State Airports "On Track"

Virginia's 59 general aviation airports are finally on track to becoming more secure from terrorists, the state's aviation director said last week.

Charles Macfarlane, who heads the Virginia Department of Aviation, said that Gov. Mark R. Warner's budget includes $1.5 million split between the next two fiscal years.

If approved by the state's General Assembly, the funds will be distributed through a voluntary safety compliance program designed to help airports shore up security gaps by improving fencing, cameras and security identification.

The state agency says Chesterfield County Airport took the initiative in 2002 to become one of the first general aviation facilities to undergo major upgrades. But the agency claims many other airports - including some within minutes of flying time to Washington - lacked adequate fencing and other basic protections against bad guys.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, that in late 2002, Macfarlane - then a rookie agency head - tried sounding the alarm about Virginia's leaky airport security situation. However, his first $1.5 million plan was scuttled by budget-cuts in last year's General Assembly. At the time, John H. Hager, Virginia's top security official, declared that "airports are one of the logical places terrorists" would operate.

"I don't think the primary threat is a general aviation airport," Macfarlane said. "But even if there's a remote possibility that an airplane could be used in an attack suggests we should have minimum standards."

The aviation chief praised Terry Page, the FAA's regional director for "coming to our rescue" last year with $200,000 of seed money to help begin developing airport security plans.

Now, Macfarlane's department is moving ahead with airports in performing security audits, developing plans and taking action. The plans usually involve basic improvements such as improved fencing, lighting, security cameras and identification systems. With the $1.5 million in the next two-year budget, Macfarlane said he hopes all airports - even tiny landing strips far from large cities - have bolstered security.

"Even the smallest airports, like a Lake Anna or Smith Mountain Lake, should have a plan," he said.

And for larger airports, such as those in Northern Virginia, "It's as much a liability issue as it is a security issue. If a person who's deranged drove a truck out onto a tarmac and ran into 15 planes or jets, that one person could do a lot of damage."

FMI:  www.doav.virginia.gov