 AOPA President Phil Boyer and EAA President Tom Poberenzy introduce AOPA's Airport Watch to EAA chapters at a special taping at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Friday. |
 Phil Boyer and Tom Poberenzy take a break during the taping of an introduction for the AOPA Airport Watch videotape to EAA members. |
The security message of AOPA's Airport Watch is being reinforced with even more pilots. Friday, AOPA President Phil Boyer and Experimental Aircraft Association President Tom Poberezny met at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh to tape a special introduction to the Airport Watch videotape. EAA will distribute this custom version of the security training videotape to its more than 900 chapters nationwide.
"We're pleased to be partnering with EAA on spreading the Airport Watch message," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Organizations from across the spectrum of general aviation are working with AOPA to make general aviation airport security a personal responsibility for pilots and airport workers."
Poberezny had high praise for the neighborhood watch-style program. "Airport Watch shows the government and the public that pilots care about security and that we're doing something about it," he said.
During the taping, the presidents of the two largest general aviation organizations also stressed the importance of flying responsibly. "Make sure you check notams, even for a local flight. Know about temporary flight restrictions. Don't make mistakes that could draw attention to us as pilots who can't follow the rules," Poberezny said.
Under the AOPA's Airport Watch program, pilots and airport staff are instructed to report suspicious activities at airports. AOPA has partnered with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which provided the toll-free hotline—866/GA-SECURE.
AOPA has also produced the Airport Watch brochure that the association has sent to each of its members. TSA sent the brochures to the remainder of the pilot population. Other organizations, including the Civil Air Patrol and the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, have incorporated Airport Watch materials into presentations to their members.
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