[JYO] TSA to develop hotline and centralized reporting system for AOPA's Airport Watch

 
Oct. 9 — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has partnered with 
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to develop a nationwide 
aviation watch system. Key to the program will be a toll-free hotline and a 
centralized system for reporting and acting on information supplied by 
general aviation pilots.

AOPA's Airport Watch will enlist the support of some 550,000 general aviation 
pilots to watch for and report suspicious activities that might have security 
implications. The hotline will be formally launched in December 2002.

"We appreciate AOPA's proactive approach to enhance security for the general 
aviation community," said Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for 
Security Adm. James M. Loy. "It makes sense that the world's largest civil 
aviation organization would offer their expertise for the collective effort 
in the war on terrorism."

"Who better to know-what's normal and what's suspicious at a local airport 
than the people who spend a lot of time there?" said AOPA President Phil 
Boyer. "AOPA's Airport Watch is designed to work like the highly successful 
neighborhood watch programs used in communities across the country."

Many airports have already begun their own airports watches, frequently in 
conjunction with local law enforcement. To build on the success of these 
local efforts, the program will include special materials, including a video, 
to train pilots to be alert for sinister people or activities on the airport.

AOPA will distribute Airport Watch materials to the 5,400 public-use airports 
in the nation, pilot groups, and individual pilots. The program shows pilots 
what to watch for and offers common-sense steps that individual citizen 
pilots can take to enhance the security of their airports and their aircraft.

"General aviation airports are very much like small towns or neighborhoods," 
said Boyer. "Everyone knows everyone. People who don't fit in to the normal 
course of airport activities are noticed.

"When pilots band together, we become a dynamic network of watchdogs for what 
is happening at our airports," Boyer said. "It makes sense. AOPA's Airport 
Watch will be a powerful weapon in the arsenal against terrorism."

"Airport Watch is a mutually beneficial program that allows America's 
dedicated general aviation pilots to remain vigilant and focused as they 
serve our country and the security challenges we face," said Loy.

The 385,000-member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has been 
representing the interests of general aviation pilots since 1939. General 
aviation includes all flying except the scheduled airlines and the military. 
More than two thirds of the nation's pilots, and three quarters of the 
aircraft owners, are AOPA members.

The Transportation Security Administration, born out of the terrorist attacks 
of September 11, 2001, is responsible for discovering, preventing, and 
dealing with threats to transportation security. TSA protects the nation's 
transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

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