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| PCSC was selected to provide LGB Airport with a new access control security system |
Long Beach Airport – A Historical Landmark
Located just 18 miles southeast of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) lies a hidden gem for Southern California air travelers. Touted as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, Long Beach Airport (LGB) offers a large number of flights that include charter and private aviation, flight schools, law enforcement helicopters, advertising blimps and tow planes with advertising banners. The airport serves more than 3.2 million passengers annually and has some of the strictest noise abatement ordinances in the nation for its neighbouring residential communities.
Forty-one commercial flights and 25 commuter flights provide a steady pace without the overwhelming crowds of the dominant airports to LGB’s north and south. JetBlue has established the airport as its West Coast hub, while US Airways, Alaska Airways and Delta Air Lines also provide carrier service. Air cargo carriers such as UPS and FedEx transport 57,000 tons of goods through LGB annually. The airport also is home to the production of the Boeing C-17 military transport jet, and maintenance facilities for Boeing and Gulfstream Aerospace.
In addition to the TSA’s security procedures for passenger traffic, LGB’s infrastructure and administrative facilities require complete access control. Commercial Controls of Valencia, California, was tasked with being the airport’s electrical contractor, specifically for security and access control. PCSC was selected as the access control product manufacturer.
LGB Airport Gets Security Updates
Owned by the city of Long Beach since 1923, Long Beach Airport has also been known as Daugherty Field, named after the famous barnstormer, Earl S. Daugherty. LGB has one main terminal, notable for its circa 1941 streamline modern architecture. Today, it is a historical landmark with the original tower and two, small, outdoor baggage claims still in use. A newer, modern control tower overlooks the west side of the field. Due to the airport’s age and limited size, its passenger concourse area has recently been renovated.
A new $45 million terminal modernization project began at LGB in late 2010. A modern, inviting and comfortable passenger concourse of new eating and shopping destinations, including an outdoor garden, has been built. The 36,000-square-foot eco-friendly facility, with rows of palm trees and native plants, is in an open courtyard between the north and south concourse. It is a welcome change to the cramped, temporary trailers that travellers once had to deal with.
“It was an easy decision to choose PCSC as the access control product manufacturer,” said Doug Scripture of Commercial Controls. “We’re replacing an outdated system that existed prior to the renovation.”
PCSC’s line of IQ Series access control panels are used throughout the facility to manage doors, passenger gates, elevators and more. HID Global keypads, along with small dome cameras, are some of the visible hardware seen by the public throughout the terminal’s concourse.
The system is securely integrated by PCSC’s enterprise level access control software, LiNC-PLUS.
“We’re proud to have our products installed in our own backyard,” said Dan Smith, PCSC’s western regional sales manager. “PCSC’s corporate offices in Torrance, California are just several minutes north of the airport. We’re able to stay in close contact with the integrator and the end-user to ensure the system’s products meet and exceed everyone’s expectations. Security and access control of an airport’s facility is a multifaceted situation. It is complex and should always be adapting to the needs and requirements.”
The end-user of PCSC’s access control software is managed by Long Beach Airport’s safety and security operations.
“I don’t take securing the airport lightly,” said John Blood, chief of security and airport safety. "Security is a high priority here at LGB and Passenger Security and Safety is taken very seriously. That's why we chose PCSC to ensure the most modern and technologically advanced security software on the market."
