Halifax Airport Watch Group

This is a temporary and unofficial page about the group!

This is a small group of aero enthusiasts that has banded together with recognition and assistance from the Halifax International Airport Authority.   In the modern era that includes acts of terrorism around the world the whole sphere of enthusiast activities has come under scrutiny and even suspicion.  Anyone "hanging around" can be seen as a potential terrorist.  Even worse if they are taking photographs or holding radios or other pieces of equipment.   It has come to be that it is in the interest of both the airport and the enthusiasts to cooperate in a joint organization that can allow our innocent activities to continue on into the future. 

The HAW group originated in 2015 under the active and enthusiastic guidance of the HIAA Security department.   Within the department there are key personnel who understand the enthusiasm of those who love to watch, photograph, and listen to the aircraft that come to the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.   The result is this group of approximately twenty members.  The affiliation between HIAA and the members adds a certain obvious legitimacy to those of us who might be visiting the airport and taking photographs, holding radios and generally showing a great deal of interest in what is going on.  On the other side of the coin, the members provide another layer of security to the airport by passing along any observations, whether they be such things as animals on the field or more sinister indicators such as suspicious vehicles or breaks in the perimeter fence.

Members of the HAW group must obtain a criminal records check and they receive appropriate identification.  When on the premises the members check in by phone with the airport operations centre.   

The group meets three or four times yearly and in addition to the business meeting, we also are able to tour facilities at the airport, that are otherwise not open to the general public.  Facilities visited so far include the Tower, Cougar Helicopters, the Airport Operations Centre, and Jazz Aviation.

It is anticipated that at some point in the future there will be a dedicated website, or a page on the HIAA website, that will give you a more official and illustrated outline but for the present I am providing this bare description on my site.  

For more information you can for the present email me  [marscan1 AT gmail.com] and I can answer questions or send any expression of interest onwards.    In general you are welcome to attend a meeting as a guest and decide from there if you are interested in joining.  

Please note that there is no requirement for you to be in the group in order to casually "watch planes" at the airport.   If you are there with your family watching for a certain plane to arrive or depart, or just to have a few minutes of observation you are not likely to be bothered by security patrols.   The areas outside the perimeter along the Old Guysborough Road and Oldham Roads are to all intents and purposes public areas.  Please avoid parking in front of airport gates, even if they look like they are rarely used.   Note that the parking areas within the actual airport boundaries that are associated with individual companies such as Jazz, Esso, Gateway, etc are under their own control and patrolled by private security.  They each have their own philosophies surrounding outsiders being on the property and especially those taking photographs or otherwise possibly observing the passengers arriving and departing from these private facilities.  Even the group members are not exempt from these individual company policies.