It’s relatively easy to get out to Merrill Field and get an up-close look at all the airplanes there. It may not be that way much longer. The Anchorage Assembly approved a request to apply for a nearly $2.4 million federal grant and a $78,125 state grant.

The combined nearly $2.5 million would be used to buy new fences and state-of-the-art security cameras.

Pilots say that will help. However, some still have security concerns since anyone can still drive right up to planes without passing through a gate.

“It concerns me, because there’s a lot of money in these,” said pilot Matt Stohr of the Merrill Field planes.

“It concerns me, because there’s a lot of money in these,” said pilot Matt Stohr of the Merrill Field planes. ”Somebody could do something in 10 minutes or 10 seconds I can’t catch.”

The grant money would also renovate the taxiway used for transporting patients to and from Alaska Regional Hospital.

There’s no word when the Federal Aviation Administration and state Department of Transportation may decide if Anchorage gets the money.