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Pugachev Cobra
25th May 2010, 04:31
Is anyone aware of any development of aircraft onboard devices that would keep away birds/flying animals?

I don't know about any biological study, but considering animal behavior, it's my humble opinion that when birds don't immediately deviate from an aircraft's path, it's because the bird assumes that the "big awkward flying shiny noisy animal" is seeing it, and will turn away to prevent a collision.

We can't just assume birds know about aircrafts and that we can't all around see as they can.

Maybe a low profile ultrasound/infrasound device that has, let's say, 0.5nm range that could be interpreted as a big bird scaring off other flying animals, would veer them away?

To me, the main problem in the bird hazard field is the lack of communication between aircraft and bird.

We don't announce ourselves if they're on our way, and we can't assume they are looking at the aircraft's direction.

muduckace
25th May 2010, 06:10
I for one have struggled with communicating with birds for a very long time.



Is anyone aware of any development of aircraft onboard devices that would keep away birds/flying animals?


I am sure that the high decible signature is sufficient warning..

Broadcasted on all bands this may help....

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now
'Cause there's too many places
I've got to see

But, if I stayed here with you, girl
Things just couldn't be the same
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird, you'll can not change
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And the bird you cannot change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can?t change
Bye, bye, baby it's been a sweet love

Yeah, yeah
Though this feeling I can't change
But please don't take it so badly
'Cause the Lord knows
I'm to blame

But, if I stayed here with you girl
Things just couldn't be the same
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird, you'll can not change
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

And this bird you cannot change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can't change
Lord help me, I can't change
Lord I can't change

Won't you fly high, free bird, yeah?

UNCTUOUS
25th May 2010, 12:27
.
Hudson River Landing Not Really a Ditching?|Aviation Safety Journal (http://asj.nolan-law.com/2010/05/hudson-river-landing-not-really-a-ditching/)
.

probable cause solutions (para 15)
.
.

Pugachev Cobra
25th May 2010, 12:41
I am sure that the high decible signature is sufficient warning..

I'm not. Considering the speed at which turbine powered aircraft fly (I'm taking piston engines out of the picture because usually they're small and more maneuverable) engine sound is not heard until probably a few seconds from impact.

Consider for example the USAir birdstrike:
YouTube - NTSB Animation Flight 1549 Hudson River Landing US Airways (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWpSAfF6elI)

The aircraft was accelerating from 210 to 218 knots when the birdstrike event happened. And from there, we could only expect speeds to increase, and having numerous reports of birdstrikes in higher flight levels, we can only assume the speed was much higher.

So the "high decible" doesn't apply here.

A recent NTSB Safety Recommendation was issued after the USAir birdstrike:

Work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and
implement innovative technologies that can be installed on
aircraft that would reduce the likelihood of a bird strike.
(A-10-76)

Which ever other serious technologies you can think of, please share. Still on animal behavior, to make one's presence aware to others, the first method used is via sound.

However, the method will fall behind as speed increases. Maybe a device that would produce small sonic booms that would travel ahead of the aircraft giving an early warning to a potential hazard?

SLFguy
25th May 2010, 13:12
Strap a cat onto the radome..

Canuckbirdstrike
25th May 2010, 17:10
What appears to be a simple question is unfortunately not.

The challenge is that various species of birds have different abilities to detect danger and more importantly have a different perceptions of where they fit in the food chain with respect to hierarchy vs. an aircraft.

Work has been done with using pulse/strobe lights, but the results were poor and inconclusive. The issue of radar generates some limited data that is poor quality "eye witness" observations that birds may react to radar. The problem with this is that there is no ability to determine what caused the birds to behave differently. Further, from a knowledge of weather radar frequencies and bird biology it is not possible for birds to detect aircraft radar.

On the issue of using different sonic warning devices on an aircraft there is a problem with the distortion of the sound propagation patterns caused by the aircraft moving. Again, like the use of "deer whistles" on cars there is no scientific study of what works, only poor anecdotal reports.

One of the byproducts of newer, quieter engine technology is the reduction of one of the means that birds detect aircraft is reduced.

It is important to recognize how to manage bird strike risk effectively. The most critical phase of flight to manage is takeoff. Therefore effective airport wildlife management control is critical and this is where we need to concentrate our efforts.

At higher altitudes, like US Air 1549, detection and avoidance are valuable, but simple flight profile management helps. Climb through the high risk areas as fast as possible and keep the speed back to reduce impact force i.e. use a VNAP A climb profile, to use the older more recognized terminology.

There are no silver bullets. Integrated strategies are what succeed.