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on runways can be a threat to airplanes Washington:
A new study has found that animals can gain easy access to runways and infield
areas at small airports, increasing the likelihood of planes striking those animals.
The study, by Gene Rhodes, a professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue
University, covered 10 small Indiana airports in the US . It documented that animals
found ways through damaged fences or unfenced areas onto airport properties. "Just
about every pilot we talked to at these airports said that during a landing, they've
had to pull up to avoid hitting an animal on the runway," Rhodes said. "With the
size of planes using these airports, hitting a rabbit could flip a plane," he
added. While Rhodes' study looked only at Indiana airports, he said there are
thousands of airports all over the US that don't have the budgets to adequately
fence their properties, endangering countless flights each year. In the study,
only four of the Indiana airports had fences around the entire perimeter, and
even those had maintenance problems - such as holes dug under fences, access through
culverts and holes in fences - that allowed animals onto the properties. Despite
the desire to keep animals away, Rhodes said airports often are a magnet for wildlife.
Airports are required to own property around runways that is often rented to farmers.
While that increases airports' meager budgets, those crops can attract animals
looking for food. "What you have planted affects what type of animals will be
there," Rhodes said. "Even if you have certain grasses, you have small mammals
that eat those, and those attract red-tailed hawks. A red-tailed hawk can bring
down a small plane as fast as anything," he added. Previous studies cited in Rhodes
' paper have shown that wildlife strikes cost more than a half a billion dollars
each year and have been responsible for more than 350 human deaths in the last
century. According to Travis DeVault, who co-authored the paper as Rhodes ' postdoctoral
researcher, "Many of the most hazardous species are increasing in population size."
"Also, air traffic continues to increase. More birds in combination with more
flights leads to more bird strikes," he said. DeVault added that new technology
means planes are quieter today, giving birds less time to detect and avoid being
struck. Rhodes ' study suggests enclosing 100 percent of airport perimeters with
partially buried fencing, which keeps animals from tunneling underneath. Frequent
maintenance also is key because many of the animals observed during the study
entered the airports through damaged fences. -May
5, 2009
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