Just curious what people think security would be like at a private airfield?

For passengers on light commuter aircraft?

For pilots of private small aircraft?

It's private, so who owns it? That'll hint at the answer.

Private airfields, varies based on the airfield. I suspect you'll find they fall into two categories;

Small airfields where people keep their cessnas and the like. This wouldn't be a bad place to launch some sort of strange attack from, so there are certainly going to be security requirements, but many may be missed because it costs money to enforce them. I imagine you'll have things like automated security, biometric locks (only members have access), and background checks on prospective members. Also likely mandatory inspections of aircraft, for safety and other purposes. All airplanes would have to have flight plans, listing number of passengers, and passengers also have to go through some cursory background stuff. Still, a much better way of smuggling than commercial.

Ritzy airfields keep rich peoples' airfields. It would have manned security who recognizes members on sight and doesn't bother them at all, and a pretty restrictive 'visitors access', for riff-raff entering for other purposes.

Airfields on corporate property will vary appropriately.


Light commuter aircraft I imagine are oftentimes flown remotely, or at least can be overridden remotely. This means the threat of an attacker is pretty low. Expect cyberware scanner, metal detector and some dedicated police force at stations. Security is bothersome, but not especially intrusive (again, on corporate property... rules may differ.)


Pilots would need a lot of paperwork to be able to fly - license, background check, etc. Most of the paperwork is covered by the SIN, however, so for our purpose it's pretty easy. Expect it to be a very high-rating SIN check, probably around 6.

Well, often these airfields are comprised of a group of pilots that form a small corp so that they have a place closer by to fly out of. Mostly they are upper middle class, lower upper class pilots and they aren't really interested in running the airport at a profit. Hangar fees and operational fees for small charter companies and air cargo companies make up the bulk of their income.

The handful that I have seen or been through in RL, will have security cameras, chainlink fence, and maybe a guard at a booth. But that is today...so I was just interested in what people think 2070 would look like.

I really think it's going to depend on who runs it, and what they use it for. A corp airfield is probably going to have security rivaling anything you'd find at a major international airport. In fact, some corp airports (I'm thinking Aztechnology-owned airfield in Aztlan) are going to rival an actual air force base. A small airport out in the western UCAS or Sioux nation for cropdusters to fly out of will probably just have some security cameras and a chain link fence topped with barbed wire.

I really don't have any preconceived conceptions on this topic, so I certainly am interested in what people have to say.

In RL, if you have 20 acres of property you can set up a grass field and fly out of it with the new sport pilot license. Would such a beast allowed in SR 2070?

On an average day in the US I think that there are around 4,000 commercial flights in the air at any time. Throw in private planes that is a fair sized crowd to get lost in.

I both agree and disagree with this. If Renraku owned an airfield, it would almost certainly be attached to a Renraku facility, and the facility would certainly have security on a similar level to what you'd find at an international airport (restricted access, cyberware scanners, etc.) depending on all sorts of factors we already know because we all play Shadowrun.

The airfield, being part of the facility, would not have much of its own security. Why would it? The only people who have access to the facility (in theory) are Renraku employees and approved guests, and they've already been vetted at the front door. There's no reason for additional security.

Stand-alone corporate airfields will depend upon what is being stored there. An airfield hosting the equivalent of a flying garbage truck probably won't have very much security. Garbage trucks are hard to steal, hard to sell, and not worth a whole lot, so their value to a thief is low (and thusly, they'll spend less protecting it). An airfield protecting the CEO's private thunderbird, needless to say, will be locked up pretty tight.

I suspect, given the increased intrusion level of the government in this dystopian world, and the extreme difficulty of planning flight plans in a city full of blocks of extraterritorial air, airfields not on corporate land will require all sorts of additional permits and security. And given the extremely high crime rate, additional security on that to keep people from stealing your planes is basically a requirement. Corporations can do what they want, but generally approach from a viewpoint of how much is it worth spending to protect whatever it is that's on the field.

In all cases, however, I don't think it will make it very difficult for paying customers to get on board with illicit materials. The goal is more to make sure that the planes aren't stolen, and when they are flown, they are done so in a safe way that makes the corporations and government happy.

Seems reasonable Nezumi.

Would these corp fields be inclined to segregate incoming traffic until the personnel and cargo could be checked out?
At a corp field, my gut, says that they would.
Private field, who is really available for that?

In RL, if I have to fly, I go with a private charter because I really don't like standing in security, holding my pants up in socks. The security amounts to, showing my ID at the gate, driving over to the hangar, saying hello to the pilot and getting on board the plane. About as different as night and day.

I would replace the guard with a rigger and drones. Then add some basic astral security. Unless they are a little more shady in their dealings security isn't going to be a lot. Private jets are usually about convenience unless your doing something shady or are considered a target for some reason.

I have to imagine that they wouldn't let you LAND until they know what you are. They'll be checking your airplane identification and pilot identification. All of this should be comparable to the data you entered from where-ever you took off. Nine times out of ten, you've already been checked out sufficiently where you took off. PRESUMABLY no one new has gotten on board since take-off, so no real checking is required. This is assuming that, you left from a recognized and controlled air-field, and your entire flight plan was logged and followed appropriately.

The situation would likely be different if you took off from a non-controlled airfield, or weren't restricted to a flight plan (so you could have made unscheduled stopped) or you weren't properly checked before take-off. How they'd react would depend on who you are, of course. If you're the CEO of a major Amazonian bank, you'd better believe you'll be let through without a fuss, because hey, you don't piss those sorts of people off. If you're an airbus making an unscheduled emergency stop, they'll scan you up and down and three ways to tomorrow.



Indeed, I don't think anyone would care at a private field. At a private field, you can't really steal another airplane without leaving the one you came in with either, so they aren't so concerned about that (this, of course, depends on what the private field is hosting exactly, which defines its security level).

In general, private airfields are preferred for shadowrunners for the reasons you specified, however they are generally more expensive as well.

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback it gives some form to the ponderings I have had.

Military bases with airfields often have another layer of security between the majority of the base and the airfield, so I'm going to disagree with you on this one.

This is true. Even within Renraku (or any corp), employees are going to have different levels of access. Some corp wageslave who's got no problem getting in the front door isn't going to have unfettered access to the airstrip where the corp's air assets (many carrying military-grade weapons) are stored and operate out of. Realistically, security is going to be dictated by who the owners are, what they can afford, and what's going on at the airport. And depending on those variables, you could see security ranging from fences and cameras all the way to major concrete walls, monowire, automated gun turrets, magical security, and heavily armed corp soldiers.

To be clear, I didn't mean to say there would be NO security (although sometimes there wouldn't be - why put security in front of your local commuter airport?) simply that it would be less, taking in mind you've already been scanned for cyber and weapons at the door.

Security in airports can vary immensely, but remember that efficiency always takes priority of security, and the bottom line always takes priority over safety.

It's why the 6th world is as screwed up as it is, and why shadowrunners can make a living. Corps are willing to skimp on security to make things cheaper and run faster.

There's a bit in Arsenal that might help, under the entry for the Piper Brat, p. 113. "However, there are now far fewer of the small regional airports, with most of those now under some form of government or corporate control."

I hadn't seen that previously, thanks.

Bob- if you happen to be looking for maps you should take a look at THESE.

Who da man?
You da man!!!

Fricking excellent, thanks!