Airport Wildlife Hazard
Mitigation R&D
Presence of wildlife on and near airports creates a hazard to operating
aircraft. It is estimated that nearly 75% of civil aviation wildlife strikes
occur near airports. Wildlife strikes, mainly from birds, cause severe damage to
operating aircraft and in some cases lead to loss of life. In recent years due
to increase in passenger traffic, the introduction of much quieter engines on
newer planes and a large increase in wildlife population, the probability of
wildlife strikes has increased dramatically.
For nearly 50 years, the FAA’s wildlife hazard management program has focused on
mitigating wildlife hazards on or near airports. An aggressive research program
continues with the goal of reducing the likelihood of collisions between
aircraft and wildlife by providing practical solutions as well as real-time
critical information to pilots and airport managers.
Approach
The research work can be categorized into the following areas:
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Habitat Studies – to understand how hazardous species such
as black birds, birds of prey, rodents and large mammals utilize airport
property and to develop methods for managing habitats to reduce their
attractiveness to those species.
-
Wildlife Detection – to provide the airport community with a
set of tools to detect wildlife activity on and near the airport.
-
Wildlife Control Techniques – to provide the airport
community with a set of passive and active methods to control wildlife at
airports.
Systems Integration – to investigate the integration of
diverse systems to provide a better understanding and forecasting of potential
wildlife strikes at the airport level using information collected at the
regional and national level (such as migratory paths).
For more information on this research program, access to the Bird Strike
Reporting Form, and other relevant links, please click on the following link:
FAA
Official Wildlife Mitigation Web Site
Contact Project Lead: Ryan King,
ANG-E261
Last Update:04/03/12
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