WPCNR AIR NEWS. From Westchester County Department of Communications and WPCNR. (EDITED) July 18, 2005:  County Executive Andy Spano Monday sent a letter to the nation’s Homeland Security Chief urging the federal government to require standardized security measures at airports nationwide.

Spano announced that the Westchester County  Airport planned to spend an additional $4 million within the next four months on a wide-area computerized surveillance system to help detect intruders, such as the young man who stole a Cessna from Danbury Airport last month and flew it into Westchester County Airport (as reported by WPCNR) undetected by New York Radar Approach Control. The County Executive's announcement today joins a chorus of suggestions by United States Senators and Representatives to exact fines as high as $100,000 for incursions into Washington, D.C. airspace.

Danbury Municipal Airport, Connecticut, site of The Case of the Purloined Cessna. The young man who stole the Cessna was familiar with both the plane and the airport, having been acquainted with the flight school which owned the airplane. Photo by WPCNR News.

In light of the June plane heist, the County Executive called on the  Department of Homeland Security and the FAA to implement measures at general aviation airports nationwide. He demanded the FAA institute the following.

          Spano said the case of a joy-riding 20-year-old who stole a small aircraft from Danbury Airport and landed at Westchester County airport last month is proof that general aviation security is lax. Writing to Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff and the Federal Aviation Administration, Spano said the stunt pulled by an alleged drunken Philippe Patricio and two young friends on June 22 could have been deadly. 

       “The ease with which this student pilot was able to take the plane raises serious concerns about the current security regulations governing general aviation and the vulnerabilities of the general aviation sector,’’ wrote Spano. “It is my understanding that Danbury Municipal Airport holds a Class IV Airport Operating Certificate under FAA regulations and that airport operators holding Class IV certificates must provide safeguards to prevent inadvertent entry to aircraft movement and safety areas. If the Danbury airport complies with your regulations, then obviously your regulations need to be strengthened, given this recent incident.’’

White Plains Aviator Comments

WPCNR contacted Peter Katz, publisher of "Aviation Monthly" and safety columnist for "Plane&Pilot" magazine for comment about the County Executive's news release.

"Much of what Mr. Spano proposes already is being done," Katz said. "The FAA and homeland security have been working with aviation organizations to enhance security efforts at small airports. Typical is the nationwide Airport Watch program. The FAA is phasing in new pilot certificates with enhanced security features. In the interim, regulations require pilots to carry government-issued photo identification. Pilots even have to produce a government issued photo i.d. for such routine things as being examined by an FAA-approved doctor for renewal of their medical certificate which is required to fly," Katz said.

Katz noted that the County Executive's proposal regarding transponders (electronic devices onboard aircraft which help ground controllers identify aircraft on their radar scopes) could require a major restructuring of the air traffic control system, including replacement of radar and computer systems, and the hiring of hundreds of additional air traffic controllers.

Katz, who is a pilot and flys out of Westchester County Airport, said that the upgraded security in place at the airport has been effective and is accepted by the pilot community. "However, recent events have proven that vulnerability exists in modes of transportation other than aviation," Katz noted.

        Spano, who on June 22 promised to lobby for tighter airport security, said that he has already contacted  federal representatives to urge that security measures that exist in Westchester be adopted across the board. 
         Westchester, according to Spano,  has spent millions of dollars to upgrade airport security and has worked cooperatively with fixed based operators at its airport to raise the level of security for small aircraft. Tie downs, wheel locks, chains and a common employee ID system are all being used successfully to improve security in Westchester. 
                                                                               

“The potential terrorist targets in the county, as well as the county’s proximity to New York City, have heightened our own awareness and have led to some significant security improvements at the airport,’’ said Spano. “All of the controls we have put in place were done in cooperation with the fixed-based operators that use the airport. The FBOs have been willing partners in our mutual efforts to make sure no one can steal a plane from the Westchester County Airport,’’ said Spano.