Airports Order Up Bird Radars

Bird strikes are not a recent addition to aviation woes, but it took a US Airways Airbus crash landing in the Hudson River on January 15 for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take swift action on the threat. Now, technology that has been in testing phases across the country is being shipped out to airports from Seattle to New York to help cope with birds.

In the aftermath of the crash, which was caused by a collision with flocks that took out both engines, airports are scrambling to install bird-detecting radar, according to the Associated Press. Some airports, like Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, have been testing the radar for more than a year, but went ahead and put in a third detector last week.

All three major New York airports have asked the FAA to install the radars. New York’s Kennedy airport was already slated to receive the technology, according to AP, but the recent events has taken bird strikes off the back burner of FAA policy.

Check out Audubon magazine exclusive “Birdstrikes: Seeking Safer Skies” to read more about other measures airports are taking to make the airways safer for feathered and non-feathered frequent fliers.