Local airport aims to decrease collision of wings
Though bird populations are rising, so are the number of flying airplanes causing an increase in the number of collisions. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is taking action to protect the natural habitats of the air, according to a report in the Star Tribune.
On Thursday at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport officials practiced using noise devises 100 yards away to scare away birds and shooting nets into the air to capture those that have been flying and living on the airport's land.
According to the Federal Avian Administration, 122 bird strikes occur in Minnesota out of the, 7,439 incidents that occur nationally.
However, these numbers are likely to be low as the FAA estimates only 20 percent of bird airplane collisions are reported.
In a report in the Pioneer Press in March, the FAA says it needs to expand secrecy in records of the number of bird collisions in specific areas because if the public learned the information then airports would avoid reporting collisions.
The Minneapolis airport's records report that 219 people have been also been killed as a result of bird strikes since 1988.
Though John Ostrom, the manager of air operations at the airport said these precautionary procedures will help, they it will not stop collisions altogether.
"No matter what we do, no matter how much we spend, we will not be able to prevent aircraft from hitting birds," said Ostrom.