AOPA Launches Airport Watch Program to National Acclaim
AOPA formally unveiled its Airport Watch program to enhance general aviation airport security March 4 in Washington, D.C., during a press conference attended by the major national news media.
AOPA's Airport Watch is patterned after the highly successful neighborhood watch anticrime programs, which call on community members to note and report suspicious activity. Some 700,000 pilots and airport workers are being asked to participate in Airport Watch programs at 5,000 GA airports.
"General aviation pilots are eager to do their part for national security," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "One of the best things we can do is be the eyes and ears for law enforcement in our own neighborhood — the GA airport. Who is going to know better than a pilot what looks like normal activity and what doesn't, who belongs and who doesn't?"
AOPA partnered with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to deploy the nationwide security-enhancement program. AOPA is funding and distributing a wide range of awareness materials, while the TSA is providing the national toll-free security hotline, 866/GA-SECUR[E] (866/427-3287).
Support for AOPA's Airport Watch is widespread and enthusiastic.
"Airport Watch makes a significant contribution on the security-awareness front," said TSA Administrator Adm. James M. Loy. "Members of the general aviation community are taking the responsibility to be observers with the understanding that they are the very first people who will see something out of the ordinary. The hotline gives them a conduit to people at the federal level who can do something about it."
The TSA activated the hotline on December 2, 2002. U.S. Coast Guard personnel at the National Response Center staff it around the clock. Based on the information a pilot gives them about a possible threat, they are able to contact all the appropriate authorities in that airport's community.
Ranking minority member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) has introduced a resolution in Congress commending AOPA for "seizing the initiative and taking another significant step forward in presenting this Airport Watch program."
"Imagine enlisting 550,000 general aviation pilots and giving every one of them a significant role in monitoring community airports," he said. "This is a groundbreaking example of AOPA's leadership in general aviation."
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge called Airport Watch "a great example of government and the private sector working together to secure the homeland."
"Keeping our airports safe in this free and welcoming nation is an enormous challenge," he said. "We all must watch out for one another. Airport Watch can help."
AOPA's Airport Watch program gained wider coverage following a presentation by Boyer to state aviation leaders at the Washington Conference of the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. The association is an organization of individuals in all 50 state governments and in U.S. territories that deal with aviation matters.
For more information, visit AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/airportwatch/).
Airport Watch Brochure Sent to Every U.S. Pilot
AOPA has sent the Airport Watch brochure to each of its more than 393,000 members.
The brochure points out some of the things pilots should be on the lookout for at airports. Among them: pilots who appear to be under the control of others; anyone trying to access an aircraft through force; anyone who seems unfamiliar with aviation procedures trying to rent an aircraft; and aircraft with unusual or obviously unauthorized modifications.
The TSA will send copies to pilots who are not members of AOPA, while the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association will send the brochure to aviation mechanics and technicians. New aircraft buyers will find a copy of the brochure among their owners' papers. Other aviation organizations will be distributing the brochure as well.
AOPA's Airport Watch Video Offers Examples of What to Look For
AOPA has produced a videotape to help pilots' organizations and other airport groups learn what to watch and listen for. In the video AOPA President Phil Boyer introduces a number of scenarios that depict suspicious activities that may warrant a call to authorities.
Scenarios range from obvious situations such as pilots being waylaid and coerced aboard corporate jets and shady characters trying to force their way into aircraft or hangars, to more subtle situations such as someone asking questions that are almost, but not quite, right. There's even one scenario depicted that appears to be suspicious but is in fact benign.
The videotape was produced in consultation with the TSA and with local law enforcement agencies. To add realism to the training tape, in one of the scenarios police officers and dispatchers enacted their roles as they would in responding to a real call reporting possible terrorist or criminal activity.
The video is free upon request and also can be viewed on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/airportwatch/). It will be distributed to pilot and airport groups across the country, including 800 EAA chapters. The video will be shown at the hundreds of FAA and AOPA Air Safety Foundation safety seminars conducted nationwide. It also will be incorporated into ASF's Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics, ensuring that flight instructors help spread the word to the pilot community.
NATIONAL ACTION
AOPA Says ATC Not a 'Commercial Activity'
AOPA is strongly supporting Sen. Frank Lautenberg's (D-N.J.) effort to overturn a recent Bush administration ruling that the FAA's air traffic control functions are a "commercial" activity. The ruling means ATC operations could be turned over to private contractors, which could ultimately lead to ATC privatization and user fees.
Concerned that commercial designation by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may harm aviation safety, AOPA, air traffic controllers, and other industry groups are supporting Lautenberg's bill (S.338), which would emphatically declare ATC functions as "inherently governmental." That designation means that only the government can perform the service.
A 1998 act requires federal agencies to look at their various activities and report to the OMB what functions are "commercial" and could be performed by private contractors, such as food or janitorial services. "Inherently governmental" functions are those "so intimately related to the public interest as to mandate performance by federal employees," according to the OMB. And that defines air traffic control, says Lautenberg. AOPA agrees.
As recently as last year, the Department of Transportation and the OMB characterized ATC as an inherently governmental function. President Bush's proposed federal budget, however, aims to privatize or contract out as much as 15 percent of current government functions.
New Federal Budget Brings Benefits for GA
The omnibus spending bill that President Bush signed in February includes items beneficial to general aviation. AOPA legislative affairs staff worked with members of appropriations committees to secure funding for graphical notams, GA airport improvements, and enhancements to flight service stations.
The law pays for government programs for the remainder of the fiscal year and directs the FAA to take certain actions. At AOPA's urging, Congress told the FAA to "expand the use of graphics to not only flight service stations but also to provide pilots with advisory graphics of information contained in the notams, including temporary flight restrictions.... The committee believes that advisory graphics can be conveyed through the Direct User Access Terminal system (DUATS) and other sources, including the Internet." FSS specialists will be able to provide more help and information to pilots with modernized equipment because Congress provided full funding to move forward with the Operational and Supportability Implementation System (OASIS), which will replace obsolete mainframe computers from the 1970s.
Development of general aviation airports will benefit from the $3.4 billion available through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The law includes the "GA entitlement program," supported by AOPA, that automatically allocates as much as $150,000 per GA airport in addition to regular AIP funding.
For more information, visit the Web site ( www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-1-100x.html).
But Budget Bill Bad for Banners
Congress has banned banner towers and other aerial advertisers from flying above major sports events for one year. The ban was slipped into the omnibus appropriations bill. At the same time, the measure addressed AOPA concerns about access to nearby airports, allowing aircraft flying normal traffic patterns to continue using airports near large stadiums.
"This was a tough one to lose," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "It was particularly frustrating to see a commercial issue passed off as a security issue," Boyer said. "The major league and collegiate sports interests paid big dollars to lobby for what they wanted."
USAF Adopts AOPA Advice on MOA Ops
The FAA has approved a scaled-back proposal for the U.S. Air Force to conduct "lights out" night training flights in military operations areas (MOAs). But that approval incorporates safety recommendations advocated by AOPA.
The AOPA recommendations adopted in the FAA's approval of the petition for exemption include requirements for continuous radar coverage, for the military to cease operations and turn on external lights when a nonparticipating aircraft enters the MOA, and for an ongoing educational outreach program to the GA community and airports in close proximity to lights-out MOAs.
When AOPA objected to the initial proposal because of the potential safety hazard to nonparticipating general aviation aircraft, the Department of Defense worked closely with the association to resolve these concerns. (Military pilots need to fly without lights to train using night vision systems.)
"While AOPA understands the training requirements of the U.S. military, we felt it was imperative that AOPA's recommendations be adopted before the revised petition was granted," explained Andy Cebula, AOPA senior vice president of government and technical affairs. "We appreciate the response by the military to our safety concerns."
AOPA, Locals Successfully Thwart Fort Wayne Airport Closure
Efforts to save Smith Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana, got a strong and effective boost in March, when AOPA President Phil Boyer and Vice President of Airports Anne Esposito joined airport supporters and city leaders in a full day of activities, closing with a $100-a-plate dinner, at which Boyer was the keynote speaker.
In late March, the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority reversed an earlier decision to close Smith Field on July 1, 2003. A local pilots' organization is now working with the Airport Authority to map out future development at the airport.
FAA Denies Driver's License Medical Petition
The FAA has denied AOPA's petition for exemption from the current medical certification rules to allow AOPA member pilots to use a driver's license to meet the minimum medical requirement, provided those pilots limit themselves to recreational pilot privileges. The FAA told AOPA that it only wanted to evaluate the operations of sport pilots using a valid driver's license in lieu of a medical, and that it is premature to consider including recreational pilot operations. In its denial, the FAA indicated that there is still some question about whether it will even allow the use of a driver's license to meet the third class medical requirement for sport pilots.
AOPA Places National Ad to Counter Anti-GA Fears
General aviation will play a key role in the response to a national emergency. In its continuing campaign to counter public fears over general aviation, AOPA placed a full-page ad explaining just that in USA Today, following an episode of the Fox TV show 24 in which a terrorist cell plotted to use a small aircraft to detonate a nuclear bomb over Los Angeles.
"While this scenario strains credulity, it still feeds into the unwarranted fear that some people have about general aviation," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "We heard from many AOPA members who were concerned about the damage this show could do."
The ad appeared in the February 19 edition of USA Today, the morning following the broadcast. Headlined "Small Airplanes and TV Fiction," the ad noted that while in fiction "a small airplane might be a tool of terror, in the real world, general aviation aircraft will be flying to the rescue."
The ad pointed out the important role GA always plays in times of disaster. It reminded readers that GA is an essential part of the nation's economy and transportation system. And the ad showed that GA pilots are working to improve national security by taking an active part in programs such as AOPA's Airport Watch.
The ad also directed the reader to visit the GA Serving America Web site ( www.gaservingamerica.org) to learn more about general aviation.
MEMBERSHIP ACTION
AOPA Insurance Services Offers 10% Discount on Renter's Insurance
Thanks to the AOPA Insurance Services and AIG Aviation, qualified AOPA members can receive a 10-percent renewal discount on their renter's insurance. To qualify for the discount, the current policyholder pilot must be loss and violation free for the previous 12 months. Also, the policy must be renewed within 30 days after policy expiration. Prior to renewal, policyholders will receive a renewal application, which must be updated and returned to determine discount eligibility. The renewal discount applies to renewal policies with an effective date of March 1, 2003, or after.
Additional information may be obtained by calling 800/622-2672 or visiting AOPA Insurance Services ( on the Web ).
AOPA Board of Trustees Honors John Yodice
The AOPA board of trustees has honored John Yodice, secretary and general counsel, for 30 years of service on the board. During a board meeting in Washington, D.C., AOPA board Chairman Paul Heintz presented Yodice with an engraved crystal trophy reading, "The Board of Trustees and AOPA's more than 390,000 members thank you for 30 years of sage advice, counsel, and guidance."
Yodice is the association's chief legal officer and is recognized as one of the nation's top aviation attorneys. He writes the "Pilot Counsel" column in AOPA Pilot magazine and presents popular legal seminars at events such as AOPA Expo and the AOPA Fly-In and Open House. Yodice established and implemented AOPA's Legal Services Plan and, after 20 years, still administers the plan. He owns a Cessna 310 and a Piper J-3 Cub.
AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION
2002 ASF Nall Report: GA Accidents Down, Rate up Slightly
The just-released 2002 AOPA Air Safety Foundation Nall Report shows that general aviation pilots in 2001 suffered the fewest accidents since modern recordkeeping began in 1938. At the same time, it noted a decrease in the number of GA hours flown, causing a slight rise in the accident rate, the first increase since 1994.
ASF's annual Nall Report is each year's first look at the previous year's GA accident information, focusing on fixed-wing aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds. It is named for former NTSB member and GA advocate Joseph T. Nall, who died as a passenger in a charter airplane crash in Venezuela in 1989.
"Safety educators, flight instructors, and pilots have long used the Nall Report to improve their own flying safety," said Bruce Landsberg, ASF executive director. Landsberg's advice to pilots, based on the latest Nall findings: "Address the basics: Carry enough fuel, don't stall or fly close to the ground, remain VFR when not on an IFR flight plan, and polish your takeoff and landing skills. Remember these basics and GA accident numbers will continue to drop significantly."
The 2002 Nall Report is available online ( www.aopa.org/asf/publications/02nall.pdf).
Top ASF Seminars Headline AOPA Fly-In Schedule
Three top-rated AOPA Air Safety Foundation seminars will headline the aviation education schedule at the 2003 AOPA Fly-in and Open House at Frederick, Maryland, on Saturday, June 7.
The three seminars will be presented by popular ASF lecturer Art Flior and ASF Vice President Kevin D. Murphy. All will be held at AOPA headquarters. To be presented this year are:
Single Pilot IFR, which answers the questions "is flying IFR alone safe?" and "how can we make it safer?" Single Pilot IFR will be presented at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Operation Airspace, a live presentation focusing on ways to avoid interception by military fighters. Operation Airspace will be presented at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Spatial Disorientation, one of the most lethal GA accident precursors, and identified as the "probable cause" of the tragic John F. Kennedy Jr. accident. Spatial Disorientation will be presented at 9 a.m.
There also will be a continuous loop video displaying the range of ASF services available to pilots, and ASF representatives will be available to answer safety questions and provide safety materials, including a variety of free ASF Safety Advisors. A grand-door-prize drawing for an electronic E6-B, donated by Sporty's Pilot Shop, will be held in mid-afternoon.
All ASF premier live safety seminars are open to all pilots, and presented free of charge. ASF is a nonprofit foundation chartered in 1950 specifically to help GA pilots make their flying safer and more enjoyable. It is funded largely by donations from individual pilots and companies.
AOPA AIRPORT SUPPORT NETWORK
Volunteer of the month: Dan Radtke
Dan Radtke, the ASN volunteer for Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field in Virginia, is an airport commission member. His work clearly shows that he is able to strike the right balance between serving the interests of AOPA members and helping to manage the airport. The Manassas Airport Commission appointed a committee, including Radtke, to study and evaluate the status of T-hangars and the relevant rules and regulations and lease documents. The committee invested six months in the study and covered issues such as doing maintenance in storage hangars, various types of hangars on the field and their intended uses, building and fire protection codes, owner-performed maintenance in T-hangars, and liability.
"This effort once again demonstrates the cooperative relations between the airport director, the commission, and local tenants," Radtke noted, "to realistically evaluate the concerns of occupants doing maintenance in storage hangars; what can be safely done and what should not be permitted." The result is that the airport management has safely enabled aircraft owners to do somewhat more than that permitted by Part 43 Appendix A, for noncommercial activities.
Radtke says this is a historic reevaluation of a long-contested difference in aircraft owners' and airport operators' opinions on aircraft maintenance. This review and proposed policies will be an example for other airports statewide and beyond.
HUNG UP ON HANGARS
By Mark Lowdermilk, AOPA ASN program manager
It's a process! Wondering what that means? It means that airport operations and management are like flying and maintaining your airplane. You require regular maintenance to keep your knowledge of regulations and flying skills proficient; your aircraft requires regular maintenance to keep it airworthy. This is a continual, ongoing process. An airport is no different. Dan Radtke's efforts at Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field in Virginia show that airport management is a process. FAA airport standards change regularly to reflect changes in technology, safety practices, or funding requirements. Other changes occur because of changes in federal or state law, building codes, and insurance requirements.
Most aircraft owners find out about the changes when the airport proposes a new set of minimum standards, rules and regulations, or lease agreements. T-hangar and tiedown lease renewals cause the most concern among our members. ASN volunteers routinely ask us to look at these types of leases when renewals come out. We look for possible noncompliance with FAA grant assurances such as prohibitions of owner-performed maintenance as permitted in FAR Part 43. We do not have the legal staff to review leases, and we always advise ASN volunteers and members to have their lease contracts reviewed by local attorneys who are the most familiar with applicable state laws. Members enrolled in AOPA's Legal Services Plan may have a hangar or tiedown agreement reviewed by the Legal Services Plan staff annually ( www.aopa.org/info/certified/lsp.html).
If your lease is up for renewal and you feel it may not comply with a particular FAA grant assurance, contact your ASN volunteer and ask him or her to send it to us to review. You say you don't have an ASN volunteer for your airport? Nominate someone or become one yourself. It's easy, fun, and your efforts will help protect you and the other GA pilots at your airport. Just go online ( www.aopa.org/asn/) to learn more. Do it today!
Public-use airports in the United States are closing at the rate of about one every two weeks. The AOPA Airport Support Network designates one volunteer per airport to watch for threats and encourage favorable public perception of general aviation. For more information on how you can help support your airport, visit AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/asn/).
Action in the States
Alabama. Elmore and Prattville: Wetumpka Municipal Airport and Autauga County Airport ASN volunteers David W. Abbott and Robert Vaughn report that discussions focused on closing both airports and constructing a new regional airport have begun. Abbott organized aircraft owners and pilots to attend the city council meeting in January where the council adopted a resolution stating, "The Wetumpka Municipal Airport is not for sale, nor shall any use of the land be considered for any purpose other than the development of aviation infrastructure, except that existing usage may be continued. Likewise, Autauga County has no desire to close their airport and participate in a single regional airport."
Colorado. Loveland: Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport ASN volunteer Taylor L. Stephens and local pilots are fighting the proposed construction of a hospital by the City of Loveland. The hospital would be built within one mile of the threshold and directly on the runway centerline for Runway 33, which supports an ILS. The city did not inform its partner in the airport, the City of Fort Collins, until after it changed the critical zone to enable the city to "land" the new hospital in Loveland rather than Fort Collins.
Florida. Pensacola: ASN volunteer Dale A. Holbert has been working with the Pensacola Area Flight Watch, a GA support group, to establish an Aviation Discovery Park at Pensacola Regional Airport. Airport management has granted a site for viewing airport activities and the FAA has approved the project in concept. Details of the project can be found on the Pensacola Area Flight Watch Web site ( www.pafw.com).
Maine. Trenton: ASN volunteer Michael Lessard is working hard to organize the pilots at Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport. The airport manager invited a group of pilots to meet with the State of Maine Department of Transportation and the FAA in February to participate in a meeting covering the five-year plan for the airport.
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