By karl vilacoba
Staff Writer
At two local general aviation (GA) airports, several planes sat unguarded on recent afternoons, tied down with cord to turnbuckles in the ground. The only barrier between them and a visitor were short fences which could be walked around or easily cleared by any person in reasonable physical condition.
While this wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows one year ago, the events of 9/11 caused the public to examine these small airports, just like so many other aspects of everyday life, in new ways. Airports in central New Jersey, so close to New York City, have been no exception.
To some government officials, 9/11 was a disastrous wake-up call that brought to light aviation security gaps which must be addressed. To the aviation community, fear looms about reactionary politicians infringing on their liberties and destroying their businesses.
In the days following Sept. 11, a series of shutdowns and flight restrictions at area airports proved to be a financial setback for airport owners and fixed base operators (FBO). In one case, Marlboro Airport, the financial obstacle was insurmountable, part-owner Ken Parker said in March. The owners of that airport plan to close the facility on Sept. 30 and build an age-restricted housing development on the property.
Following is a brief timeline of events after Sept. 11, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Jim Peters:
• Sept. 11: all U.S. flights grounded.
• Sept. 12-13: some commercial flights resume; GA grounded except in Alaska.
• Sept. 14-17: most commercial airports reopen. Some GA planes with officially filed flight plans (allowing FAA tracking) permitted. Airports within 25 nautical miles of New York or Washington, D.C., closed. Agricultural planes (crop dusters) permitted, grounded, and repermitted to fly.
• Sept. 19: limited GA planes allowed to fly under visual flight rules.
• Sept. 22: flight training in single-engine and twin-engine planes permitted, except near New York and Washington, D.C.
• Oct. 6-Dec.19: most flight restrictions lifted.
"I love George Bush, but he never should have shut those airports down," said Ted Pichel, FBO of Lakewood Airport, Ocean County, and Robbinsville Airport, Mercer County. "It was a major bad decision. But it’s history, and we need to work ourselves up to where we’re as strong as we were before."
What hurt most, Pichel said, was that while major commercial flights were grounded and feared by the public, demand for smaller plane services jumped. But all those revenues were missed and insurance costs skyrocketed.
One facility that survived relatively unscathed was Monmouth Executive Airport, Wall Township, according to FBO Ed Brown. With runways capable of handling small jets and its designation as a reliever airport for the New York area, business was not hurt like some if its smaller counterparts.
A special alert on the FAA’s Internet Web site warns that the intelligence community still sees security gaps at small airports as a potential threat:
"The U.S. Government continues to receive credible indications that extremist individuals are planning additional terrorist operations against U.S. and Western interests within the U.S. and overseas. … Terrorists who are no longer able to hijack commercial airliners because of increased security at commercial airports may turn to GA airports and aircraft to conduct operations."
On advice from the intelligence community, no-fly zones will be enforced around New York, Washington, D.C., and Somerset, Pa., for several hours on Sept. 11, Peters said. In addition, all GA aircraft under 12,500 pounds will be prohibited within a 30-mile radius of New York.
Local airport managers report that police patrols have increased dramatically since Sept. 11. Marlboro Airport part-owner David Berman cited this "security issue for the township with the police department constantly monitoring the airport" as one of its reasons to close.
"The Lakewood police come in my airport seven times a day now," said Pichel. "Before it was once or never. But we live in a different world now."
Other than local police, law enforcement and intelligence officials are relying on the regulars at these airports in their fight against terror. The FAA alert asks for members of the general aviation community to report any suspicious activities that don’t fit the customary patterns of the airport.
"When you take a down-home airport like Marlboro has, everyone knows everyone," said pilot Jay Thorpe. "It’s just like living in a cul de sac."
Nonetheless, a nationwide effort to increase security at small airports has picked up steam. One proposal is to mandate criminal background checks and identification systems for flight students.
A similar bill was proposed in the state Legislature last year, but came under fire by the 380,000-member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), which argued that criminal background checks would not have stopped the Sept. 11 hijackers, who had clean U.S. records.
The bill dropped the criminal background demands, but will still provide for the new identification system. According to the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Union), it will be voted on this month and passed to Gov. James McGreevey for final consideration.
The fingerprint and photo identifications will be used to develop a database for the National Transportation Safety Board, law enforcement and intelligence officials to tap into, he said. Flight students would be required to wear the IDs at all times. Cohen called the application process similar to that of obtaining a firearm.
Ronni Macklowitz, of Old Bridge Airport-based Northeast Aviation, worried about the bill’s impact on business. During the summer, a large portion of the school’s clientele are potential students who want to take a lesson or a flight before committing to the long certification process.
"If you tell someone all of the things they need to do, they may just say ‘never mind,’ " Macklowitz said.
"The inconvenience is minor — it’s one stop at the local police department," Cohen said. "The cost is minimal, but the information flow it will provide is substantial. I’m a civil libertarian, and this is not an intrusion on anyone’s liberty."
Old Bridge Airport FBO Paul Cerniglia, who installed security cameras at his facility since Sept. 11, said he is in favor of the proposed bill.
"All the time you see people you don’t know, walking around the airport, looking around, maybe buying a plane," Cerniglia said. "If you ask them who they are or what they’re doing, they look at you like you’re a nut. I don’t want to have to call the cops on anybody. With the IDs, you’ll know who belongs there."
Cohen said the bill won’t solve all of the state’s security problems or stop a martyr, but it is "one piece of the entire puzzle" in terms of preventing another Sept. 11.
"There are some people who walk around in la-la land and say it will never happen again," Pichel said. "But it can and will, so you have to prepare for it."