Airport Tests Innovative New Way to Control Bird Strikes

Dayton International Airport (DAY) is partnering with a chapter of the Audubon Society to test a unique plan to deter large birds from the airport’s flight path.

The airport, working with Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, is converting 300 acres of airport property under takeoff and landing paths into tall-grass meadows with the goal of preventing deadly bird strikes. Heavy birds like geese, which cause the greatest damage to aircraft, are thought to avoid tall grasses for fear of hiding predators.

The project is part of a three year study funded under a grant from the FAA which estimates that birds encountering planes cost the airline industry more than $950 million per year. Birds coming into contact with aircraft can also have deadly consequences with more than 250 people killed and 229 aircraft damaged globally since 1998.

“We operate airports in a smaller and smaller environment,” Terrence G. Slaybaugh, director of Dayton’s airport told the Associated Press, “If we are going to protect the long term use of airports in an increasingly populated area we need to be less intrusive and find ways to contribute in a positive way to our surroundings.”

If all goes as expected, the plan will be beneficial to both wildlife and aircraft. While larger waterfowl like geese and gulls avoid long grass, smaller birds like sparrows and meadowlarks seek out tall-grass prairies for shelter. The new bird control technique will also eliminate the need for more intrusive and even lethal means to avoid bird strikes. United Airlines last month, faced a public outcry after hiring a contractor who used poison to control geese at its Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) hub.

[Photo: iStock]