It does seem the exec jets are the noisiest aircraft at our airport, except for the two CF18s who escorted an AC B767 in a couple of weeks ago, but that was a nice sound.
This airport is on the Pacific Flyway and we have a lot of birds in the area. Always seem to have a few owls in the hangar and once had a few sandpipers stray in. I think they thought the grey painted floor was some sort of beach. Lots of seagulls, of course, hawks, falcons, starlings(flocks numbering in hundreds), Canada Geese, pigeons and sparrows.
We employ a crew to roam the airport and scare birds away using delayed action cracker shotgun cartridges, amplified bird disress calls, chase dogs and once, a peregrine falcon with handler.
Can't remember the last bird strike here, but we've had them although no fatalities, I think.
Once was talking to a Captain who related that once during a take-off roll he spotted a seagull on the runway ahead. Bird took off but flew in the same direction the aircraft was moving, over the runway. As he got closer, bird kept looking over his shoulder at the approaching aircraft, but never altered course. Guess he thought he could out fly a B737. No engine strike but must have gotten messed up in the turbulance as the B737 passed him. Birdbrains.
Last edited by Rollingthunder; 8th May 2004 at 13:20.