Birdspresentoneofthebiggestsafetyhazardsatairports.ButnotatCherry
Capital Airport in Michigan. That’sbecausePiperworksthere.Thebordercollie
keeps the runways free of birds— even in conditions of 120 decibels and – 4°F...WORKING
T
he 3 o’clock fl ight will be touching
down on the tarmac of Cherry Capital
Airport in a matter of minutes. And the
eight wild geese waddling along in the
grass just a few yards away from the runway
have no idea that it’s coming. But Piper does.
The 8-year-old border collie is an offi cial airport
security offi cer of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).
His job is to keep the airport bird-free during
takeoffs and landings. In truth, there is hardly
anything pilots fear more at these crucial times
than birds fl ying into their aircraft’s engines.
Dozens of planes have been brought down in
this way. Suddenly Piper sprints at the birds
while barking loudly, forcing them to move
off to a safe distance. Mission accomplished.
After one fi nal look over the airfi eld’s terrain,
Piper sits at his observation site (main photo).
At this moment the pilots receive clearance
from the control tower: The runway is secure.
For Piper, such missions are routine. During
his four-hour shift the K-9 patrols the tarmac,
collecting branches from the runways and
chasing away any pigeons, ducks, or geese.
In the past year alone, Piper has scared away
2,450 birds. His supervisor is Brian Edwards,
who trained the dog for two years to preparehim for his role as an airport security offi cer.
“Border collies are herding dogs, so they are
perfect for this job,” says Edwards. Like any
other runway worker, Piper is equipped with
earmuffs to protect against turbine noise and
goggles to shield his eyes from blowing snow.
He also wears shoes to protect his paws from
the ice-cold ground. After all, the temperatures
here often fall below zero in winter. Piper has
only been out sick once, after breaking his leg
while hunting birds. Those were the worst few
weeks of Piper’s career—as well as the least
safe for the airport since he started his job...DOG
LIKE A
PHOTOS: TVC K9-Team.ideasanddiscoveries.com 7 Mar 2017