President's Position

Phil Boyer has served as AOPA's president since 1991.

At AOPA Expo in Palm Springs I unveiled to almost 1,000 members attending the Team AOPA general session the association's new Airport Watch program. The program is a classic example of what can go right when an organization like AOPA and the federal government work together instead of butting heads. Our goal is to get participation from every pilot and anyone employed at or frequenting an airport. There is something you and others can do to help with national security at our nation's general aviation airports.

AOPA's Airport Watch is patterned after successful Neighborhood Watch anti-crime programs, and it is based on the same premise: Who better to know what belongs and what doesn't, what's normal and what's not, than the members of the local community? And that's what a GA airport is — a small community.

The concept is such a logical way to keep an eye on the thousands of GA airports across the United States that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is more focused on large air carrier airports for now, has partnered with AOPA to provide a simple, easy-to-remember nationwide toll-free reporting hotline. It's 866/GA-SECURE (866/427-3287). Adm. James M. Loy, TSA's head, was instrumental in recognizing this common-sense idea. "I'm delighted we were able to act quickly [on the AOPA toll-free-number suggestion]," said Loy. "I encourage pilots across the country to participate."

Scheduled to be up and running on December 1, the hotline will be staffed 24 hours a day. Operators will route any information called in directly to the proper local authorities. That means, for instance, if you see something suspicious at an unfamiliar airport you don't have to waste time looking up the local police department's phone number. You just call 866/GA-SECURE.

While the toll-free number is a key to making the whole thing work, AOPA's Airport Watch program is much more than just a phone number. It also includes printed materials such as posters and pamphlets showing examples of suspicious activity, steps pilots can take to help law enforcement, and sensible precautions for improving airport security. This month AOPA members will receive a 12-page brochure on the Airport Watch program, providing full details of what to look for and how to handle individual situations. AOPA also has produced a training video with several terrorist scenarios acted out. Law enforcement officials participated in the development and production of the video, providing realism for the police response to the threats shown on the tape. This video will be provided free to all 1,400 AOPA Airport Support Network volunteers to show at pilot meetings. It also will be available upon request to all organized local airport groups, EAA chapters, and airport managers. Just call 800/USA-AOPA or request it through the Airport Watch section of AOPA Online.

So what can you do to help? First, even if you are the most seasoned pilot, don't be offended if someone asks you what you're doing on the flight line. Be glad that someone thinks enough of your airport to look after its security. Be sure to carry a driver's license or other government-issued photo ID (it's an FAA regulation now) to show who you are and be prepared to explain that you have a reason to be there.

The Airport Watch pamphlet mentions other things you can do. They include:

• Look for pilots who appear to be under the control of someone else.
• Look for anyone trying to access an aircraft through force.
• Look for anyone who misuses aviation lingo — or seems too eager to use all of the lingo.
• Introduce yourself to new faces at your airport. At once, you can resolve many questions about these folks.
• Lock an aircraft anytime you leave it, even if it's just to run into the FBO to use the restroom or pay for fuel.
• Use common sense. None of these necessarily indicate a terrorist threat. Listen to your instincts and follow through.

There are those in the general public who, through lack of understanding, continue to clamor for the same type of security measures at all airports as those at the big air carrier airports. Despite repeated efforts by AOPA and others in the GA community they refuse to see that when it comes to GA airport security, one size does not fit all. They ignore the question of who pays for all the extra security. The small-town government with a 3,000-foot-long runway at a municipal airfield? The family that decides to open its grass strip to the public? Those people who demand international airport-style security for every airfield ignore the fact that the average GA aircraft, fully loaded, weighs less than many compact cars weigh empty — or carries barely 50 gallons of fuel, slightly more than a large SUV.

AOPA is proud to have taken this proactive position by developing the Airport Watch program, and even prouder on behalf of our members to have received the endorsement of the very regulators who were trying to determine how to handle GA airports. Being a part of the solution is certainly better than waiting for government actions we may not endorse. Read the pamphlet. Watch the video. Be on the lookout for anything unusual around your airport. And remember the toll-free number: 866/GA-SECURE.