Since 2004, 107 bird-aircraft strikes have been reported at airports in Binghamton, Ithaca and Elmira. All three airports have ongoing wildlife control measures to keep bird-plane collisions low
The friendly skies aren't always so friendly when a huge metallic bird hits a much smaller feathered one.
In the past 10 years, 107 bird strikes have been reported at airports in Ithaca, Binghamton and Elmira/Corning.
While none of those became emergencies like the 2009 forced landing on the Hudson River of a U.S. Airways flight that struck a flock of geese, local airports closely monitor birds and other wildlife to reduce the risk of collisions with aircraft.
Those efforts have been largely successful. The Ithaca-Tompkins, Binghamton and Elmira/Corning regional airports average dozens of daily flights, from commercial airliners to privately owned aircraft. Strikes amount to roughly 0.09 percent of all flights per year.
Bird strike collisions are far more frequent at the major connector airports for this region's airports. The busy Philadelphia, Newark and LaGuardia airports averaged two collision every day for the last 10 years, according to Federal Aviation Administration reports. Each year an average of 10,000 airplane-bird strikes are reported in the United States, The cost to the airline industry and its insurers is $950 million.
"You fly turbine engines through a flock of birds, they no longer run. And at high speed, any impacts with, say, an 8-ounce bird, at low altitude? They can penetrate the cockpit or windscreen," said Cody Baciuska, of Loomacres Wildlife Management. His FAA-approved wildlife hazards firm presents annual workshops at all three regional airports.
Major strikes in the region
While most Southern Tier bird-aircraft collisions are minor, two strikes have caused significant damage to planes, according to the FAA:
• On Feb. 15, 2012, a red-tailed hawk was struck by a private jet approaching the Elmira/Corning Regional Airport. The impact damaged the DA-900's leading edge slat, at a cost of $150,000 and 36 hours on the ground, according to the FAA report.
• On April 19, 2013, a wild turkey caused $90,000-worth of damage to a Piper Cheyenne during take off from the Greater Binghamton Regional Airport. The privately owned twin turboprop sustained severe damage to the right propeller, according to the FAA.
No humans were injured in those collisions.
Airport officials at all three airports credit their low-cost, boots-on-the-ground approach that aims to make runways and airfields less inviting to birds.
That includes noise, pyrotechnics and old-fashioned chasing.
"We monitor and maintain," said David Hickley, Commissioner of Greater Binghamton Airport . "It's really a matter of controlling the habitat. And we're very fortunate in our location. The nearest water is eight miles away."
Monitoring local airports
The airport conducts field inspections twice a day, and occasionally chases birds or small animals off the runways. Sirens and "bird screamers" are effective, he said. The screamer devices can be launched 300 feet and make an alarming siren-like sound as it
The Elmira/Corning Regional airport also uses sirens, "bangers" and bird screamers – similar to the fire works enjoyed on the Fourth of July – but launched from a special gun, according to the airport's Director of Operations Bill DeGraw.
"We scare them away," DeGraw said. "If we see a flock of geese we chase them off immediately. We also contract with a wildlife company that traps (small animals) on rare occasions."
While conventional wisdom — and the US Airways flight — indicates water fowl are the biggest culprit in bird strikes, the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, located near Cayuga Lake, has reported 10 bird strikes to the FAA since 2004.
"(Prevention) take a certain amount of proactivity," said Mike Hall, interim airport manager and a retired Air Force Major General.
The Ithaca airport, like the ones in Elmira and Binghamton, find birds are just part of the battle.
Deer, coyotes, bobcats, and foxes also prowl the three fenced airport grounds, and some dig or jump over.
"You just double your effort," Hall said. "It's not an easy thing."
The airport also is located next to Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology's Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary, across State Route 13.
The low number of bird strikes does not surprise Ron Rohrbaugh, assistant director of the sanctuary.
"There is very little threat to birds that are associated with Sapsucker," he said. "Most of the time those open, manicured areas attracts certain kinds, like starlings, geese, gulls — ones that have large flocks, that are associated with water."
Sapsucker's forest attracts small birds more comfortable in smaller spaces, such as songbirds, as does the remaining forest nearly surrounding the airport, Rohrbaugh said.
Gulls top problem bird
Geese — the poster child of bird strikes since the near-disastrous U.S. Airways flight — pose a threat to aircraft by virtue of their size. However, a total of three goose strikes were reported at local airports since 2004.
Leading the list of hits are ring-billed gulls, mourning doves, European starlings and kestrels.
Mark Bellamy, a pilot since 1981, flies a Gulfstream jet for Weisman Scrap Yard in Binghamton, and owns four jets. Bellamy said he has hit "countless" birds in 26 years of flying. The largest was as an ibis taking off while Bellamy's jet was landing at a Boca Raton airfield.
"You have a 'Holy s**t' moment, you know, as you watch the white go past your windshield, and then it's over," he said. "You land, and then you may have another of those moments if there's any damage."
Air traffic controllers at all three airports have always warned pilots of significant bird activity in the area, such as migrations or unexpected flocking, airport officials said.
While the idea of bird strikes can be nerve-rattling, current efforts to reduce the threat place passenger safety at a premium, Baciuska said. The FAA requires all airports to conduct annual training and implement recommendations and for aircraft to be certified to withstand serious strikes, he said..
"And really, the risk is very, very small," he said. "The odds are higher you'll hit a deer on the ground. Flying still is the safest way to travel."
Bird strikes in region
At the three regional airports in the Southern Tier there have been 107 bird strikes recorded since 2004.
• Greater Binghamton Airport: 51
• Elmira/Corning Regional Airport: 46
• Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport: 10
Bird strike risks
• About 6,200 wildlife strikes with civil aircraft have occurred each year in the U.S. since 1990.
• About 62 percent of bird strikes with civil aircraft occur in day, 9 percent occur at dawn or dusk, and 29 percent occur at night.
• About 52 percent of bird strikes occur from July to October when young birds fledge from nests and fall migration occurs.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
Story: http://www.stargazette.com
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