straightandlevel.It canalsoidcmifybirdsbytheway
theyflalltheirwings.$omcbirdsflapcOllstantly;och-
crsflapaFewtimesandthellilkk.
AtSea-Tac,thcsystemreeordsa\'i:1l1flightpaueros.
Irthengivespilotsgeneralwarningsofbirdacrivirythar
rheylistentObeforctakeoffandonapproachcothcair-
port.Thesystem'itillncedswork,Osmeksays,bcfnre
air-erafficcontrollerscanbeginusingit.Inparticular,
workmuStbedonecoreduce"false-positive"radarsig-
nalsfromgroundequipmem,airplanes,andeveninsccrs.
BueOeTeet,acompanyinPanamaCiey,Florida,says
itsbird-radarsysrem,whiehisbasedonadifferentrcch-
nology,isreadyforcontroltowers.DcTcct'sMERLIN
bird-raJarsystemhasbeenillstalledatfoutairfieldsof
eheU.S.AirForce, lASA'sKennedySpaceCenter,and
severalotherplacesawundtheworld.
AdamKelly,DeTeet'schiefrechnotogyofficer,says
thebestuscofbirdradarissimilartolookingbothways
beforecrossingthestn"et.If birdsarecoming,waitor
flyelsewhereuntilrherc'sadcarparhforeheairplane.
Tbcradarsystem,·an beprogrammedco prodllcea
warningfora certainlevelofbirdacrivity,accordingto
thesizcand!lumberofhirds."Youcantellthediffc-
rencebceweellsIllallbirdstharwOllldiustbea blood
smearona plane,andbigbinkrhatcouldbccara-
strophic," hesaid.
AtOffunAirForceBaseinOmaha,Nebr3ska,users
saythebiggesrproblemtheDeTecrs}'stemhashadis a
difficlllrytellingthedifferenceberweenrainandbirds.
Butir'sparricularlyhelpfulatnighr,wben pilmsand
controllerscan'rscebirds.Offurrhashad$10million
worthofaircraftdamagefrombirdstrikesovcrthepast
fiveyears.Thcradarwaslnstalledi.nMarch,butit's(00
earlytorellif it hasreduccdbirdstrikes,officialssay.5/2009
DANGEROUSSKIES
Effectsofreportedwildllfestrikes,U.S.A.1990--2007
82,057reportedstrikes*
85 percentofcommercial~involved
43 aircraftdamagedbeyondrepair
197 humaninjuries
11 humandeaths
~~S_IoCMlAiro".aftInIhe~~..199G-2OOru.-2OO8l.- TheFM.ludyestim.tes1hatonly 20 ~cf..........e.090fled-
Biologistshavelearneda lorabourbirdsbasedonhow
ohentheyarenitbyairpbnes.FAAstarisricsshowrhar
g.u1]5.havecollisionswithplanesf\\;iccasofrenasmher
species. Hawks rhat~m'.ar airporrs have been
marked,:mdbiologistshaveseenthemlearncostay
awayfromflightpaths.Hawksnestingelsewhercare
struckmoreofcenbyairplanes,accordingtoOsmek.
Thescienccofmakingairfieldsandtheareaaround
airportsunfricndlytobirdshaschanged,roo.Ponds
aroundtheairportarecovereJwirhfloatingplasticballs
toblockbirdsfromlanding.Anorhermethodiscocov-
erthepondswirhnersandcouscplastlconrhcshores
toreduccplamsandgrass.Thetypesofplantsaround
theairportareaarelimited,too,sorharnofmirs,nurs,
orberriesarearoundcoattracrbirds.
Still,birdsareevcrywhere.Untilradarsystemsarein-
sralled, wildlife officerswill rryvarious methodsco
maketheareasaroundairportsbird-free.ArSea-Tae,a
teamof 24 peopleworksnon-stoptOfrightenoffbirds
wirhnoiseand11!rts.Radarthatcouldgivcpilotsreal·
rimewarningswouldbea muchbetteralternarive. [lIReprintedwithpermissionofTheWallStreetJournaltel 2009
DowJones&Company,Ine.Allrightsresellled.BusinessSJIIdighl 67