On May 21, 2011 the recently formed ORD Airport Watch was treated to an
exclusive airside tour of O’Hare International Airport. Thanks to the efforts of
the Chicago Police Airport Law Enforcement Section Commander Tom Argenbright
(photo #4) and City of Chicago Department of Aviation Chief Safety and
Security Officer Richard Edgeworth, (photo # 6) 28 members of the
fledgling volunteer group and a handful of special guests were taken by bus past
the fenceline for a well-received opportunity to see the airport from the
business side. The tour allowed members to photograph aircraft in action on the
ramp, and from a number of vantage points beside taxiways to capture aircraft
rotating and touching down at close range. (photo #1) The participating
members of the group were ecstatic. Most had never been airside apart from
aboard an aircraft, and were able to see the activities from the middle of the
airport and carry out their hobby without fences in the way at one of America’s
busiest airports, which was unimaginable just a year ago. Despite marginal
weather, the tour was a photographer’s dream. Dramatic shots of aircraft
departing on wet runways and creating clouds of vapour led to some stunning
images. After almost 2 hours the tour came to an end with the result of many
smiles from ear to ear and full memory cards. It cemented the bond between the
group and it’s official partners.
The day started with a regular ORD Airport Watch meeting hosted by The
Village of Bensenville at the town hall council chamber. Officer Joel Vargas of
the Bensenville Police Department opened the meeting with his Airport Watch and
crime prevention update and introduced the day’s speakers. (photo #2)
ORD AW Board member Rich Carlson, (photo # 3) also of the Winnetka
Police Department, carried out an informative briefing on the group’s
interactions with the Police and security personell, which included personal and
legal rights, procedures and group rules and regulations about approved spotting
locations. Procedures for events such as state visits were also detailed.
Tom Argenbright (photo #4) spoke next and was happy to inform the
membership about the afternoon tour, and announced that it would be hopefully be
the first of many. He invited the group to participate in other forthcoming
airport events such as the charity plane pull, and the intent to launch a sister
group at Midway Airport, also policed by the Chicago Police Department Airport
Division. The department will also host the ORD AW’s new website which will
provide an excellent outlet for information on the group and it’s activities.
Tom introduced two of his most dedicated employees, Officer Art Munoz and
his dog Troy, an explosives sniffing German Shepherd. (photo #5) Art
explained role of the dog handler and the bond between the animal and the
handler, essentially family. The handler goes to Lackland Air Force Base in
Texas where he is partnered with his TSA-bred animal and they train for 3
months. The animal is trained to detect 14 types of explosives. Troy, named
after a 911 victim, as is policy for TSA-bred animals, barked enthusiastically
whenever the crowd applauded. Dog’s are the TSA’s best tool and are far more
sensitive than the latest sniffing machine technology.
Next on the roster was Phil Haffron, ORD Manager of Bomb Appraisal,
Department of Homeland Security / Transportation Security Administration, who
put on a detailed presentation on Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS)
shoulder launched missiles. (photo#7) He detailed the most common Russian
and American types with excellent footage, and demonstrated an actual example of
a Russian KBM Kolomna 9K32 Strela-2 shoulder-launched missile system, or in NATO
terms, SA-7B Grail. He explained that such a weapon could be used against an
airliner in a similar location where a photographer would locate himself for
aircraft photography, with a good field of view, on the approach or near the end
of a runway.
These briefings are a standard part of ORD Airport Watch’s regular training,
and provide valuable insight as what the group should be conscious of while
carrying out their hobby around Chicago’s Airports. The group has almost 90
members, after just over a year, an amazing start to America’s second Airport
Watch group, which will likely be the largest.
Joel then introduced myself, Andy Cline, YYZ Airport Watch Administrator, and
graciously thanked me and the originators of the program in Canada for providing
the inspiration for the program at ORD. I provided the closing presentation with
a brief history of Aviation World, and the story behind the Airport Watch
program in Canada, and of the Minneapolis-St.Paul program, the first in the
States. I followed with a briefing and slide show on the G8-G20 Summit in
Toronto in the summer of 2010. It dovetailed nicely with Rich Carlson’s
presentation which detailed Presidential visits which occur frequently in
Chicago as President Obama’s home town. ORD Airport Watch president Ian Hardie
(photo #8) added a few points of local business and thanked the guest speakers
and adjourned the meeting.
The group then proceeded to have a quick lunch and proceeded to the ORD
Security building where we embarked on an airport bus and the airside tour. All
told, the trip was excellent and provided a great opportunity to meet and liase
with not only a number of the ORD officials I have corresponded with, but many
of the members. Truly the program has taken off, and been adapted to suit the
group’s unique situation. Things they have developed at the request of the FBI
and other partnered agencies are hologram ID cards with personal details and
information on the reverse, as well as reminders about how to respond to and
report incidents. ORD Airport Watch members are provided with day-glow lanyards
and badge holders in order to display their ID while on duty. Their main piece
of apparel that is required to be worn is a day-glo safety vest with ORD Airport
Watch stenciled on the back. It has had an unintended bonus deterrent effect of
fast drivers on roads approaching members slow down when they see them. These
excellent ideas could easily be adapted to other groups.
Thanks to Len, Steve and Gary Neath at Aviation World for covering my
airfare, and Richard and Lora Yowell from Aviation World ORD for accommodating
me, and their hard work to set up and arrange food and drinks at the meeting.
Aviation World has been instrumental in helping the Toronto and Chicago
Airport Watch programs start and grow.
- AC
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