
While he's free to move about the country as of now, he's afraid with a terror alert issued by the FBIand the Department of Homeland Security, those freedoms will be taken away.
Monday, the Federal Government warned that terrorists are considering renting private planes and loading them with explosives. U.S. intelligence has received information that the terrorist network Al-Qaeda has an interest in getting aviation training especially for small aircrafts.
Board says the terror attacks on September 11th, 2001 caused the aviation industry to be dismantled in the U.S. "This country used to be on the cutting edge of aviation. But now, since there are so many restrictions to becoming a pilot, no one is pursuing it any longer."
The only restrictions for small aircraft pilots, he says, are when the weather is bad. But he's afraid to see if an attack is carried out by a small aircraft, what will restrictions may come. "On a clear day, I can just get in my plane and go," he says. "I don't know what restrictions they could put on us, but it will be another shot at the industry."
One of Board's planes weighs 1300 pounds. He says these types of aircraft could not inflict much damage, like those used for the World Trade Center attacks. "I feel like I'm being picked on. There's not much you can carry in these small planes, just you and a passenger."
He says, in his eyes, the terrorist acts of 9/11 allow people to use the fear of the unknown. "I believe in some aspects they've won. The terrorists have won."
How do you feel about pending aircraft restrictions? Do you think the terrorists have won?
