Security experts float plan for GA airport security ratings
There are 15,000 private planes flying in the United States with no security rules; these planes use a network of 4,700 small airports which themselves are only lightly monitored for security; security experts say it is time for general aviation to be monitored more carefully for security
A security score for GA (general aviation) airports might just be an idea whose time has come. At least, writes John Infanger in Airport Business, this is what a couple of seasoned aviation security pros think, and they are throwing the idea out to the industry for a reaction.
Bob Jandebeur is a former fixed base operator (Million Air Tulsa) who today heads up his security firm, Navigance Technologies Group, which specializes in general aviation security systems. John Sullivan of the Welsh Sullivan Group LLC is the former global security director for Texas Instruments, is former chair of the NBAA security council, and spent 23 years in the U.S. Secret Service. The two recently teamed up.
Relates Jandebeur, “He does assessments; we do systems. From talking on how we can work together came the idea that if we do an assessment and put a system in, how can we somehow rate FBOs or airports on what they have in place? So, you’ve got a security score for an airport, another for an FBO. You get a score based on your system, your vulnerability assessment, and security plan — with all those things in place, it equates to a score. If you don’t put in a security system, you still get a score, but it’s going to be dramatically lower. It’s probably not something you’re going to want to brag about.”
Recognizing that many in the GA community see security as a four-letter word, Jandebeur responds, “I’m not trying to protect you from the terrorists, I’m trying to protect us from ourselves and the TSA climbing down our throats with more expensive endeavors than what we really need.”
Jandebeur says that he has aired out the idea with a number of aviation players and the response has been positive. “I think this is a game-changer,” he says. “If we can present this somehow in a way that isn’t just self-serving for Navigance, maybe we can get people to hear it. Then we go to TSA and ask, ‘How would you feel if the industry got together and was pro-active on an issue?’ “We’d like to think a security score might reduce your insurance. For the aircraft owner, it lets them know where the airport stands and could impact where they base their aircraft. Clearly, the transients would want to look at it when they determine where they want to fly. FBOs would want to use it as a marketing tool.”
At a time when the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to get its arms around general aviation and the potential for threats, a security score could be one tool to help bring all parties onto the same page.
