General Aviation Safety and Security Practices (2007)

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3BACKGROUND There is a phrase popular in the airport community that states, “If you’ve seen one airport, then you’ve seen one airport.” It is used to highlight the differences and variations between airports across the country. However, although there are dif- ferences from airport to airport, there are also opportunities to share ideas and harmonize some of the operational practices at these airports. This report seeks to further the ACRP’s tenet of developing “near-term, practical solutions to problems fac- ing transportation agencies” by identifying current safety management and security operations practices at general avi- ation airports. General aviation is often viewed as an all-encompassing term meaning all aviation activity that is not military or com- mercial airline related. This view however is too broad to pro- vide a clear understanding of the breadth of general aviation in serving the nation’s transportation system. According to the FAA, there are 19,847 landing facilities throughout the coun- try. Of those, 5,261 are public-use and 573 of the public-use airports are served by commercial air carriers and certificated by the FAA. In the United States, the overwhelming majority of those airports are used solely by the general aviation com- munity. This community is diverse and flies “for a wide vari- ety of purposes, including business/corporate, personal/family transportation, training, medevac air ambulance, transporting medical supplies, emergency services, rescue operations, wildlife surveys, traffic reporting, agricultural aviation, fire- fighting, and law enforcement” (GA Serving America, www.gaservingamerica.org). Those airports labeled as exclusively general aviation airports accommodate more than 200,000 based aircraft and are typically served by more than 3,600 fixed base operators (FBOs) located at those airports. Many of those airports are small facilities that have no FBOs, whereas others may have multiple FBOs on the airfield. Maintaining a safe and secure general aviation system is the goal of everyone involved in general aviation. Airport safety and security are two important, but operationally different functions. Depending on the individual’s point of view, safety and security can have different connotations. The pilot views safety as the successful completion of a flight. Those who fuel aircraft view safety as a refueling operation completed without incident. The airport operations staff may view safety as a runway and taxiway system free and clear of all danger. Security has a narrower focus, but is equally important—the prevention of unauthorized access to aircraft and different areas of the airport. It is dependent on every person at the air- port, whether they are an employee, tenant, or transient user, to maintain a safe and secure aviation facility. Some safety practices overlap with security and vice versa; however, the intent and purpose and therefore the develop- ment and implementation of those practices are divergent. One example is airport fencing. When used to prevent wildlife from entering the airport it performs a safety function. When installed to prevent unauthorized access to aircraft by indi- viduals it serves a security function. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY The objective of the study is to identify current practices in safety management and security operations at general avia- tion airports. This also incorporates current FBO practices. This synthesis report will also present low-cost and easily implemented practices and ideas that may be in use at one airport, but transferable to others. SCOPE OF STUDY The scope of this synthesis report highlights current practices in airport safety management and security operations, and shares ideas that have been successful at different airports. The report is limited to aviation safety management and se- curity operations at general aviation airports. For the purpose of this synthesis report, the term “safety” was narrowed to im- ply those practices related to the prevention of aircraft inci- dents or accidents. Although important, Occupational Safety and Health Administration-related safety topics are not in- cluded. The intent of this synthesis report is not to identify po- tential weaknesses or provide recommendations to correct any perceived deficiencies. The report is based on informa- tion collected during a literature search and from documents made available by selected airports, FBOs, and industry trade associations. In addition, a survey exploring safety manage- ment, security operations, and resources in use by various air- ports to develop training materials, policies, and procedures, was distributed to airports, FBOs, and those universities or colleges with flight programs. Additional information, de- rived from the author’s personal experiences, follow-up in- terviews with survey respondents, and discussions with other industry contacts, is also shared, where appropriate. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

STUDY METHODOLOGY Information used in this study was acquired through a litera- ture and data review, a survey, follow-on interviews of survey respondents, and the author’s knowledge of the subject area. Literature and Data Search A literature and data search was conducted to document cur- rent practices in airport safety management and security operations. This search focused on the following: (1) available documentation relevant to identifying current general aviation airport operating practices, (2) current regulations and laws in place applicable to general aviation airport security and safety, and (3) current safety practices in place at FBOs. Survey A survey was developed that included sections to identify re- sources used for information, safety and security, and ques- tions specifically directed toward universities with flight schools. The survey also contained questions about the safety and security practices in use at airports and FBOs. The survey attempted to cover as many aspects of aviation safety and security as possible; however, given the diversity of airports and companies that received the survey, not all sections were applicable. A copy of the survey questionnaire can be found in Appendix A and a list of respondents is included as Ap- pendix B of this report. The survey was sent to 60 organizations representing gen- eral aviation airports, FBOs, and universities and colleges with aviation flight programs. Specifically, the survey was sent to 42 airports, 9 FBOs, and 9 universities. Airports and 4 FBOs initially selected by the panel were thought to be proactive in creating unique safety programs. As more infor- mation was obtained through the literature search, other air- ports and FBOs were added to the survey list. As shown in Figure 1, respondents to the survey were geographically dispersed throughout the United States, with each FAA region represented. Average airport size and activity was considered, and the average based aircraft and annual operations were 320 and 127,772, respectively, with the median size being 251 and 113,104, respectively. Four of the airports were certified by the FAA as Part 139 airports, none of which had passenger air carriers serving the facility. These airports were included specifically because of their 139 certification to share their practices with other general aviation airports. A total of 53 replies were received, an 88% response rate. The size of the airports that responded to the survey ranged from large to small, with the range from 28 to 1,124 based aircraft. FBO size was equally varied, from single facility operators to national companies with multiple locations. Specific comments to the survey questions are included in chapters two and three. These chapters outline the findings of both the safety- and security-related elements of the survey. Because they can be categorized as both safety and security, survey findings related to resources and funding follow are included. Interviews Interviews with airports and FBOs were conducted based on information contained in survey responses. Additional inter- Anchorage FIGURE 1 Geographic distribution of survey respondents.

5views were conducted with the NASAO and state aviation agencies. Also, the author attended a meeting of both the Airports Committee and the Safety and Security Committee of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), which represents the interests of FBOs. Resources Used by General Aviation Organizations for Safety and Security There is a wealth of aviation safety and security information available through traditional media sources, the Internet, and now even through podcasts. However, very little of the avail- able information is intended specifically for general aviation airports. The first section of the survey was designed to gather information concerning the resources used by the general avi- ation community. The respondents were provided with a list of different government agencies and industry associations, and asked to indicate if they used them as a resource, how often, and the usefulness of each. Survey recipients were also provided the opportunity to add other resources. Their responses were intended to determine where most of their information was required regarding general aviation safety or security. The FAA headquarters website was shown to be the most often used resource, followed closely by the AAAE. This is not surprising given that the majority of respondents were airports. One interesting statistic is that, although more than 90% of the respondents have an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Airport Watch-type of program in place, only 65% have used the AOPA Airport Support Net- work website as a resource. Other resources used by survey respondents include a multitude of federal agencies websites, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Defense, state aviation departments, and state and local law enforcement and emergency response agencies. Airports also receive information from their re- spective state aviation industry associations and a multitude of aviation-specific general-interest websites. General aviation airport employees attend a wide variety of aviation industry training sessions for the sole purpose of gathering information regarding safety and/or security. Large industry conferences like the Aviation Industry Expo (hosted by the NATA) and the AAAE annual conference at- tract a large number of general aviation airports. Other train- ing sessions include those offered by the Professional Avia- tion Maintenance Association, Department of Defense Joint Panel on Aviation Support Equipment, AAAE’s Annual Aviation Security Summit, or Airport Safety and Operations Specialist classes or workshops held by the different regions of the FAA. An important opportunity for information gath- ering and sharing is an airport’s state aviation conference, which is usually hosted by either a state association or the state aviation department. REPORT ORGANIZATION Chapter one presents background of the events that led to the initiation of the report and a description of some of the re- search done for its preparation. It provides a basis for the survey and introduces the reader to resources used by the general aviation community to develop safety and security programs, as well as funding sources and issues that govern how much money is spent on safety and security at general aviation airports. Chapter two describes current safety prac- tices and also encompasses various programs airports use to keep their facilities safe, chapter three highlights the current security practices in use at general aviation airports, and chapter four summarizes the synthesis and provides recom- mendations for further research.