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The Defense of Duffer’s Municipal Airport – Full Article
(Editor’s Note: The following article is a fictional story, and the views expressed in it are strictly those of the author.)
By Robert P. Olislagers, A.A.E.
Introduction
Ernest Swinton’s 1905 novella “The Defence of Duffer’s Drift” is a military classic on small tactics and, while fictional, is loosely based on the experiences learned during the Boer War against Great Britain at the end of the 19th century. In successive dreams that have the same starting point, a young British officer is permitted to learn from his mistakes in each previous dream, remembering only the lessons. Eventually he succeeds in the objective assigned to him. Written in tribute to Swinton, “The Defense of Duffer’s Municipal Airport,” though considerably shorter and obviously less eloquent, is a similar story, except that Duffer’s Municipal Airport (DFA) is a general aviation airport located very near Lalaland, and the new airport manager is given the task of defending it.
Glossary
CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives)
CCTV (Closed Circuit Television)
CHRC (Criminal History Records Check)
CSR (Customer Service Representative)
FBO (Fixed Base Operator)
LEO (Law Enforcement Officer)
NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification
ROE (Rules of Engagement)
Dream One
Oliver Neversleep, A.A.E., ACE-Security, a graduate from a most prestigious aeronautical school, was recently hired to his first assignment as an airport manager. He is told by his new boss, the city manager of Duffer, that the airport is a vital asset to the community but is often under siege, and it his duty to defend it.
Oliver, confident of his knowledge acquired from years of study and his last stint as an assistant airport manager, immediately took to the task at hand.
Having specialized in security and assuming it was the city manager’s focus, Neversleep immediately set out to make his little airport more secure by having maintenance personnel check all the gates and fences around the airport. Being satisfied everything was in order, Neversleep went home that evening, confident the airport was secure and that he could get some rest after his first day on the job.
When his phone rang at 0330, Oliver at first was confused about his surroundings but quickly snapped into reality when the local sheriff told him that someone had climbed the airport fence and broken into an airplane. The owner had left the single engine hi-wing unlocked but did not leave a key. Frustrated, the would-be thief smashed the avionics to bits, causing lots of damage, and left.
Upon hearing this, Neversleep went to the airport to obtain the incident report and wondered what his city manager would say in the morning, not to mention the owner of the airplane. How could this have happened and how could he have prevented it the first place? Back in his office, Oliver pondered and concluded: (1) fences are for honest people; (2) always lock your aircraft; and (3) never assume what the boss has in mind. Somewhat sleep deprived, Oliver dozed off in his chair just as the sun peeked across the horizon, when his second dream appeared before him.
Dream Two
Remembering only the three lessons learned in the first dream, Oliver woke up realizing he could do better. He immediately called the city manager and asked if the city manager wanted him to “secure the airport” from intruders or if he had something else in mind?
Of course the city manager wanted Neversleep to secure the airport from intruders, but he also wanted Neversleep to concentrate on residential encroachment, bad land use planning, realtors and developers, the mayor’s cousin, through-the-fence outfits, NIMBYs or anyone/anything else that posed a threat to the airport…but security came first.
“Aha,” Neversleep murmured. He was right after all. Security was priority one, so he began to think about the lessons. At once he issued a notice to all tenants to lock their aircraft. Knowing that to be insufficient, he had CCTV installed to monitor activity at the airport and, being rather pleased with himself, he called it a day and went home to get some rest.
After a restless night of tossing and turning, Neversleep went to the airport in the morning. To his unspeakable horror, he discovered several aircraft had been broken into, and avionics, headsets and even a few bottles of booze from a small jet were stolen. How could people be so brazen and come to his airport, climb the fence in spite of the CCTV system he had installed and still break into aircraft and steal gear?
As Oliver started to dial the number of the city manager’s office, his heart sank lower and lower. Would he survive this, only a few days into the job? As he pondered his fate, he concluded: (4) unattended CCTVs are good only after the fact; and (5) never be too sure of yourself by thinking you have covered all bases. Tired, Neversleep began to drift off and soon found himself in yet another dream.
Dream Three
Now having learned five valuable lessons, Neversleep first assured his tenants all would be well. As long as they cooperated and locked their airplanes, he would have the cameras monitored by his able staff throughout the night. Not satisfied that monitored cameras were sufficient, he installed signage with myriad warnings and ordered his staff to patrol the airport on the hour and half hour.
To ensure staff members made their appointed rounds, Neversleep even installed RFID guard scans. Oliver stayed an extra few hours to ensure that the staff monitoring the cameras and the guards understood their post orders. Finally, being satisfied but still concerned, he left for the evening. Sitting exhausted on his couch, Neversleep dozed off before eating a single bite of his take-home pizza.
At 0415, the phone rang and a frantic guard was trying to tell him something terrible had happened and to come to the airport immediately. Groggy and bewildered, Neversleep rushed to the airport where he found his hapless guard sitting on the sidewalk, head buried deep between his hands. “What happened?” asked Neversleep. “Boss, you will never believe it but someone stole an airplane tonight,” whimpered the guard. He proceeded to walk Neversleep through the timeline.
It had started to rain around 0340, and the rain made the cameras completely useless. The droplets distorted the wireless feed, and the staff person monitoring the camera decided to leave the office and assist the guards in their rounds. As he left the office, someone gained access and stole an aircraft key hanging in an open key locker. The FBO was supposed to move the aircraft in the morning, but the owner ran late and left the keys with the airport manager.
Knowing that the guards patrolled on the hour and half hour, the thief waited for the right moment to take the airplane. It was all caught on tape, although digitally unintelligible. Neversleep quickly realized: (6) never patrol the same route at the same time; (7) technology is limited in scope and capabilities; (8) never be the custodian of airplane keys because you become responsible; and (9) never leave your post. Armed with four new lessons and reeling from insomnia, Neversleep slipped into yet another dream.
Dream Four
Thoughts swirling, Neversleep felt delirium setting in; yet he could not shake the nine lessons he had learned. Strangely, he realized for the first time that, while the lessons were spot on, perhaps this was bigger than himself and he was going to need help.
Following purchasing protocol, he contracted a security consultant and the two set out to refine the scope of work. “First, we must conduct a vulnerability assessment,” said the consultant, and Oliver could not agree more. “What is the threat?” asked the consultant, and Neversleep, one eyebrow raised, let out a deep sigh. He had not really thought about the question before, and after much deliberation concluded everything was a threat.
“Very well,” said the consultant, “let’s do the vulnerability assessment.” It did not take long for the consultant to come up with a long list of recommendations that included hardening critical targets around the airport; installing lights and motion sensors; ordering the FBOs to have sign-in procedures; requiring everyone to be badged and carry visible ID badges; implementing tailgating mitigations; installing asymmetric behavior protocols to avoid patterns; creating awareness programs complete with rewards for excellence in vigilance; improving access controls; and many other countermeasures too sensitive to mention here. Of course, all of this would be documented in a written security protocol.
Realizing this was going to cost real money, Oliver implemented what he could, especially the awareness program. After briefing all his tenants to have their heads on a swivel and to report anything unusual, Oliver headed home, recognizing he could do only so much with the resources he was given. He was looking forward to a home-cooked meal and turning in early.
Before our man in Duffer could get to REM sleep, the phone rang. The city manager called to report that a small airplane deliberately had crashed into a building downtown, and the plane was registered to the flight school at Duffer’s Muni. Other than the person flying the airplane, there were no fatalities and damage to property was minimal.
This was more than he could bear, as Neversleep felt personally responsible. The ensuing investigation revealed a disgruntled student pilot committed suicide but not before leaving numerous posts on the Internet about his hatred for life in general.
His friends told police later he had threatened to take an airplane and crash it, but everyone thought he was just being weird and didn’t take him seriously.
Oliver read the reports and concluded: (10) people need to act on threats made by others; (11) capital improvements for security require funding; and (12) security is everyone’s job. As he was contemplating the lessons he had learned thus far, Neversleep fell asleep.
Dream Five:
Determined to act on lessons learned, Oliver got on the phone and asked how much funding he could get to implement everything to protect the airport. As luck would have it, a grant program had the necessary funds he needed, but he had to apply and maintain rigorous audit requirements set forth. Again, following procurement procedures but also checking with his attorney regarding civil liberties, Neversleep implemented every countermeasure he could think of and then some.
The CCTV was beefed up with intelligent surveillance software to aid the live monitors, and the miles’ long fence was strung with sensor wire. Redundant independent motion radar pods were placed all around the airfield as well. Access control procedures were strengthened and new biometric ID badges were issued, complete with background checks. State of the art CBRNE detectors were installed both airside and landside, casting a wide dragnet over Duffer’s Muni. The revised written security plan contained the necessary command and control functions, updated response and recovery procedures and continuity of operations protocols.
Neversleep reviewed the 12 lessons he had learned thus far and shared those with airport tenants to make sure everyone would benefit from his knowledge. Now having spent untold millions, Neversleep was convinced more than ever his airport was tighter than Ft. Knox. Being satisfied the counter measures were in place, Neversleep treated himself to dinner after which he then went home to get some rest.
A beautiful sunrise awoke Oliver the next morning and, for the first time in a long time, he had managed a full night’s rest. Convinced the new security initiatives were in fact adequate, he could now turn his attention to the other potential threats the airport faced. Shortly after lunch, however, Oliver’s pager and mobile phone went off simultaneously. The caller IDs were blocked, and he knew something was up. Just as his desktop phone began to ring as well, his secretary ran in to tell him there was an urgent call from the sheriff. Taking the landline first, the sheriff told Neversleep that the captain of a fractional aircraft had been found bound and gagged in his hotel room, and two men had stolen his uniform, credit cards, ID badge and flight bag. Deputies went to check on the first officer and found him incapacitated as well, and all his belongings were stolen just the same. According to the flight attendant who alerted law enforcement, the crew was at least an hour late.
“Have deputies meet me at the FBO,” Oliver told the sheriff, and he rushed out of his office. The CSR at the FBO desk told Neversleep that a captain had paid for fuel some 30 minutes ago and the aircraft, a midsize jet, had taken off 20 minutes later. She thought the captain was a bit hurried but otherwise appeared very familiar with check-in procedures. She asked for his ID but did not get a good look at the picture as it looked like a typical DMV shot; besides he the captain knew the N-number and paid with a proper credit card belonging to the fractional company. It seemed quite normal. Shocked, Oliver immediately contacted the tower cab and asked if the aircraft in question filed a flight plan.
ATCT indicated said a flight plan was filed but had handed the aircraft off to departure control according to normal procedure. Neversleep suggested they check with TRACON and give a heads up to the authorities at the same time of a possible hijacked aircraft. Some 15 minutes had now passed, and time was critical. NORAD/NorthComm immediately scrambled F-16s upon getting the alert and, with burners on, the Falcons soon caught up with the jet. By now, the hijackers had turned off the Mode-S transponder and, more ominously, refused to communicate with the F-16s after being intercepted. Following strict ROE and determining they were over uninhabited terrain, the F-16s were given shoot-down orders and fired off a single AIM-120 AMRAAM from a stand-off distance, averting a potential disaster.
Back at the airport, Neversleep, having been briefed, could not believe this all started at his little airport. The adrenaline slowly subsiding, he concluded: (13) the airport cannot do it alone; (14) layered security is the name of the game; (15) asymmetric (non-pattern) behavior deters observation and learning; (16) there is no substitute for vetting the pilot and having proper credentials; and (17) do not wait to pass on critical information. As Oliver reclined deeper into his executive chair, the pressure of the day slowly ebbed from his system. Reflecting on the day’s events, Neversleep drifted ever so gently into another dream.
The Sixth and Final Dream:
Neversleep sprang into action, remembering the 17 lessons but convinced that only layered security, with the aid of everyone involved, could prevent aviation from being used for nefarious purposes. First, he called the authorities and insisted they implement a stringent vetting process for pilots and allow them to be in charge of everything related to their aircraft, including security.
Second, there needed to be a high-quality ID system, as well as a biometric authentication and independent pass code to activate the aircraft engines. Oliver thought that if his laptop could have fingerprint authentication for a few hundred bucks, why not a multi-million dollar jet? This, Oliver explained, might require separating aircraft based on their kinetic and fuel- carrying capability; after all, only the larger aircraft were real threats.
Third, sensitive security information needed to be shared with airport management, he told the feds. Why do tenants such as flight schools have access but not the airport? What if the flight school operator was a bad apple without a pilot’s license and no CHRC? Neversleep wanted intel and he would go through the clearance process if necessary, but he could not be a valuable partner if he were on the outside of compartmentalization! How difficult could this be, he thought to himself?
Next, Oliver went to his tenants and suggested that they repeatedly teach the simplest of security protocols; check those IDs and, if you cannot establish a positive ID, ask for a second ID. By the way, he exhorted, do not be lulled by likely stories; “trust but verify.” He repeated the 17 lessons as well. “Vary your routines,” he told them, “be vigilant,” make it your “new normal.” Then Neversleep called the fractionals and suggested the same. Yes, he understood hotel contracts were less expensive, but it also made them more vulnerable to observation even if charters and fractionals were operationally more asymmetric than airlines. Oliver also recommended that they block their N-numbers from those Web sites that track airplanes. Simple stuff, Oliver thought again, how difficult can this be?
The authorities agreed and immediately began implementing the suggestions. Oliver in the meantime reviewed his own protocols again. Satisfied with the progress, Oliver went home. That night he heard the faint sounds of police sirens in the distance and in one of those “blink” moments, figured his phone would be ringing any second —sure enough! Dispatch advised him a series of incidents were taking place simultaneously and law enforcement was responding. The fence sensors and radar pods indicated unauthorized penetration of the airport perimeter. The FBO manager had called as well and asked for LEO back up because a man in uniform could not properly identify himself, and the CSR was getting a little nervous. Outside, line staff noticed a pilot frantically trying to start a mid-size jet to no avail as he was unable to enter the proper code and fingerprint authentication to the initiate engine start sequence.
As Oliver rushed to the airport, he contacted federal authorities while monitoring LEO frequencies. Unit 202 Adam seemed to suggest a coordinated series of attacks reminiscent of previous terrorist incidents and asked for all units to respond. Neversleep passed this information on to the authorities, who told him similar incidents were being reported by other airports, and NORAD/NorthComm had gone to ThreatCon “Charlie.” Fortunately, no large aircraft were stolen due to the new access control system, and only one small aircraft was hijacked from a rural airport. The small aircraft ran out of fuel before it could do any damage and besides, it was too small to cause much harm. By the time it was all over, 19 terrorists were apprehended and one died in a shootout. Only one LEO was wounded, treated and released. The system worked as designed!
Back in the office, after fielding a slew of media calls, Neversleep told his secretary he needed a break but, of course, she would not let him rest. ”Sir, sir, you have a meeting with the planning department regarding this housing project at the end of the runway and you are running late,” she said.” Neversleep was still in Lalaland but duty called.
Robert P. Olislagers, A.A.E., is executive director of Colorado’s Centennial Airport and a member of AAAE’s Board of Directors. He may be reached at rolislagers@centennialairport.com.