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The Tech Behind Preventing Airplane Bird Strikes

Posted by timothy on from the harder-than-it-seems dept.

the4thdimension writes "CNN is running an article covering the technology used at Sea-Tac for preventing airplane bird strikes, like the one that occurred weeks ago to the now famous Flight 1549. The hardware used ranges from low-tech pyrotechnics, to netting, to lasers, to avian radar. Using a combination of all these technologies, Sea-Tac believes they save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in avoiding dangerous bird strikes."

34 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. Not that hard. by RandoX · · Score: 4, Funny

    We just need to build a fence to keep these Canadian terrorists out. Migrating, my ass.

    1. Re:Not that hard. by JCSoRocks · · Score: 3, Funny

      Dogs would be useful but it'd be a lot more fun if we could get a pterodactyl out there hunting the birds.

      --
      You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
    2. Re:Not that hard. by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Funny

      Dogs would be useful but it'd be a lot more fun if we could get a pterodactyl out there hunting the birds.

      And then Mothra to hunt the pterodactyl to prevent THEM from getting sucked into engines, and then Godzilla to in turn keep mothras from taking down planes.

    3. Re:Not that hard. by Ogive17 · · Score: 5, Funny

      What about just building more wind powered generators. I've heard those are bad for migratory birds.

      Clean energy and less birds.. guess you could say that's killing two birds with one stone?

      *ducks* (or should I say geese?)

      Ok, I'm leaving now.

      --
      "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
    4. Re:Not that hard. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Funny

      You ever had to clean a Doberman out of a jet engine? How about the front half of an angry Doberman?

    5. Re:Not that hard. by fred+fleenblat · · Score: 3, Funny

      There's a turducken joke in there somewhere.

    6. Re:Not that hard. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Do you mean have I ever had to clean the front end of an angry doberman? No, but have you ever had to clean out the back end of one?

    7. Re:Not that hard. by dr_dank · · Score: 4, Funny

      Those puns were so fowl.

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
    8. Re:Not that hard. by pixelpusher220 · · Score: 2, Funny

      The bird strikes happened at a few *thousand* feet in the air, not on the runway.

      Now if you've got those flying type dogs...lets talk.

      --
      People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
    9. Re:Not that hard. by azav · · Score: 2, Funny

      Falcons ON Dobermans.

      With freakin' lasers.

      3) Profit!

      FTW!

      --
      - Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
  2. the secret? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Always fly over rivers wide enough to land on!

  3. bird strikes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The secret to preventing bird strikes is to constantly gauge their needs and demands. As long as you regularly meet those needs without giving in too much, you can keep them from striking.

    1. Re:bird strikes by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Funny

      I prefer to bully the bird union leaders, and threaten to hire bird scabs in the event of a strike.

    2. Re:bird strikes by StikyPad · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think we need some sort of high-tech bird monitoring network, complete with identity cards for each bird, so we can find the bad actors. Naturally we'll want to monitor their communications, so we'll need blanket audio coverage of the entire US, as well as several hundred miles in all directions offshore. We must systematically capture and detain any birds that hang out near airports, and any birds they may have associated or mated with. We should also build fences, very large fences to keep out the birds that aren't here natively, who wish to cross our borders undetected. We must screen any potential migrating birds for poor waste hygiene, erratic flight patterns, or impure thoughts. We should root our their nests of evil, and as a bonus, we can eat their unborn babies, perhaps in an omelet or in some sort of fried rice dish, or we can use them to improve the consistency of our baked goods. One thing is for sure: when the birds strike again, and you can be sure they'll try, the next time it will be OUR fault if they succeed. We had the warning. We have it within our means to stop them. We perhaps lack only the resolve and the patriotism required. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America, land of the free from birds, and the home of The Bravados.

      --
      https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
  4. My solution by Cornflake917 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Kill all birds.

    --
    Abaddon: An Xbox 360 Indie game
  5. Re:What about by JCSoRocks · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm no aviation expert... but it seems to me that at those speeds that bird would just get sliced into many chicken-wire-hole sized pieces and still go through the engine. On the plus side "chicken" nuggets would be fresh for the next flight! Watch out for the beak!

    --
    You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
  6. Re:Another idea? by wcrowe · · Score: 4, Funny

    This idea was invented by Shampoo...

    --
    Proverbs 21:19
  7. Re:Tech? Pfft. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    We're trying to shoot the ducks, not the pilot.

  8. Indiana Jones by sobachatina · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let my armies be the rocks and the trees and the birds in the sky.

    1. Re:Indiana Jones by idontgno · · Score: 2, Funny

      Dr. Jones (the elder) did in fact properly attribute, but I'm sure Charelemagne never downed a BF-109 with seagulls. Implementation is as important as specification.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  9. Too Many Secrets by paskal · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh wait nevermind, SeaTec!

  10. Wind farms by internerdj · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just surround the airport with wind power sites and the problem is solved...

  11. Not Often Tom Leher Lyrics Work in a post by Greyfox · · Score: 5, Funny
    I've gained notoriety
    And caused much anxiety
    In the Audobon Society
    With my games...

    They call it impiety
    And lack of propriety
    And boy.. a variety
    Of unpleasant names

    But it's not against any religion...
    To want to dispose of... a pigeon...

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  12. Perhaps if we payed them more... by LunarEffect · · Score: 2, Funny

    they wouldn't go on strike...

  13. Re:What about by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 2, Funny

    Interesting timing on this article for me since I actually have to fly to Seattle\Tacoma airport next week...

    You mean "have to fly most of the wayto Seattle\Tacoma airport next week."

    Wear warm clothes.

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
  14. Better idea. by jellomizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    We know birds hate Snakes.

    Lets put Snakes on the planes. That way birds will avoid the plains to avoid the snakes.

    I got that idea from a movie, I forgot what it was called.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  15. It wasn't a bird strike by knappe+duivel · · Score: 5, Funny

    It was a plane strike. Birds have feelings too, you insensitive clods!

  16. Re:Falcons by TheLink · · Score: 2, Funny

    How about make the planes look like huge falcons- paint eyes on them, paint the undersides and wings so they look a bit like soaring raptors from below.

    Or paint some falcon pics/silhouttes on various parts of the plane fuselage.

    --
  17. Re:You are kidding arent you ? by Arancaytar · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't feed him. He's been posting this for a long time. ;)

  18. Re:Now unemployed by c6gunner · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe if we just posted Cheney at the end of the runway with a shotgun...

    You'd have a lot of dead pilots?

  19. IPv6. NOW! by Piranhaa · · Score: 3, Funny

    If we FINALLY move to IPv6, there won't be nearly as many people using: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers , and thus, less birds hitting planes.

  20. Re:Take a cue from office buildings by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

    The problem there is that most modern jet craft move faster than your average office building.

    Oh sure, on average.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  21. Re:Birds thrown into engine by clem · · Score: 2, Funny

    With a special attachment, the engine also makes julienne fries!

    --
    Your courageous and selfless spelling corrections have made me a better person.
  22. Re:What about by MobyDisk · · Score: 5, Funny

    If birds are so tough, how come we don't just make the whole plane out of birds?