Small, dangerous threat: Innovative program aims to eliminate bird strikes here

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Though on the surface their efforts are not noticed by many, a team at Dover Air Force Base works behind the scenes to save lives here and now, and hopefully across the Air Force in years to come.

The 436th Airlift Wing Safety Office manages the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard, or BASH, program for the base. The Air Force Safety Center BASH at Kirtland AFB, N.M., chose Dover and Whiteman AFB, Mo., as two Air Force test sites for radars that will help prevent bird strikes, said Maj. Jacob Rosser, 436th AW Safety Office deputy chief.

Since 1985, the Air Force has documented more than 71,000 bird strikes, costing more than $730 million in damages, according to the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M. Since 1973, the Air Force has lost 35 Airmen and 42 aircraft due to bird strikes.

"Dover is the only base in (Air Mobility Command) with a bird radar and as such, we are developing (concepts of operations) for the inclusion of the bird radar in our BASH
Program," said Major Rosser. "In turn, these CONOPS could be used AF wide once the technology has developed and is accepted for widespread use."

Dover is not undertaking the challenge alone, explained the major. In a trend familiar to Team Dover, the base is working jointly with the manufacturer and local civilian agencies in an effort to reduce future bird strikes for all aircraft.

"We are working hand in hand with the radar manufacturer to develop the radar display and data output," said Major Rosser. "The result of our tests will benefit many organizations and will impact the Air Force through widespread use."

The bird radar, which scans both vertically and horizontally more than six nautical miles and costs approximately $300,000, serves two purposes. It collects data to help compile information on bird movement patterns, and provides real-time bird detection to locate large flocks.

"Due to the location of the base along the Mid-Atlantic coast, Dover Air Force Base is in the middle of a major migration route for birds and is at the center of the wintering grounds for greater snow geese and large numbers of migratory Canada geese, as well as many gull species," said Dr. Karen Voltura, Dover AFB's Bird and Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard chief of operations for Flyaway Farm and Kennels Wildlife Management, the BASH contractor for Dover AFB.

While Dover does not usually have a large number of bird strikes compared to other major airports, it has had several damaging strikes in past years.

"Currently, we average fewer than 25 strikes per year," said Doctor Voltura about the reduction of strikes resulting from modifying flying hours during peak bird movements and the use of dogs to scare birds away from the flight path. "During the last five years, the Dover BASH program has been able to decrease bird strikes here by more than 60 percent."

In years to come, the bird radar is expected to reduce Dover statistics even more, she continued.

"The information collected by the radar will help the BASH program refine the scheduling restrictions that are part of the Dover BASH plan, and eventually it will allow the immediate detection of birds that are a direct risk to aircraft flying in and out of Dover Air Force Base," said Doctor Voltura.