Plymouth Airport Bird Control Unit disbands
Zooker
No EGCC does not (his legacy is well remembered and lives on though!) ... but .. it does have a full time Wildlife Control person who monitors/co-ordinates/researches etc.
The day to day bird scaring is done 24/7 by an assigned person each shift from the Airfield Safety Team .... they do not perform any other duties when on this shift.
No EGCC does not (his legacy is well remembered and lives on though!) ... but .. it does have a full time Wildlife Control person who monitors/co-ordinates/researches etc.
The day to day bird scaring is done 24/7 by an assigned person each shift from the Airfield Safety Team .... they do not perform any other duties when on this shift.
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Well that goes to prove that having a dedicated BCU is no more effective than having the wildlife dispersal done on an irregular basis.
In fact it could be convincingly argued by no fee no win lawyers that the BCU operator at Kinloss contributed to this accident by failing in his professional duties and dispersing the birds from one point, but failing to ensure that they had been dispersed away from the runway and approaches.
Worthy of thought for anyone involved in BCU operations, especially Safeskys and the individual BCU operators in a similar situation - you would both be equally culpable.
A bird control unit can't be everywhere at any one time and unless the operator is omnipresent and precisely because of the above, airport authorities are highly likely to go for the option of not having dedicated BCUs.
In fact it could be convincingly argued by no fee no win lawyers that the BCU operator at Kinloss contributed to this accident by failing in his professional duties and dispersing the birds from one point, but failing to ensure that they had been dispersed away from the runway and approaches.
Worthy of thought for anyone involved in BCU operations, especially Safeskys and the individual BCU operators in a similar situation - you would both be equally culpable.
A bird control unit can't be everywhere at any one time and unless the operator is omnipresent and precisely because of the above, airport authorities are highly likely to go for the option of not having dedicated BCUs.
Birds being birds, no one can give a cast iron guarantee of a bird free airport but a well trained, full time BCU can drastically reduce the risk of a major bird strike.
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Niknak Noooooooooo
Niknak,
You really should not open your mouth until you check your facts.
Safeskys provides bird control on every RAF Station in England & Wales.
Another provider (AWM) provides bird control at RAF Kinloss.
Safeskys' bird controllers are professionals and do not 'move birds from one location to another'. They take a great pride in their job and have won many awards and plaudits from RAF customers.
They object to your ill informed slur. Will you apologise ?
You really should not open your mouth until you check your facts.
Safeskys provides bird control on every RAF Station in England & Wales.
Another provider (AWM) provides bird control at RAF Kinloss.
Safeskys' bird controllers are professionals and do not 'move birds from one location to another'. They take a great pride in their job and have won many awards and plaudits from RAF customers.
They object to your ill informed slur. Will you apologise ?
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Perhaps you are correct but in low light when the birds flew North of the runway it was impossible to see where they landed, they merely circled and landed out of sight. That being said, Kinloss bay has one of the largest concentrations of seabirds and they settle on the beach in the approach to runway 08. No more fatal accidents since, that has to tell you something.
How times have changed - old codgers like me will probably remember the rubbish tip under the 06 (now 05) approach at Glasgow in the 70's, just beyond the M8 - gull heaven !
I don't know when it went but I'm sure the BAA had a hard job getting the council to quit, as the heap got quite high during my time @ PF
I don't know when it went but I'm sure the BAA had a hard job getting the council to quit, as the heap got quite high during my time @ PF
Forewarned is Forearmed
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As a Bird Control Co-ordinator of a number of years, there is no doubt that the return to an outdated unprofessional approach at any licensed airfield of this size by utilising Firefighters to carry out these duties reflects the lack and importance and understanding of the Bird Hazard by any aerodrome authority.
I have yet to see an effective Bird Control Unit staffed by Fire fighters, thankfully some have learnt from lessons in the past and this type of approach is very much in the minority.
The stats will show how effective things are in a few months with the annual return of Gulls and migrating birds.
I have yet to see an effective Bird Control Unit staffed by Fire fighters, thankfully some have learnt from lessons in the past and this type of approach is very much in the minority.
The stats will show how effective things are in a few months with the annual return of Gulls and migrating birds.
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nimrod birdstrike
Having worked on the BCU for 2 years I can honestly say it is a vital cog in safety, a Nimrod went down about one year after I arrived at RAF Kinloss in 1983 due to ingestion of a flock of about 400 seabirds. A New Zealand Air Force pilot on a secondment lost his life, the birds were cleared from the middle of the runway but settled at the end of the runway, the result was they lifted as the aircraft rotated and the aircraft crashed in the Rozelle woods. Keep the birds away, for their sake as much as the human costs, if you think air safety is expensive try an accident.
This was the birdstrike that change the way bird control was carried out in the RAF.
Up until then BCUs were manned by volunteers (volunteered!) personnel from various sections around the station(s) acoss the UK. After this accident it changed to TG9 staff which were Assistant Air Traffic Controllers then later, for continuity, civilianized.
Worthy of thought for anyone involved in BCU operations, especially Safeskys and the individual BCU operators in a similar situation - you would both be equally culpable.
The BCU could be culpable if proved negligent in his duty. However culpability would more likely be aimed at Airport Managers and Airport Directors as it is these people who write the policies and police their bird control as such.
( I checked with a tame solicitor)
call100
Birds being birds, no one can give a cast iron guarantee of a bird free airport but a well trained, full time BCU can drastically reduce the risk of a major bird strike.
Birds being birds, no one can give a cast iron guarantee of a bird free airport but a well trained, full time BCU can drastically reduce the risk of a major bird strike.
A bird control unit can't be everywhere at any one time and unless the operator is omnipresent and precisely because of the above, airport authorities are highly likely to go for the option of not having dedicated BCUs.
Sadly, it will take a loss of an airliner, to get all Airports,Airlines and the CAA singing from the same hymn book on the subject of BCUs.
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Don't know anything about research, but no - just a car called out by ATC when the birds get too much. Mostly they just chase them around but sometimes they take a shotgun to them.
ap
ap
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Slight thread-drift I know, BUT........
Ranger 1,
Why does everyone with a job call themselves a 'co-ordinator' these days?
Who did you co-ordinate with? Do tell.
"Attention all puffins"
"Incoming message for all black-headed gulls, ATR on long final for 23"
I recently had a letter from a 'Human Resources Co-ordinator'
Councils of course are well-known for this muppetry, employing such essentials as "Lesbian Outreach Co-ordinators" and, (most bizzarely), "Street Football Co-ordinators"
Ranger 1,
Why does everyone with a job call themselves a 'co-ordinator' these days?
Who did you co-ordinate with? Do tell.
"Attention all puffins"
"Incoming message for all black-headed gulls, ATR on long final for 23"
I recently had a letter from a 'Human Resources Co-ordinator'
Councils of course are well-known for this muppetry, employing such essentials as "Lesbian Outreach Co-ordinators" and, (most bizzarely), "Street Football Co-ordinators"
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In defence of Ranger1........Your post actually shows your ignorance of the subject being discussed.
I suggest you read CAP680. the Bird Control co-ordinator's function is described in some detail there. It will save anyone typing the long list.
You will find a BCC at all the major airports. It is an actual job title not something he called himself.....
I suggest you read CAP680. the Bird Control co-ordinator's function is described in some detail there. It will save anyone typing the long list.
You will find a BCC at all the major airports. It is an actual job title not something he called himself.....
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Interestingly, there is no form of bird control at all in Australia
It's long overdue given the size of ibis, pelicans and other species that frequently use Aussie airports for their own aviation activities, but Management Teams are often hard to convince when it comes to cost/benefit.
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call100,
yes and no, and no offence meant to Ranger1.
It's just another fine example of 'clackfart' language.
Throw in a 'facilitator', and a 'business-partner' (or two), and you're all set to embed solutions to challenges!
Out of curiosity, what were the other 91 CAP's published between 680 and 772?
Spitoon,
the "Street Football Co-ordinators" are in Moray, north of The Grampians.
Manchester is not, as far as I'm aware, north of The Grampians.
Mt. Belzoni, on the other hand, can be anywhere you want it to be!
yes and no, and no offence meant to Ranger1.
It's just another fine example of 'clackfart' language.
Throw in a 'facilitator', and a 'business-partner' (or two), and you're all set to embed solutions to challenges!
Out of curiosity, what were the other 91 CAP's published between 680 and 772?
Spitoon,
the "Street Football Co-ordinators" are in Moray, north of The Grampians.
Manchester is not, as far as I'm aware, north of The Grampians.
Mt. Belzoni, on the other hand, can be anywhere you want it to be!
Last edited by Jetdriver; 11th Sep 2009 at 03:27.
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Well geography never was my strong point.
As for the CAPs.....
681 was Global Fatal Accident Review
682 was Guidance for Approval of Training Organisations
683 was The Assessment of Runway Surface Friction Characteristics
684 was UK Airports Annual Annual Statistics
685...OK, you've got me
686 was Corporate Code of Practice (Helicopters)
687...another one lost in the mists of time
688 was Standards for Clearance Delivery Officers (Ocean)
689 was Progress Report 1998
And now I'm bored. I feel sure my time would be better spent studying my Oxford School Atlas and finding out where these Grampian things are.
As for the CAPs.....
681 was Global Fatal Accident Review
682 was Guidance for Approval of Training Organisations
683 was The Assessment of Runway Surface Friction Characteristics
684 was UK Airports Annual Annual Statistics
685...OK, you've got me
686 was Corporate Code of Practice (Helicopters)
687...another one lost in the mists of time
688 was Standards for Clearance Delivery Officers (Ocean)
689 was Progress Report 1998
And now I'm bored. I feel sure my time would be better spent studying my Oxford School Atlas and finding out where these Grampian things are.
