AOPA’s Airport Watch

The Airport Watch program serves as a centralized reporting system for General Aviation pilots, airport operators, and maintenance technicians wishing to report suspicious activity at their airfield through a national government hotline (1-866-GA-SECURE or 1-866-427-3287). AOPA’s Airport Watch in Action

AOPA worked in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to launch the association’s nationwide Airport Watch program that uses America’s more than 650,000 pilots as eyes and ears for observing and reporting suspicious activity. The Airport Watch program includes warning signs for airports, informational literature (mailed to every U.S. pilot in 2003), and a training videotape to educate pilots and airport employees as to how the security of their airports and aircraft can be enhanced. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security called Airport Watch “a great example of government and the private sector working together to secure the homeland.”

AOPA’s Airport Watch is supported by a toll free national government hotline (1-866-GA-SECURE or 1-866-427-3287), which operates the reporting system through the TSA’s Transportation Security Operations Center (TSOC). Members of Congress and TSA officials have hailed Airport Watch as a “blueprint” for government-industry partnerships in other transportation modes. These airport watch concepts have been proven to work. Time and again, the TSA has praised the valuable information it has received from pilots reporting suspicious behavior.

Airport Access Controls & Monitoring

Where recommended by TSA’s Security Guidelines for General Aviation Airports, General Aviation airports have implemented airport access controls and monitoring systems. Many smaller facilities that have little or no exposure may install warning signs, require all users to carry airport photo IDs, and require that all passengers and guests be accompanied when on airport grounds. Larger facilities may install automated perimeter fencing, access control cards, intrusion alarms, and 24/7 visual and auditory monitoring and recording with live feeds to local law enforcement agencies.

Aircraft Locks & Disabling Devices

Based upon their security needs and federal and state guidelines, some General Aviation airports require that all based or visiting aircraft use supplemental locks to disable an aircraft from being started or flown. These locks are generally required for any aircraft operating at an airport that also hosts scheduled airline service.

Local Law Enforcement Training

Many airports have initiated training programs that involve the routine use of state and local law enforcement and emergency response agencies. This training allows agency personnel to become familiar with the airport environment, the airport’s security protocols, the safest methods for dealing with a security breach or aircraft accident, and the channels of communication and supporting resources that are available from other agencies at the state and federal levels.