Bird strike prevention, risk assessment and reporting – beyond the aerodrome

The aviation regulations and best practices governing bird strike risk increasingly place responsibility on airports to take an active role in monitoring and controlling birds beyond the aerodrome itself i.e. off aerodrome reporting.

The risk of bird strike is well-documented, thanks to reporting standards such as IBIS (ICAO Bird Strike Information System). You can review some of the latest statistics summarised here.

What they reveal is that the vast majority of bird strikes take place near aerodromes themselves and at low altitudes.

Bird strike statistics (ICAO) for the flight phase at which incidents occur (2008-15) Source

In addition to this, other studies have noted how birds have become use to the airport environment – and some even use the presence of people, planes, noise and pollution as a way to protect nesting grounds from predators.

It’s no wonder, then, that attention is now focusing on the need to monitor, record and act on birds in the area surrounding the airport.

O.A.R. (Off-Aerodrome Reporting) – monitoring and recording birds beyond the aerodrome

It’s clear that there’s a need for airport teams to monitor and record bird activity beyond the aerodrome as effectively as they do within their own grounds.

Our team at Scarecrow has been working with major international airports to develop a software system that allows you to do exactly this.

We call it O.A.R.: Off-Aerodrome Reporting.

O.A.R. is a powerful piece of software that’s accessible by an easy-to-use touchscreen, handheld device. It allows data, GPS locations and photos to be recorded instantly.

It includes an option for an integrated view with on aerodrome data (collected via our B.I.R.D Tab system to ensure you can identify and manage risk effectively and efficiently, both within and beyond the aerodrome.

And the more accurate the data you hold on both on and off the aerodrome enables better informed decisions to be made regarding actions to take to reduce the threat of bird strike.