#21
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
This question is riiiiiiiight up your alley! |
#22
|
||||
|
||||
I once went for a drive around an australian airport with an ASO (airport safety officer). I hopped in the ute, and there was a shotgun on my seat with the blank cartridges, intended to scare birds away (I have limited experience with rifles, so I'm not too savvy on firearms!) and was told to 'hold it when we turn'.
There's another method for you
__________________
One of those UNSW students... you know what I mean |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
It was experimented with back in the early 70's at Sydney with special approval, however falconry didn't prove overly effective as many of the 'high risk' birdstrike species located here don't see falcons as a direct threat. i.e. Seagulls. There are, however, a pair of Peregrine Falcons using the airport as part of their natural territory at the moment. They've been here periodically for around a year now and are doing a fine job on the local pigeon and lorikeet population. They'll only keep hanging around if the food supply is plentiful and if human interference is minimal. If you do see them in the area, keep an eye on them. Seeing a bird diving at speeds of up to 300km/h is quite a sight! |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Coming from a RAAF C-130 back ground, bird strikes were common and did cause some major damage at times. I recall helping rewire some 50 odd wires in the leading edge on one aircraft after a eagle tried to attack the aircraft and lost. Bat strikes were also common during night low level sorties. Fast military aircraft (F-111, F-16, F/A-18 etc) have a semi flexible windscreen that is meant to deflect a bird as it impacts the cockpit windows, you may find a video of testing on youtube. A Belgian C-130 crashed in 1995 after substaining mulitple bird strikes on approach after flying through what on memory was a flock of starlings. Everyone on board died. |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
Clarke P, I think that is a pretty naive comment and as "damien b" says, a bird colliding with an aircraft at 550km/hr may as well be an anti aircraft shell.
And Morons throwing rocks through car windscreens can have a similar effect !! Sydney Airport can be a dangerous place for birdstrikes as I was travelling on an aircraft that hit some birds soon after take off. On 10 December 1988, my wife, baby daughter and I were returning to Perth from Sydney on Australian Airlines, A300, VH-TAD. We were sitting in Row 1, courtesy of "Which Bank" and shortly after take off there was a loud bang and my wife who had the window seat, saw flames shooting out from the engine. A few minutes later the Captain advised that we had flown through a flock of birds and would have to return to Sydney after first dumping fuel to get down to landing weight. After about 20 minutes or so circling over the Blue Mountains and dumping fuel, we returned to Sydney and although the words "emergency landing" were never mentioned, the runway was lined with fire engines and other emergency vehicles. We returned to the terminal and luckily for us another A300, VH-TAE, which had been closed up for the day was in the next bay. After about 90 minutes or so our luggage was transferred and we boarded -TAE for an uneventful flight to Perth. |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I did see it in a video (made in the United States) which talked about forms of bird control and mentioned this method. |
#27
|
|||
|
|||
The fact that you mentioned methods used by SACL and then later referenced the ATSB site could easily be seen (as it was by me) as you inferring to methods used in Australia.
Furthermore, this is the Sydney Airport Message Board, and the topic at hand is located within the Australia and New Zealand Industry forum. I think my assumption was justified. Cheers Nigel |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
You could say the same about nearly any airport given the right (or wrong) conditions!
|
#29
|
|||
|
|||
Ok so now that I know falconry etc is illegal, what other measures to SACL use to deter birds from the area? I would assume that most major airports in Australia being located in "coastal" cities, many of them on or in close proximity to the water would want to keep the seagulls and pelicans etc as far away from aircraft as possible?
|
#30
|
|||
|
|||
>Birdfrite and other pyrotechnics (Armidale NSW uses up to 3" mortars, the same that you'd see at a fireworks display!)
>Live rounds >Vehicle approach >Human approach >Sirens >Horns >Gas Cannons >Grass heights >Tree and plant species >Endophytic grasses soon to be trialed I believe >Habitat modification both on and around the airport >Removal of water ponding areas and >Reducing food supply just to name a few... It would be fair to say the same applies for nearly all major airports. I should point out that of the various "direct" methods used (say, the first 7), the birds can get used to them and become comfortable, so variety is the key. For other birds, a combination of a few methods are required. You have to remember, that to keep birds away you have to understand what makes them tick, what makes them attracted to an airport. You have to understand their behaviour during various weather patterns, and what seasons bring what risks. Sydney Airport and its surrounds are home to many migratory species that arrive at quite specific times of the year, so understanding what species turn up when, and what the attraction of the airport is to them, is vitally important to understanding how to effectively manage and reduce the risk associated with them. Over 100 bird species have been identified at Sydney Airport and its immediate surrounds...that equates to around 1 in 7 of all the bird species found in Australia! So as you can see, it's quite a complex scenario! Cheers Nigel Last edited by Nigel C; 23rd April 2008 at 08:15 PM. Reason: more info to add... |
|
|