Raf

Good topic. Having flown over and near the Salton Sea (PSP, UDD, TRM, IPL) and throughout SoCal for decades, I’ve often dealt with the risks migratory birds bring, especially during spring (March-May) and fall (October-December). These seasons see flocks of pelicans, geese, and cranes turning the skies into a hazard for pilots.

The Embry-Riddle study suggests drones as a solution, tracking bird movements in real-time and covering areas that traditional methods can’t. This approach could be a game-changer for airports near places like the Salton Sea, helping them manage risks during critical phases like takeoff and landing. But what about en route bird strikes, where flocks can soar to altitudes as high as FL270, as some ICAO reports suggest?

Even so, relying on protocols like geofencing raises some concerns. Will geofencing alone prevent drones from becoming a problem in busy airspace? How do we ensure that drone operators and air traffic controllers stay on the same page? For drones to truly help, the rules and coordination need to be rock-solid.

The study shows promise, but in aviation, good intentions aren’t enough—precision and flawless execution are the difference between a solution and another airborne risk.

2 replies

Tom_Waarne

Good points Raf, and there is always the escalating risks as you point out. I used to read to my kids the story “the king, the mice and the cheese”. We would do well to remember the solution being is to get along with one another. Knowing where the bird brains are and where they’re likely to be going could well be a significant part of the solution. The Pacific Flyway stretches from Alaska to Latin America and is a seasonal risk that won’t go away as long as we use aircraft. Here is where good judgement is needed more than ever. A little technology help may just tip the balance in a favourable direction for both of our species.

RationalityKeith

Good to add more capability, perhaps most useful for understanding food and nesting patterns.

(Which were fairly obvious with seagulls at YVR - nesting areas and garbage dump, I forget what was actually done to mitigate - perhaps covering the garbage sooner (a big landfill).)

Moose might be interesting, remembering:

• Learjet hitting one at OhDarkThirty one morning in Astoria OR
• One found on the inside of high new fence when an airport in AK opened for the day (hey! safe from wolves

Raf

Tom, it’s great that you brought up the topic of bird migratory flyways. Here’s an analysis I put together using ChatGPT, detailing North America’s four primary flyways—Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific—and their impact on aviation safety.

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Bird Densities and Peak Migration Periods

• Atlantic Flyway: Hosts millions of migratory birds, including waterfowl and shorebirds, during spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) migrations.
• Mississippi Flyway: Supports over 50% of North America’s migratory waterfowl, peaking in April-May and September-October.
• Central Flyway: Known for large populations of shorebirds and waterfowl, with hundreds of thousands of Sandhill Cranes migrating during spring.
• Pacific Flyway: Features diverse species migrating during spring and fall, but with generally lower densities compared to the Atlantic and Mississippi Flyways.

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Bird Strikes and Associated Costs

• From 1990 to 2023, over 296,000 wildlife strikes were reported in the U.S., with birds accounting for 98.3% of incidents.
  Source: British Aviation Group
• In 2023, the FAA reported nearly 19,400 wildlife strikes in the U.S. or involving U.S. carriers abroad.
  Source: The Times
• Between 1988 and 2021, wildlife strikes resulted in over 300 fatalities and nearly 300 destroyed aircraft globally.
  Source: Simple Flying

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Altitude and Bird Strikes

• Over 90% of bird strikes occur at or below 3,000 feet AGL, primarily during takeoff and landing.
  Source: FAA
• Strikes at higher altitudes are more common during migration, with ducks and geese frequently observed up to 7,000 feet AGL.
  Source: FAA

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Recommendations

1. Enhanced Monitoring: Use advanced radar and detection systems at high-risk airports to track bird movements in real-time.
2. Habitat Management: Reduce attractants like water bodies and food sources near airport environments.
3. Policy Development: Collaborate with wildlife and aviation agencies to enforce robust management plans.
4. Technology Integration: Deploy drones (UAS) to monitor wildlife hazards, while addressing FAA regulatory limitations and workforce training gaps.

The moral for aviators: Awareness of migratory flyways and bird strike risks is essential for flight safety. With most strikes occurring below 3,000 feet during peak migration periods, pilots must remain vigilant, especially during takeoff and landing. Understanding local wildlife patterns and collaborating with airports on mitigation strategies like habitat management and bird detection technologies can significantly reduce risks. Proactive measures and informed decision-making ensure safer skies for everyone. I assume Embry-Riddle is on it.

Arthur_Foyt

So… the result is more “birds in the area” on ATIS and tower frequencies?
And that prevents bird strikes how?

Raf

Arthur, I see where you’re coming from, and I tend to agree. It seems unlikely that drones will significantly alter birds’ migratory behavior, and this Embry-Riddle program might lean more toward being an academic exploration than a truly operational solution.

2 replies

Arthur_Foyt

I wish that these “aviation master’s students” actually had practical experience in the air, on frequency, in the left seat. What good is one more warning or PIREP? I’m sorry but if you line up and wait with 20 planes behind you, you’re gonna take off.

Astrovaquero

While practical application of the additional information is what we as pilots need, better understanding of wildlife behavior is a necessary first step in such an application. And it may provide the knowledge to mitigate the problem at the root cause, or provide insight into the locality of increased activity. Things such as a recently harvested corn field which can attract scads of birds might give more specificity to the warning and make it more actionable. The challenge is you don’t know what you don’t know and what do you do with what you learn.

1 reply

Astrovaquero

Bird strikes can and do come when you think they are impossible. Ducks don’t fly in clouds or at night do they? They did at least once as we struck 14 of them one night over central Florida at 3000 feet in cloud while on a three ship training mission from Fort Stewart GA to Marianna FL. The training picked up a few additional activities as we “abandonded” our C-130 with its shattered radome and another that had sunk into the asphalt and we exfilled back to Hunter AAF on the third Herc. Maintenance flew in the next day to recover the damaged and stuck birds. Bottom line is IMC is not just for IFR, those pesky ducks weren’t on a clearance and didn’t have their transponders on.

RationalityKeith

Drones per se will not scare birds away for long.
A Canadian Pacific Airlines pilot made an RC airplane styled like a hawk but birds at YVR became accustomed to it and not afraid because it never attacked any.
Goose huggers object to killing them.

I see the benefit being identification of what and where they are, to focus action.

1 reply

RationalityKeith

Though, are they speaking of continuous monitoring for birds active?
I’d want to understand whether or not many tend to fly up in response to an airplane, perhaps not as birds frequenting the airport will become accustomed to airplanes that never attack them.

Perhaps fixed sensors could be used as well or instead of UAVs.

(Farmers where I live find they have to rotate methods such as flashing lights and noise
Many install nets over fields - hmm, nets low over areas of nesting and feeding on and near airports?)