Taft Stallings
The Daily Reflector
By Courtney Lindstrand
The Daily Reflector
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Regulations in the aviation industry have changed drastically since 9/11. That makes Taft Stallings feel safer in the air than ever before.
Stallings, a pilot for 13 years, is the chief flight instructor at Dillon's Aviation at Pitt-Greenville Airport.
Prior to Sept. 11, the threat of terrorism wasn't on the radar, he said.
“We were always taught a little bit about safety and the threat that an aircraft can be hijacked ... but that type of awareness for terrorists wasn't really emphasized or stressed prior to 9/11,” he said. “Most pilots didn't even consider it a possibility.
“Before 9/11 we were kind of complacent and relaxed, and 9/11 was kind of a wake-up call.”
Stallings said aviation security tightened after the attacks. An example is a greater use of temporary flight restrictions, called TFR's by pilots. TFR's dictate airspace where pilots are temporarily prohibited to fly.
From keeping the president safe, to putting East Carolina University football fans at ease, TFR's have become another rule that pilots have to follow to keep the peace in the air.
“We just have to be more knowledgeable pilots. We have to be more aware of where we are and where the TFR's are,” Stallings said.
Stallings said stricter regulations make the general public feel safer. People have become more cautious about flying since the Sept. 11 attacks, he said.
“The public is becoming concerned, and it's fine to be concerned, but I think there is a (baseless) fear that small airplanes are going to fly into their house intentionally,” Satllings said.
“I just don't think that is going to be the case because of all the increased securities, policies and limitations we now have in aviation.”
Stallings doesn't feel nervous about flying since the attacks, even when flying a commercial plane full of passengers. However, he has noticed a shift in the attitude of pilots within the tightly knit aviation community.
“They appreciated being able to fly; they appreciated each other a little bit more,” he said, of how such a momentous event rocked their careers.
Now, 10 years later, Stallings is able to reflect on how his outlook has changed because of the attacks, from both the standpoint of a pilot and that of an everyday citizen.
“Definitely I don't take things for granted as much as I used to, whether it be flying or anything else related to our freedom,” he said. “
I know it made me appreciate our freedoms and what we can do.
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