DVIDS – News – Sharing the skies: Naval air travel training alleviates danger of bird strikes

Naval Aviation is developed on a physically and psychologically extensive curriculum that needs trainees and trainers to conquer numerous obstacles. Student Naval Aviators (SNAs) are in some cases needed to make split-second choices, react to simulated emergency situations and, sometimes react to real inflight emergency situations. Some marine air stations that support SNA training lie in significant migratory passages where numerous moving bird types produce an extra difficulty to safe flight. To address this difficulty, in June 2010, Commander, Naval Installations Command, developed the Bird/Animal Aircraft Strike Hazard (CELEBRATION) program. Later that year, Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) executed the celebration program throughout all 5 of its training air wing areas. Since its beginning, the celebration program has actually shown to be a necessary tool to keep Navy SNAs and trainer pilots safe.

CNATRA has 17 squadrons that train in 5 various geographical areas. Each geographical location deals with distinct obstacles in regard to bird migration patterns. As an outcome, each area has actually established a unique celebration program comprised of ecological and air travel professionals. These working groups of Navy agents partner with entities consisting of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife biologists, natural deposit supervisors, and the Smithsonian Institution Feather Identification Lab to gather and comprehend wildlife information that forms day-to-day air operations.

Training Air Wing (TW) 5 in Whiting Field, Florida, and TW-6 in Pensacola, Florida, face wildlife obstacles such as Mississippi kites – low-flying birds that dive and swoop while foraging. Ryan Lynch, wildlife biologist with USDA Wildlife Services – Florida Program, says this phenomena increases the possibility of bird strikes with Navy training airplane operating at low elevations.

“Mississippi kites are present locally from April through July every year, with as many as 40 on the airfield at one time,” said Lynch. “They can be managed by reducing or removing available food sources and [utilization of] non-lethal dispersal. These birds are insectivorous, and the U.S. Navy authorizes a contractor to apply approved insecticides, targeting grasshoppers and other insects. By removing a wildlife attractant (including water and food sources, as well as nesting and perching areas), we encourage kites to seek out other areas for them to fill their daily requirements.”

Farther west, for instance, extreme rains in Corpus Christi, Texas, added to the development of the cattail plant, bring in desert termites, which in turn drew in chuckling gulls. These bigger sea birds produce risks for pilots in the T-6B Texan II and the T-44C Pegasus that run out of NAS Corpus Christi.

All CNATRA bases utilize landscape management – handling turf height to minimize or get rid of seed production – to avoid lower-tier victim, such as mice, from developing environments and bring in second-tier predators to the airfield. Other passive control procedures consist of positioning physical barriers around an airfield and anti-perching gadgets. Direct control procedures consist of accountable usage of pyrotechnics, lp cannons, and bioacoustics to motivate types to move in other places. The Navy partners with USDA to trap delicate wildlife types, such as hawks and owls, and transfer them to better environments.

Habitat management by USDA wildlife biologists and NAVFAC natural deposits supervisors such as Aaron Riffenbaugh effort to reduce possibly dangerous bird activity in airplane operations locations. He explained how direct control makes a location less appropriate for intrusive types.

“When it comes to wildlife, it’s about caloric balancing,” said Riffenbaugh. “If an animal comes into an area and is constantly being moved around the airfield, it’s spending more calories than it’s taking in. Fitness is reduced, reproduction is reduced, and there’s fewer animals on the landscape over time when the habitat is less suitable. The animals instinctively go somewhere else.”

The celebration program likewise assists reduce interactions in between Navy airplane and wildlife on the ground. Flight lines and distant fields (OLFs) experience problems connected with the existence of big mammals such as white-tailed deer and coyotes on the airfield. Preventative procedures that have actually been used in these cases consist of in-ground fencing and big pieces of concrete or rock used along the border fence to minimize gain access to of big mammals and burrowing animals onto active airfields.

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Working with the Smithsonian

When an airplane experiences a bird strike, information is gathered for analysis.

If a pilot knows the bird strike, it is instantly reported upon landing and squadron air travel safety officers compose a risk report for each private strike. If the pilot does not see the strike, it’s usually found by upkeep workers throughout post flight examination. Maintenance workers gather the remains and deliver them to the Smithsonian Institution for DNA analysis to figure out the types.

Jim Whatton is a research study assistant with the Smithsonian Institution Feather Identification Lab in Washington, D.C., and is accountable for determining wildlife associated with airplane strikes. He then goes into that details into a database that supports several partners.

“With over 90% of strikes occurring on take-off and landing, this information is key to managing habitat to prevent problematic species from being attracted to the airfield environment,” said Whatton. “Not all birds on the airfield carry the same risk and knowing which species are actually getting struck allows the biologists and airfield managers to focus the resources on the problem. Having a robust strike record can also help justify changes in surrounding landscapes and allocation of resources.”

After the types is determined at the laboratory, it is tape-recorded into Risk Management Information (RMI), the Navy’s safety incident reporting system. USDA biologists, engineers, and safety workers can search this information to figure out long-lasting patterns and troublesome types to enhance airplane style and flight techniques to reduce wildlife dangers.

According to Whatton, the details obtained from these examinations advantages partners at numerous levels, not simply the Navy, assisting to form future operations.

“The RMI is searchable for trend analysis, so biologists can query the data over time to detect changes in species composition, monitor for effectiveness of mitigation measures, and provide historical context for risk analysis,” said Whatton. “The Smithsonian’s vast research collections and expertise make it a perfect place for this type of interagency collaboration. The final goal is to make the skies safer for all who fly.”

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celebration occurrences can present a raised danger to single engine airplane, consisting of the T-45C Goshawk, that consistently run in migratory passages with thick bird activity. NAS Kingsville and NAS Meridian are both situated in prime migratory passages, the Central Flyway and Mississippi Flyway, respectively, with bird populations at their greatest in the spring and fall.

According to the National Wildlife Strike Database, 92% of all bird strikes happen at elevations less than 3,000 feet above ground level (AGL), with 70% happening listed below 500 feet AGL. Naval Aviators minimize their direct exposure to birds at low elevations by transiting the air space rapidly whenever possible. But when pilots are needed to train at low elevation, such as departure and landing practice, they learn to use functional danger management (ORM) in order pursue the objective securely. For circumstances, SNAs need to carry out touch-and-go’s, a maneuver in which the pilot lands and instantly removes. To reduce the danger of bird strikes throughout occasions like these, CNATRA needs that an everyday danger evaluation be performed to figure out if the celebration conditions contribute to carrying out day-to-day training occasions.

Avian Radar

Training Air Wing (TW) Two has actually used a bird radar considering that 2012, building a large collection of information that has actually assisted them run in a location of high bird migration. For years, the system in location was a 2D radar with turning vertical and horizontal variety radars, showing range to the target, instructions of the target, and on the vertical radar the angle of the target, permitting elevation estimations for targets within the method and departure passages. This offered a significant quantity of information however did not supply elevation details for targets within the 360-degree, four-nautical-mile radius of the airfield. Recently, NAS Kingsville obtained an innovative bird strike avoidance radar system with 4 3D panel radars, supplying 3D details on the targets, consisting of elevation details for all targets within a four-nautical-mile radius of the airfield.

This system is geared up with an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) electronic camera, supplying a visual and thermal image throughout night or day operations. When the radar operator requires to aesthetically recognize a target that has actually been found, the electronic camera pans, tilts, and zooms to the target utilizing the 3D collaborates offered by the 4 radars. This system utilizes the existing 2D horizontal scanning radar and extends the monitored variety from four-nautical-miles to eight-nautical-miles to consist of as much crucial airspace in NAS Kingsville’s preliminary passage as possible with the intent of seeing big groups of big birds as far out from the airfield faster.

“The BASH program is a vital resource to the instructors and student pilots at Training Air Wing Two,” said TW-2 Commodore Capt. Aaron Rybar. “NAS Kingsville’s recent implementation of a 3D avian radar will go far to mitigate future bird strikes by utilizing data-driven insights that help keep our pilots and communities safe while modernizing our approach to this problem. The technology in use here in Kingsville allows our talented team to ensure our policies and procedures minimize the avian risk during known periods of high bird migration. The coupling of technology with real time risk assessment along with data analytics of local avian levels has resulted in safer flight operations, while also increasing sortie completion rates, a true win-win for both the community and the wing.”

CELEBRATION Reporting

Eddie Earwood, NAS Kingsville’s resident USDA wildlife biologist, made celebration reporting a necessary function in Kingsville considering that 2006, and the bird radar has actually contributed in cultivating a more secure flight environment for Naval Aviators and wildlife.

“One of my main responsibilities was to start pumping data from the radar,” said Earwood. “It starts with reporting; if you don’t have strike reporting you can’t even begin. Prior to 2005, there was very limited BASH reporting, so there was no historical data to compare. Policies changed that leveraged maintenance [personnel] contracts to insure strikes were documented, allowing Wing Safety personnel to then report strikes. We were able to turn reporting up to a very high level.”

Earwood said he was at first amazed by the radar information, which revealed a large boost in bird activity during the night, when it was formerly thought that bird activity was at its greatest simply after dawn and prior to sundown. Despite periodic bird strikes that happen throughout CNATRA systems, Earwood is positive that general populations of typically struck types are not affected and, for particular types, populations seem considerably increasing.

As fall migration techniques, lasting from early August through October, Earwood says he anticipates to see a much more precise collection of information that will help figure out the best matching passage for flight operations to continue.

Wildlife Detection and Dispersal Team

Earwood established a training requirement through Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) to produce the Wildlife Detection and Dispersal Team (WDDT).The WDDT is a quick action group entrusted with patrolling the airfield border fence throughout flight operations, prepared to carry out direct control responsibilities to keep the airfield clear. This duty is performed by field assistance workers, who are trained to carry out wildlife reduction on the airfield.

“If the wing duty officer (WDO) sees something concerning on the avian radar, or a pilot reports a large group of birds, they can call the WDDT to respond to that threat and report back to the tower,” said Earwood. “During periods of migration, we increase the requirement for perimeter patrol. We look for large groups of birds coming from the north moving south for the winter. We need to get our eyes on them before they enter our critical airspace.”

Earwood said birds naturally steer to prevent airplane, however in some cases their impulses increase the danger of contact.

“Birds typically depend on gravity to accelerate and avoid,” said Earwood. “When they are above an aircraft and detect that threat, they tuck their wings to descend as quickly as possible, causing them to fall directly into the aircraft.”

Policy Changes

While tracking real-time details from the bird radar, and event inputs from air-borne pilots and the WDDT group on the ground, the WDO is accountable for setting day-to-day celebration conditions. The Navy’s brand-new celebration policy lays out low, moderate, high and serious levels of bird radar target counts. This permits higher understanding of altering bird activity throughout training.

Cmdr. Peter Curran, from Weaverville, California, has actually been a pilot considering that 2001 and flew the EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler. He presently supervises the TW-2 Safety Office in Kingsville.

“BASH is near and dear to our hearts in Kingsville since we are in this migration zone with single-engine aircraft, fighting this battle every day,” said Curran. “Our landing pattern operates at 600 feet above ground level (AGL), which is where a vast majority of strikes occur, and we have developed one of the most comprehensive BASH programs to mitigate risk.”

This brand-new celebration policy, executed in April 2022, was driven by the research study of Scott Simpson, a previous TW-2 trainer pilot who wished to stabilize safety with training requirements by effectively preparing flight operations around celebration conditions.

Simpson, from Southlake, Texas, finished from the Naval Academy with a degree in mechanical engineering and after that made his Master of Business Administration and master’s degree from Georgia Tech in aerospace engineering. During his time in the Navy, Simpson flew the F/A-18 Hornet and the T-45 as a trainer pilot at TW-2. He has actually considering that separated from the Navy and presently works for Boston Consulting Group.

“I worked in operations during my four years in Kingsville, and I knew how much bird strike mitigation affected us on the operations side,” said Simpson. “Two times a year, there are a ton of birds migrating right through Kingsville and the degree of concentration is higher in our location than in others, making our objective risk higher… I wanted to use a data-driven approach to apply a more coherent, efficient risk policy that increases safety while also increasing operational tempo, so that ended up being my goal.”

While the bird radar makes it possible for NAS Kingsville to more properly set celebration conditions, clear, quantifiable and historic information required to be recorded to make policy modifications. Simpson’s research study into information gathered by the bird radar revealed that Naval Aviators deal with the most risk of a bird strike flying low elevation at high speeds for extended periods of time. As bird count boosts, pilots require to spend less time in those crucial locations low to the ground.

“We introduced a new profile with a very steep climb out at a slower speed, with the intention of getting above that danger zone as quickly as possible and reducing the energy of impact should a strike occur,” said Curran. “Using simulators, we performed mitigated departures at different air speeds to determine if we have enough energy available to land safely. With this updated policy with a steeper climb, our pilots are in a better energy profile to return for an arrested landing in case of bird strike.”

Prior to Simpson’s research study, celebration conditions were set by the WDO and pilots might spend three-to-four minutes waiting listed below 3,000 feet AGL in hazardous airspace for wingmen to remove and join them, increasing danger of bird strike with every minute.

“This theory helped us build a new departure profile that is currently being used to reduce risk when we launch airplanes,” said Simpson. “We did have a reduced risk recovery profile already in place, but the profile didn’t exist for departures. By implementing a new profile for launching aircraft, the probability of a bird strike is reduced. In the worst case scenario of a bird strike going down the engine, this new profile gives the pilot the ability to return to the airfield for a safe landing.”

Simpson hopes his research study produces a more secure environment for Naval Aviators at TW-2 and more advantages other systems throughout the Naval Air Training Command (NATRACOM) enterprise.

“Ultimately, I hope that my research saves lives and saves aircraft,” said Simpson. “I’d love to hear someday that a pilot made it back to the field on a reduced-risk departure profile that they wouldn’t have otherwise. I also hope these policies expand beyond Kingsville throughout the NATRACOM and that all of naval aviation can benefit from the practices we’ve implemented in Kingsville.”

Personal Account

CNATRA’s comprehensive emergency situation action training prepares pilots for a variety of high-risk possibilities, however research study and simulation can never ever entirely replicate all of the aspects provided in a real in-flight emergency situation.

Cmdr. Cody Dowd, from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has actually been a pilot considering that 2006 and has actually flown with fleet squadrons running the C-2A Greyhound. He has actually invested near to 9 years of his Navy profession flying around Kingsville.

In September 2022, Dowd remained in a development flight on brief last method when he saw a big bird on the ideal side of his airplane vanish listed below the glareshield and effect the airplane.

“Based on the trajectory, it had a decent chance to have gone down my right intake,” said Dowd. “Upon impact, I immediately thought about where I was in time and space, what configuration the jet was in, what the health of my engine was, and how to maneuver the jet to get into a better profile to maximize my time in a more effective ejection envelope as well as ensuring that we had enough energy on the jet to land it on the runway.”

He rapidly took controls and nosed the airplane over to obstruct a steeper landing profile. On the landing, Dowd kept in mind that engine readings were small, and the landing was uneventful. Blood spatter was discovered in the starboard wheel well in between the consumption and the landing equipment. It was identified that no damage had actually struck the airplane.

“BASH is something that all Kingsville pilots, IPs and students, take seriously,” said Dowd. “With the use of our radar, and with the implementation of our new TW-2 BASH mitigation policies, I think we have done as much as we can to mitigate the risks of sharing these skies with our feathered avian friends.”

Conclusion

Changes to the celebration mitigation policy advantage TW-2 strike trainees and trainer pilots, keeping them much safer at their training wing airfield, and likewise benefit the wing as an entire, more plainly specifying the availability and limitations of operations throughout high migratory durations or serious celebration danger, and permitting training to continue when conditions agree with.

The bird radar now in location at NAS Kingsville now holds the ability to report the target’s size, elevation, and instructions of travel that might present a threat to Naval Aviators and flight operations. Additionally, it can track big and little mammals proceeding or throughout a runway, day or night, and enable air traffic control service to alert pilots and release fast action groups to distribute animals that present a threat to pilots and their airplane.

Even with just a couple of months of information gathered considering that upgraded celebration policies entered into result, the patterns have actually been noticeably positive. From January to August 2022, TW-2 has 14 less bird strikes than in 2021 in the exact same time period. While the safety of CNATRA’s Naval Aviators will constantly stay a leading concern, eventually, even when bird strike danger is low, it’s never ever absolutely no.

CNATRA’s objective is to train, coach, and provide the greatest quality Naval Aviators who dominate in competitors, crisis, and dispute. Headquartered at NAS Corpus Christi, CNATRA consists of 5 training air wings in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas, which are home to 17 training squadrons. In addition, CNATRA supervises the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron the Blue Angels and the training curriculum for all fleet replacement squadrons.