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Letters to the Editor
Time
Time Life Bldg., Rockefeller Ctr., Ste.
New York, NY 10020-1393

In a full-page advertisement paid for by Time, Inc. (page 70, Dec. 23, 2002), you showed a photograph of two small general aviation aircraft parked at an airport with two power plant cooling towers in the background, with the caption "Remember when only environmentalists would have been alarmed by this photo?" and invited readers to "Join the conversation." By using such an inflammatory caption, you have chosen to begin the conversation by yelling "Fire!" in a crowded movie house. You preclude any further rational discussion.

The typical general aviation aircraft fully loaded weighs less than a base-model Honda Civic weighs empty and carries only about as much fuel as an SUV. Numerous reports, including an independent study commissioned by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which is enclosed, have found that general aviation aircraft have neither the mass, the kinetic energy, nor the load-carrying capability to cause significant damage to a nuclear power plant.

AOPA welcomes a conversation about aviation security. Our 389,000 members simply ask that if Time, Inc. would like to begin that discussion, you do so responsibly.

Sincerely,

Phil Boyer
President
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

December 18, 2002