PHX Perspective

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport Honored with Arizona Safety Award

Airports strive for safety and security, and one of the Valley’s airports was recently recognized for its achievements in this respect. On November 14, 2009, the Phoenix Deer Valley Airport received the prestigious 2009 Airport Safety Award at the 37th Annual Aviation Safety Awards Banquet. This award, which is given to an airport that has made considerable strides in enhancing safety and efficiency, was presented to Deer Valley Airport on behalf of the Aviation Safety Advisory Group of Arizona (ASAG) and the FAA Safety Team (FAAST).

“This certainly means a great deal to the airport and the airport community as we were picked by the FAA safety team and our customers to receive this award,” said Gary Mascaro, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport Manager.

In order to receive the award, an airport must be a public use airport facility in Arizona and was judged on its specific contributions whether they be procedural or physical improvements to increase aviation and aircraft safety.

Deer Valley Airport has numerous actions in place to enhance and improve safety. These include Quarterly Community Safety Meetings held with an emphasis on preventing runway incursions as well as working with the Flight Schools to ensure that airport operations are safe. Mascaro says that the control tower holds “ATC 101” classroom sessions each month with Transpac Aviation Academy, tour sessions of the tower are held with Transpac and Westwind flight instructors, and the tower also holds regularly scheduled controller familiarization trips to Transpac for in-depth knowledge of pilot training with some flight time in the air.

Mascaro also points out that there have been major construction projects both in and around the airport movement area that have been taking place for the past year without any incursion or issue.

There have also been several improvements that have taken place including enhanced markings, lighting and signage on the runs, says Mascaro. Deer Valley also received a grant to airfield safety area improvements earlier this year.

Mascaro stresses that by all airport staff working together, they were able claim this prestigious honor. “It was a team effort by in all areas including DVT Operations Staff and FAA Tower,” Mascaro says. “This award goes to them and shows their commitment to excellence and safety at our airport.”

Deer Valley Airport is owned and operated by the City of Phoenix. It is the busiest general aviation airport in the US and offers services such as fueling, maintenance, flight training, aircraft rentals, avionics repair, etc., and is home to two fixed based operators and over 1,200 aircraft.

Though the ASAG Awards are in their 37th year, this is only the second year that this award has been given out. Last year’s award went to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Congratulations to Deer Valley Airport on this outstanding achievement.

Above right, see Toby Jones, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport Air Traffic Control Manager, Randy Prine, FAA FAASTeam Program Manager at the Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office, and Gary Mascaro, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport Manager accept the 2009 Airport Safety Award. Picture courtesy of the State Aviation Journal.