Flight School Security Awareness Training for Aircraft and Simulators

October 26, 2004
Scenarios – Flight School with Airplanes

Question
You observe an individual walking around the parking ramp looking at various aircraft. You do not recognize him and you watch as he takes time to peer through the windows of the different aircraft.

Answer
Question the person before performing any other reporting activity. The situation raises suspicion, but the person may just be someone interested in aviation and aircraft. Upon questioning the person, you will gain further information to determine whether you need to report the situation to anyone else. Just by talking to the person, you may disrupt any suspicious activity and keep an incident from occurring since the person has been seen. Page 18
Flight School Security Awareness
October 26, 2004

Question
A man approaches you at the Customer Service Counter wishing to rent an aircraft. He requests a plane for a two-hour joy ride to enjoy the weather. He seems to have strong aviation knowledge, but does not present you with valid or proper flight or medical certificates or identification.

Answer
Your first response should be to question the individual. There may be isolated instances in which a visitor to our country is not aware of the documents required to rent an airplane. In this case just explaining the documentation required is enough for them to understand they are not authorized under Federal regulations to rent an aircraft. However, there may also be the instance in which a person, even after having been advised of the policies, still attempts to convince you to rent them an airplane. Situations such as this clearly require the notification of a supervisor. From this point the supervisor should contact the GA hotline and if the situation warrants, also contact local law enforcement authorities.

Question
Walking through the Pilot’s Lounge an individual that doesn’t seem to belong there catches your eye. You hang around the lounge to watch the man to see if your instincts are correct. You observe that he is not filling out any paper work, working on a flight plan, or checking weather and does not engage in conversations with any of the instructors or other students. He appears to be loitering in the lounge with no specific reason for being there.

Answer
Your first response should be to question the individual. Ask the person if they require assistance. Determine which aircraft they flew or arrived in. Advise them the area is reserved for flight crew and flight planning activities only. Make a note of the person(s) description and their name(s) if you are able to get them. Be especially observant of their reaction to your questions and note any reactions you might consider suspicious. If they are leaving the airport by vehicle, attempt to observe the vehicle and make note of its tag number. Additionally, provide as much descriptive information as possible about the vehicle they arrived/departed in, i.e., make, model, year, color. Finally, inform a supervisor of the situation and provide them with the information you obtained so that they can take follow- on actions including but not limited to contacting the GA hotline.

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