Vanquishing the V/PD
		     1st Quarter 2009
	    A quarterly publication from the
		     Safety Section
	Federal Aviation Administration Airports Division
		  Western-Pacific Region





This publication is primarily directed towards airport management to be disseminated to 
all levels of personnel working at your airfield. It does not matter how large or how small 
your airfield or how tight your budget may be, this information must be made available to 
your people by whatever means. Vanquishing the V/PD can be accomplished through a 
solid partnership between the FAA and airport management. The responsibility of 
making sure that the proper safeguards are in place; however, lies squarely on the 
shoulders of the airport management. Please use this information and all that follows as a 
guide by which to produce a safer environment at your airfield. 

It was 17:01 at a busy General Aviation (GA) airport in the Los Angeles area when the 
control tower observed a golf cart being driven on an active taxiway. An investigation of 
the incident revealed that the golf cart was driven by an unsupervised 14 year old girl 
searching for a rest room. The girl’s parents were airport tenants who were busy 
unloading the family airplane in preparation of being parking it in their leased hangar. 
One airport tenant interviewed alleged that under-aged individuals driving golf carts and 
motorcycles on the airfield was a common practice.

Airport tenants often believe that behavior, unacceptable on the public roads, is perfectly 
acceptable at airports. They are wrong. There are provisions available to airport 
management which extends vehicle and penal code enforcement onto airport property.
 
 The California Vehicle Code contains a section entitled Section 21113-Driving or 
Parking on Public Grounds. This section allows managers at municipal airports, within 
the state of California, to make all sections of the California Vehicle Code relating to 
driving and parking vehicles, enforceable on the airport premises. It also allows airport 
management to make enforceable, under the California Vehicle Code, special conditions 
and regulations adopted for the airport. If used correctly, this section of the Vehicle Code
can be used as an effective tool to help curb speeding, reduce reckless driving, give 
meaning to the requirements of posted signs and enforce parking regulations on 
municipal airports. If a tenant is caught driving or parking improperly on the airport, 
contrary to local airport regulations, he/she is subject to the same enforcement as they 
would on the public streets.

Section 21113 of the California Vehicle Code may be viewed on the following website: 
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21113.htm

Some airports in the state of California have used Section 602 of the California Penal 
Code to put enforcement power behind trespassing restrictions at their airports. By doing 
so, unauthorized persons conducting themselves in a manner contrary to the airports rules 
and regulations become subject to fines and imprisonment.

Section 602 (u)(1) and 602 (C) of the California Penal Code can be viewed on the 
following website:
http://law.justia.com/california/codes/pen/594-625c.html

Before utilizing these two enforcement options, consideration must be given to determine 
the need for such tools and if the use of these tools is appropriate at your airport. 
Additionally, a thorough investigation must be conducted to determine how they should 
be applied and what obligations the airport is accepting by adopting them.
 

Column written by:
Steven Oetzell
Airports Certification/Safety Inspector, AWP-620.6


Reproductions of this, past and subsequent issues of Vanquishing the VPD are available on 
FAAWebsite: 
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/airports/regional_guidance/western_pacific/airports
_resources/newsletter/