It does amaze me that so many GA airfields are so easy to "do", in theory, but have thus far managed to avoid "attention".
But it may be that awareness among local "communities" of the easy target is increasing - example.
What kinds of measures would be cost-effective? A night guard must cost at least 50k/year, at a wild guess, which would be fine for a bigger place.
CCTV
There is plenty CCTV in UK. You need someone to keep an eye on the monitor. It is not cheaper. You have to take the blind spots of CCTV into account, also the cost of installation.
Peter you are correct and it really is a growing issue. You may remember a thread I started some time ago whereby I was unable to recover my aircraft for reasons explained. That particular airfiled (not my home base) has been subject to massive fuel thefts from aircraft and I have had about £1000.00 worth of avgas stolen on the rare occasions my aircraft has remained there for a couple of days. The management (Netherthorpe) at this place have erected very high fencing and CCTV and it seems, I am told, to have stopped the thefts for the moment. However since I, and presumably others, had fuel drained without any damage being done it does beg the question - who? Where would you use Avgas for example? Who would know how to drain fuel efficiently and how do you walk away with 200 ltrs?
Presumably it is a "team effort", with appropriate "CRM" so that one does it and another keeps a watch.
You need a vehicle, or a lot of people, to carry away 200 litres. And certainly loads of time.
Those Popham images show a handheld radio in use. Quite clever really because GSM is all logged so unless everybody buys a phone for cash, PAYG SIMs for cash, and uses all that kit just for that one job and then securely disposes of it, mobiles are no good.
Can't you burn 100LL in anything that hasn't got a catalytic converter? AFAIK it is just a better / cleaner version of the old 5-star UK petrol. However I would suspect something like the car tuning / engine chipping community, which is HUGE.
Another option, which is a bit hard to swallow, is that it is being burnt by another pilot based there... let's face it, there is no easier way to store and use 200 litres of avgas. A siphon transfer from a high wing to a low wing, parked some tens of metres away or less, is trivial and undetectable while being done unless somebody gets close enough to see the hose. Or between any two planes where the source wing is any higher than the destination wing. Is yours a Cessna?
I recently read on a french forum that 4 engines were stolen in Montargis this summer. I think it was mostly rotax engines on lighter aircrafts. Apparently other airports in france had similar thefts.
not sure about CCTV either
I once thought dogs were effective but apparently even the toughest are easy to bribe with a large enough piece of steak
There is a subtle difference between theft, and vandalism.I was a bit surprised when the Popham event seemed to have both. A large degree of damage, coupled with some theft.
The local ned who pitches up, due to boredom, lack of education, lack of parental love and attention.........
Well, they generally are just looking to damage something, vent anger etc. The well drilled break in, where theft is the number one strategy, involves a different class of species. These guys, are in general, co-ordinated, a level above the general ned, and know what they are about. The security issues will change somewhat, dependent on what the airfield suffers from.
Plod are next to useless, being reactive, instead of proactive. Sometimes a call to the local, Private Security Company, may deliver more in the way of protection, and may nip the offending 'people shaped things' in the bud, however, it is always just a PITA.
The Popham events, and I am in no way an expert, and far removed from it, does appear to be a case of someone upsetting someone else, and are now paying for it, unfortunately, the business owners and aircraft owners, that is.
You need a vehicle, or a lot of people, to carry away 200 litres. And certainly loads of time.>
At almost 72 years of age, I can take 3X20L cans of mogas at a time on a sackbarrow, for almost 1/2 mile, through security to our Jodel. Most of the time would be draining the fuel into the cans. Thankfully we have 24 hour security at Inverness.
Apparently Popham has been hit again - twice within a short time.
IMHO people need to grab this bull by the horns and put in some electronic / GSM security (fences are no good if one has all night to work at it) because if this becomes a fashion, GA will have big problems.
Can't you burn 100LL in anything that hasn't got a catalytic converter? AFAIK it is just a better / cleaner version of the old 5-star UK petrol. However I would suspect something like the car tuning / engine chipping community, which is HUGE.
It's not just the Catalytic converters. Oxygen sensors get coated by the lead and stop working so almost any car after the mid 1980s would quickly end up in "limp home" mode.
