Air Force Auxiliary And Fellow Pilots Keep An Eye On Their Home
Skies
Civil Air Patrol will be helping fellow pilots
with their own brand of neighborhood watch, a watch for suspicious
activity at their local airports. CAP is joining forces with the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to participate in the AOPA
Airport Watch program, which has earned the support of the federal
Transportation Security Administration. According to AOPA, using
its 400,000 members to support the program is more cost-effective
than federally-mandated security alternatives. Adding CAP’s
more than 63,000 members to the effort strengthens the program even
more.
“AOPA is pleased that CAP has supported the Airport Watch
Program,” said AOPA president, Phil Boyer. “Their
participation and willingness to draw on the depth of their
membership is important in this community-wide effort to report
possible terrorist and criminal activities to law enforcement."
Andy Cebula,
senior vice-president for government and technical affairs at AOPA,
presented the Airport Watch program to the CAP National Board at
its quarterly meeting March 1 in Washington, D.C. Cabula said AOPA
has effectively moderated government security restrictions on
general aviation airports and airspace, partly by taking the
initiative to create the Airport Watch program.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with AOPA in this
well-developed program,” said Maj. Gen. Rick Bowling, CAP
national commander. “The training provided by AOPA will
dovetail with our own CAP training to provide significant
protection for general aviation in our country.”
Under
this program, pilots are trained to notice and report suspicious
activity at their home airports, making it more difficult for
terrorists to use general aviation airports for criminal
activities. The Airport Watch is supported by a centralized,
government-provided toll-free hotline (1-866-GA-SECURE) and a
system for reporting and acting on information provided by general
aviation pilots. Included in the program are warning signs for
airports, informative literature, and a training videotape to
educate pilots and airport employees on improving airport
security.
Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force Auxiliary, is a
nonprofit organization with more than 63,000 members nationwide. It
performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions
as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers
also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug
missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The
members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as
mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating
in CAP cadet programs.