RALEIGH – Wildlife can wreak havoc for airports and their staff. Birds and other animals can damage planes on the ground or cause accidents by flying into the engines or roaming on airport grounds. To increase awareness of these concerns and to improve safety for all, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation will offer free training sessions for airport operations personnel.“This training is extremely beneficial for airport owners and operators as we all try to deter wildlife strikes at airports” said NCDOT Division of Aviation Director Bobby Walston. “A lot of very practical information and hands-on training is provided at these sessions, so we encourage any aviation users to attend.”These sessions are open to N.C. airport personnel that are tasked with handling wildlife hazards to aviation. The sessions will be hosted:
- Wednesday, April 8 Statesville Regional Airport (SVH)
- Tuesday, May 19 Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ)
- Thursday, June 25 Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
- Wednesday, December 2 Moore County Airport (SOP)
The sessions typically run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with lunch at local restaurants. There is no cost for attendees of this training. Seating is limited; please register early, registration is on a first come first serve basis.The NCDOT Division of Aviation in cooperation with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service- Wildlife Services will provide technical outreach and other services designed to increase safety at N.C. airports. Topics that will be discussed include:
- Topics contained in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-33 will be discussed
- General overview of wildlife hazards to aviation in our state and nationally
- Review of the Wildlife Hazard Assessment and Wildlife Hazard Management Plan Process
- Rules, regulations, legal reminders, wildlife permits
- Basic bird and mammal identification• Wildlife attractants and habitat management
- Integrated management of wildlife hazards
- Record Keeping and communications
- Safety issues with equipment and procedures
To pre-register call:Contact Jennifer Fuller NCDOT Division of Aviation (919) 814-0560 or email [email protected] For information about the training please call:Mark Lowles (336) 668-2859 or email [email protected]
For resources and information on Wildlife Hazards, please visit http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/wildlife/ and http://www.birdstrike.org/