Airport Wildlife Hazard Mitigation R & D

Presence of wildlife on and near airports creates a hazard to operating aircraft. It is estimated that nearly 75% of civil aviation wildlife strikes occur near airports. Wildlife strikes, mainly from birds, cause severe damage to operating aircraft and in some cases lead to loss of life. In recent years due to increase in passenger traffic, the introduction of much quieter engines on newer planes and a large increase in wildlife population, the probability of wildlife strikes has increased dramatically.

For 50 years, the FAA’s wildlife hazard management program has focused on mitigating wildlife hazards on or near airports. An aggressive research program continues with the goal of reducing the likelihood of collisions between aircraft and wildlife by providing practical solutions as well as real-time critical information to pilots and airport managers.

Approach

The research work can be categorized into the following areas:

Habitat Studies – to understand how hazardous species such as black birds, birds of prey, rodents and large mammals utilize airport property and to develop methods for managing habitats to reduce their attractiveness to those species.

• Wildlife Detection – to provide the airport community with a set of tools to detect wildlife activity on and near the airport.
• Wildlife Control Techniques – to provide the airport community with a set of passive and active methods to control wildlife at airports.
  
  

Systems Integration - to investigate the integration of diverse systems to provide a better understanding and forecasting of potential wildlife strikes at the airport level using information collected at the regional and national level (such as migratory paths).
For more information on this research program, access to the Bird Strike Reporting Form, and other relevant links, please click on the following link:

FAA Official Wildlife Mitigation Web Site

Contact Project Lead: Mike DiPilato, ANG-E261