CBS 2 HD Exclusive: Model Airplane Terror?
A Hobby For Many Can Turn Into A Terrorist's Ally
http://wcbstv.com/local/local_story_137002709.html
(CBS) NEW YORK For most, it's a harmless hobby, flying radio-controlled
airplanes. But in the wrong hands, the little planes can become big weapons.
CBS 2 HD has learned more on the power of the planes and what the government
is doing, if anything, to regulate them.
It could happen in the middle of Manhattan. A remote controlled model
airplane, an all-American hobby, can turn into a weapon, in the hands of a
terrorist.
"You can literally go into a shop tomorrow and buy radio-controlled aircraft
or a radio controlled helicopter that will carry a payload of explosives
anywhere you want to," said David Hambling, a defense technology analyst.
The threat is real. Accused terrorists have already tried. In Maryland, a
teacher was found guilty of helping a terror group get an electronic
autopilot system and video equipment to use on these little airplanes.
Federal prosecutors say a Ohio man was indicted for conspiring with al Qaeda
before he could use his remote controlled helicopter in an attack.
These are model airplanes, they're not toys. They can actually fly. The
fastest can go over 100 mph with a theoretical range of five miles or more,
which is why the feds have asked model airplane enthusiasts to keep their
eyes and ears open.
"It's gonna take a long time to get to that point where they could possibly
be able to fly one of these things and pinpoint an area where they could be
doing some harm," said model enthusiast John Brown.
The hobbyists love the planes, but they also know that in the wrong hands
they could become undetectable air born weapons, literally flying under the
radar. Some of the bigger craft can carry up to 20 pounds and 20 pounds of
explosives can create quite an explosion.
"They present a real danger," New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said. "The
difficulty is figuring out how to regulate them."
Schumer said even the Department of Homeland Security sees them as a threat.
DHS a classified bulletin out to federal departments a few years ago.
"I think the appropriate thing is to ask DHS now that they've said these are
a danger, what they intend to do about it," Schumer said.
So far the feds have decided against additional regulations on the little
planes. Instead, they're relying on the very same hobby enthusiasts to keep
their eyes and ears open. It would take an outsider quite a while to learn
enough about the planes to modify them. The hobbyists say they'd spot the
danger in time.
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