Those Scary Ultralights?

Little ultralight aircraft might seem to us like the least likely vehicles of fear and destruction, but apparently not everyone sees them that way. Last week, after Hamas threatened to destroy the Knesset building in Jerusalem, one member of that legislature worried that terrorists might attack by air, landing on the long flat roof with gliders or ultralights. In Australia last week, a man was jailed after he allegedly “buzzed” his ex-wife’s home in his ultralight, scaring her and the neighbors. And Canada’s intelligence leaders recently warned that terrorists might use ultralights or remotely piloted vehicles to threaten Canadian troops and their allies. Canada’s Auditor General also released a report recently on the country’s anti-terrorism initiatives, and found them wanting. Top among the aviation-related concerns was a lack of scrutiny of airport workers with access to aircraft.