Use prairie grass to protect aircraft

There have long been solutions to prevent birds from colliding with aircraft but this risk has not been thoroughly overcome. Now, there is an additional "weapon" against birds that is high herbaceous grass.

Canadian geese, a potential threat to take-off and landing aircraft - (Photo: Ducks.org)

Dayton International Airport began planting prairie grass with an area of ​​122 hectares around the airport. Collisions between aircraft and wildlife are very common in the United States, particularly dangerous are Canadian geese, and Dayton is one of several airports that uses natural solutions to combat invasive animals.

Geese flock often gather around short grasses adjacent to the airport runway and start a flock that easily collides with take-off or landing aircraft. So people moved to grow high-grass herbs, which made geese in particular and birds in general feel about the risk of predators hiding in them so they had to leave.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), from 1988 to 2013, there were 11,315 wildlife (of which birds accounted for 97%) collided with aircraft, resulting in 255 deaths. UPI news agency said that not only Dayton but also many other airports are now planting high-grass grass for repelling birds, such as Baltimore, Rochester, Portland International Airport .