Driving off birds using acft radar
 

Hi Guys, in one of my recent line verification, the TRE told me something I had never heard before (I have been flying for 35 years now !) ...
The statement was: " ... you can use your airborne radar to drive off birds in the vicinity of the airport ... claiming that the birds "feel" the waves and run away ! ".
For me it does not make any sense. I do not know any animal in the earth (including us) that would be able to "feel" electromagnetic (radio) waves. In the other hand, if this statement has a minimum chance to be true it would be written in the radar's manual, I think !.
Thinking a little bit more, at airports we have ATC radars (mainly primary ones), ground radars and meteorological radars and if this would be true the birds would not be a problem at all !
Does anybody heard this before ? Any suggestion is appreciated !

Do the maths. The ERP from the on board radar is miniscule. Its voodoo.

I recall seeing this written in the airfield info for Faro. It requested pilots to switch on weather radar for arrival and departure as a trial in scaring off birds.

Sorry but that is a myth; trials were run some years ago and as you say birds can't sense radar waves any more than we can.

Birds will react to forward facing white lights, though. The RAF encouraged us to use our landing light/ searchlights when operating at low level.

Douglas/Boeing 717 - radar on entering the runway.; radar off leaving the runway.

The only places I haven't suffered a bird strike are on the apron or a taxiway, where the radar is Off. :hmm:

I first read about that circa 1978 and after that diligently scanned the runway ahead (737-200) prior to departure from Pacific atolls where sea birds concerned us. Had only one bird strike over several years but I always thought it was a dodgy theory. But like believing in God, thought I would cover my arse, "just in case."

Then I happened to read the Collins WXR-700X Pilots guide, (October 1974 edition) and at page 33 it states:

"The average radiated power density of the Collins WXR-700X Weather Radar System is significantly less than the 10mW/cm2 allowable for limiting the exposure of rf energy to humans as noted in FAA Advisory circular, number 20-68B, dated august 1980. The WXR-700X doe not require the use of a dummy load when operated on the ground."

That was in 1974. Presumably the modern radars are safer still?

I have heard this crap trotted out by very experienced and educated Captains and Instructors alike - I always challenge them to explain how this works. As you might imagine, I have never received a wholly convincing answer.
Even if birds could somehow feel the radar, how would they know where it's coming from and thus get out of the way? Most birds don't seem that clever.

You take off with the radar anyway. Will not hurt either, or attract the birds.

I aint when the sky is blue:E

Yes, I am not convinced either, but as Latetonite says "it can't hurt, and even if the birds couldn't care less, it might help someone avoid the CB cloud a little further on. David Attenborough regales us with tales of new scientific and ornithological discoveries that are made every year, as to the previously unknown sensory capabilities of these creatures, so who knows? I am happy to wear odd socks if it is perceived to improve the odds.

De Facto: you don't have to.
But I aint forget to switch it on when it gets dark either, or when I enter clouds, plus it gives me predictive windshear on my plane, a bit earlier than on yours.

Predictive windshear is separate..you dint need to switch the "WX" on to get it,it activates automatically when the thrust levers are set during take off.

Doesn't work. Trust me.

De facto: Right. But with a 12 sec delay. This is for the pilots who forgot the radar..
An airline pilot turns his radar on on TO.

Interesting one. Now, normally I would agree and say that it's an urban myth but a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I worked on ground and airborne radars, civil and military.

One of the guys I was working with claimed he could actually 'hear' radar; well the prf from the transmitter, anyway. We did a few experiments and yes, when close enough, he could detect whether the radar was on or not. He had a theory that there was some sort of rectification going on in his middle ear that was stimulating the nerve endings, giving him the impression of hearing a quiet "chirp". Whatever the true explanation, he did seem fairly unique among us.

So, there *may* be a grain of truth there somewhere. One for Mythbusters?

I once knew about a guy that had a pet turtle, he claimed that on occasion that turtle told him to call in sick and that something always happened on those flights.:}

Actually Saxonbloke, I have also seen that on an approach chart somewhere recently, and it wasn't Treviso.

Maybe the turtle knows how to avoid birds ... http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/smile.gif

Personally, I think its bunk. Never noticed any difference Stby or On.

Primary radar doesn't have any effect on birds, but SSR makes them squawk. :*