7.2 The Airport and the Environment

Wildlife management


    Bird strike is one of serious risk to airport operations. US airway Flight 1549, famous for its miracle on the Hudson River, lost both engines and landed on the Hudson River. It was the Canada Goose that shut down the plane's engines. As such, the risk of birds to aviation in airport operation is very large, and the consequences of accidents can be very serious.

    After the miracle on the Hudson River, US airports improved wildlife management around the airport to reduce bird crashes during takeoff and landing (Bogaisky,2019). According to Bogaisky (2019). However, populations of large birds, which pose the greatest risk to flight, have increased, and North American skies are still crowded as air travel expands.

    Birds in the sky are not the only dangers. In addition to birds, coyotes and small mammals are also a threat. In the spring of 2021, I was practicing touch and go at the airport. After landing, I put full throttle when I was about to take off, I could see a group of animals running on the runway in the distance. Fortunately, it took off safely without any issue, and I let controller to check the situation of runway. It turned out to be a herd of coyotes, and trucks from the airport came over the runway and drove them away. landing clearances of the following aircraft were canceled. As such, it is very important to manage wild animals such as birds and coyotes in the operation of the airport. Wildlife management of the airport is very important to both human and animal life. In addition, even if there was no accident on the air, if there is wildlife on runway, flight will be delayed and airlines and passengers can suffer huge losses from delayed schedules.

    For solutions, airport uses a special method. For example, it generate pre-recorded sound waves or predator noise, or use a laser to drive out birds or animals (MELISSA,2019). Plants containing seeds are also removed to remove food sources(MELISSA,2019).These precautions are also very good solutions, but I think that it can also be a good if we identify and analyze the distribution of wild animals when designing and constructing an airport.

Bogaisky, J. (2019, January 15). Blood In The Sky: 10 Years After The Miracle On The Hudson, Bird Strikes Remain An Unsolved Danger For Aviation. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2019/01/14/blood-in-the-sky-10-years-after-the-miracle-on-the-hudson-bird-strikes-remain-an-unsolved-danger-for-aviation/?sh=128c80767e2d

MELISSA M. (2019, October 18). Airport Bird Control Methods to Prevent Bird Strikes. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/how-do-airports-prevent-bird-strikes-386490

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