Bridge net protects jets, swallows but keeps water flowing

[Cara J]

The U.S. Air Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt is a special military aircraft, designed for close air support of friendly ground troops, low-level quick-action against enemy ground troops, and engaging armored vehicles.  When swallows weighing less than an ounce each collided with two of these 29,000-pound planes in just the wrong spot, the result was $142,000 in damage but thankfully no human injuries. Flights of swallows nested under bridges over irrigation canals next to Gowen Field’s runway and approach lights. ©USDA Wildlife Services Barn and cliff swallows nest in large numbers under two irrigation canal bridges near the approach runway of Gowen Field Air National Guard (ANG) base. Wildlife Services biologists in Idaho were challenged to address this continuing hazard to military and civilian aircraft by reducing attractants in proximity to the base. Among the birds most commonly struck, swallows rank low on actual damage.  Eleven strikes at the Boise base over five years hadn’t caused damage, but the potential for multiple birds being struck in a single collision increases the risks. A county highway department owns the bridges which cross an irrigation canal maintained by the Bureau of Reclamation.  Both entities had to approve any solution, which the ANG agreed to [...]

 

Read more: http://wildlife.org/bridge-net-protects-jets-swallows-but-keeps-water-flowing/