Bird Strikes On Airplanes - Bird-Airplane Collisions Get Worse / From Canada Geese to Snowy Owls, Airport Bird Collisions Go Nowhere
That's a flight risk that TSA agents can't check: A single bird sucking into a plane's jet engine can cause serious damage that requires an emergency landing or, more rarely, even cause the plane to crash. The incidents, known as "bird strikes," are surprisingly common, with an estimated 10,760 strikes at US airports in 2012 alone. But despite ongoing efforts to curb the spread of bird strikes, experts warn they are likely to become more common - and when it comes to strikes of some species, this winter could be particularly harsh.
Bird Strikes On Airplanes
Unfortunately for birds and airline passengers, bird species are often attracted to the wide open spaces that characterize airports. "Birds that show up at airports are usually looking for three things: water, shelter and food," says Archie Dickey, dean of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's College of Arts and Sciences, who also created the FAA's database to document bird strikes. . "So an airport would probably seem like an ideal environment for them."
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When a bird flies its beak into an airplane engine, the risk to passengers ranges from zero to severe. Sometimes, Dickey says, the bird is "properly stuck" by the engine's fan blades and continues on its journey as usual. A cluster of relatively serious incidents account for more than 1,000 emergency landings or delayed takeoffs per year. In many other rare cases, such as the infamous landing on the Hudson River in 2009 – attributed to canada goose outlet uk being sucked into both of the plane’s engines – the danger can become a matter of life or death. More than 200 aircraft have been destroyed in bird strikes since 1988, and a recent study estimates that around 200 people have died in bird-related accidents during that time.
In an effort to reduce these accidents, aviation authorities have stepped up their strategies in recent years to prevent birds from flying off runways. Several airports, including major airports such as New York's John F. Kennedy International and Chicago's O'Hare International, employ full-time biologists to monitor local bird populations and manage flocks, while others contract with wildlife consulting firms. . Wildlife biologists monitor bird populations with radar and then use "harassment strategies" to scare them away. The most common approaches include noise generators, lasers and pyrotechnics, but some airports play the sounds of frightened birds or predators. "The problem is that birds are smarter than you think," says Hickey. "I guess they're used to a lot of things we throw at them."
When traditional efforts don't work, experts make changes to the airfield's environment—removing standing water, destroying common bird prey, and reducing the availability of perch-friendly hills—in an effort to make the habitat less desirable. When all else fails, they resort to deadly tactics. For example, following the 2009 Hudson River disaster, New York airport authorities killed hundreds of geese on several occasions to prevent them from approaching the city's airport. That approach sparked controversy last week when wildlife biologists at JFK were authorized to shoot and kill two snowy owls -- huge birds with a 5-foot wingspan -- that would fly into the plane. Shortly after the uproar, officials announced plans to capture and relocate the birds instead, citing a desire to "strike a balance between humane management of bird populations at and around agency airports to protect the thousands of passengers on board every day."
However, finding such a balance can become increasingly difficult. As for snowy owls, experts warn that more of them can be expected around some U.S. airports this winter, largely because of a population boom that has pushed some snowy owls out of their original Arctic habitat. "They breed in the Arctic hundreds of kilometers from the tree," says ornithologist Kevin McGowan of Cornell University. "They come to the South for a variety of reasons, and when they come, they're more familiar with these open spaces at the airports." This year, McGowan says, birds have been pushed out of the Arctic in surprising numbers - and airport authorities aren't quite sure what to do about it. "Approaches that work with other birds don't work with these guys," he says. "It's not easy to scare them, they couldn't care less about people."
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Changes in bird populations and aircraft flight schedules also keep airport authorities on their toes. Thanks in large part to improved conservation efforts, birds that often bother airports — including Canada geese, great blue herons and bald eagles — have seen population increases in recent years. Hickey notes that air traffic also continues to grow, making planes quieter and therefore harder for birds to spot. "Helicopters or older models were very noisy," he says. "Quiet planes may be good for neighbors who want less noise, but not exactly good for bird strikes." Since reporting bird strikes to the FAA is optional, travelers looking for the safest flight option can carefully check the agency's database, Hickey says. "An airport that shows no strikes is probably one of the worst in terms of bird management," he says. "The responsible airport will report everything." Home » News » Car » Understanding Bird Strike: How Dangerous It Is & How To Avoid It – Explained
Bird strikes cost airlines worldwide more than $1 billion a year. Although most of them are said to be harmless, we cannot rule out the danger they pose to the aircraft.
The ability to soar into the sky has to be one of the greatest achievements of humans. But who would have thought that our feathered peers would be the main threat in flight, which gave rise to the idea of amazing engineering. Bird strikes are still considered one of the most serious threats to aviation worldwide. The infamous engine failure of a US Airways plane that had to land in the Hudson River was evidence that two geese had managed to damage two of the plane's engines.
The ICAO survey, including data from 91 countries, found that airlines face an average of 34 bird strikes per day. The monetary damages amount to more than 1 billion dollars per year. But the reassuring fact is that 92 percent of the raids were without injuries.
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Most modern engines should be able to eat birds weighing around 1.8kg when running at full power. They want to do this during the initial rate of climb without flaring or shutting down the engine. In addition, a minimum of 50 percent performance is required up to 14 minutes after the impact. This means that even if both engines hit large birds, it may provide a combined thrust of at least one engine that is insufficient to return to the airport.
Now there are some clear solutions. For example, netting seems to be the cheapest solution to the bird strike problem. However, a food net is also a big risk. At high speed, a 1.8 kg bird has a force of about 3,50,000 N, which can damage the net and has a high risk of entering the engine.
Among the solutions that worked against the bird strike problem, a Purdue University study found that aircraft painted in dark colors attract more birds, making them more likely to crash. The contrasting bright hue of the body blends in with the sky and helps the bird avoid flight.
Adding to the list of solutions is a study by Japanese carrier ANA, which found that jet engine helicopters can be an effective way to deter birds from aircraft. To this end, 26 Boeing aircraft in the carrier fleet carried engine designs. Surprisingly, the method worked. The patterned plane recorded just one birdie hit against traditional 9s in the same period.
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The location of the airport also plays a big role in the number of dangerous birds on the runway. For example, rather than the number of incidents at London Airport, we can consider the number of bird strikes at Munich Airport. The main driving factor that differentiates them is location. Munich Airport, which is located on a relatively large plot of land, attracts more birds. Meanwhile, the airport in London
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