AOPA Airport Watch Program Receives Federal Funding

November 15, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

The AOPA Airport Watch program was established in 2003 as one layer of the security screens protecting general aviation (GA) airports.

Since the program's inception, pilots have voluntarily "locked up and looked out" at their airports, securing their aircraft from unauthorized use and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement and security officials.

"The committee continues to support the Airport Watch program and expects TSA (Transportation Security Administration) to continue funding the toll-free number to reinforce security at the nation's 5,400 public use general aviation airports," said members of the House Appropriations Committee in their report on funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in fiscal year 2007.

Congress appropriated $275,000 to promote Airport Watch and to continue funding the toll-free reporting hotline (866-GA SECURE).

"This continuing appropriation shows that Congress believes that the proactive effort by general aviation pilots to protect airports is effective," said Andy Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs.

Separately, the DHS appropriations bill included funding to continue operating the LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation)-C navigation system.

The U.S. Coast Guard, a DHS agency, wanted to stop paying for the system since it has largely been supplanted by global positioning systems (GPS) technology, but the House noted that the U.S. Department of Transportation has yet to sign off on turning off LORAN, since it is still researching the best ways to provide a backup system to GPS, according to AOPA.

Source: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).