Airport Watch

The Transportation Security Administration is partnering with AOPA to set up a nationwide airport watch system. Key to the system is a 24/7 toll-free hotline for private pilots to report suspicious activity to the TSA. The hotline, which became effective yesterday, is (866) 427-3287 (866-GA-SECUR). Calls to the hotline go to the National Response Center, which already fields emergency calls for 19 other Federal agencies. "Airport watch is designed to work like the highly successful neighborhood watch programs" said AOPA president Phil Boyer. "Who better to know what's normal and what's suspicious at a local airport than the people who spend a lot of time there?" The program will provide special materials, including a video, to show pilots what to watch for and will offer steps that individual pilots can take to enhance security of their airports and their aircraft. AOPA will distribute these materials to public-use airports, pilot groups and individual pilots."