Airport workers would be protected from criminal charges if they harm an endangered or protected bird while clearing a runway for airplanes, under a bill unanimously approved this morning by the Florida House.

The measure is largely in response to U.S. Airways Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River in January.

“It’s a battle,” said Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, who is sponsoring the measure (HB 1065). “It’s us versus the birds in a lot of cases to keep the runways clear.”

For a round-up of the number of animal-vs-plane reports in Florida, click here.

The bill is expected to receive a vote later this week in the Senate, where it’s sponsored by Sen. Carey Baker, a Eustis Republican running for Florida Agriculture Commissioner.

Plakon said airports have been “chilled” by regulations aimed at protecting wildlife. One example, he said, was some airport officials refused to use a paintball gun to shoot at eagles for fear of killing one of the protected birds.

“They were concerned that they could be prosecuted for an errant shot — if you’re shooting at the eagle’s feet to scare him and hit the eagle and he dies,” Plakon said.

In addition to paintball guns, Plakon said airports use other methods that “sound crazy.” Continue reading to check out some more.

Rope firecrackers: Create a “negative living environment” by setting off firecrackers in places where wildlife congregates.

Propane canons: A device with a timer that triggers a spark, ignites the propane and unleashes explosion similar to a shotgun blast. Some cannons reach 130 decibels.

Sirens and horns: Mounted on poles or vehicles. Emit loud noises to scare away wildlife.
Paintballs: a CO2 propelled air rifle shoots paint pellets very close to the animal without hitting it.
Strobe lighting: Large light fixtures placed throughout the airfield and turned on at varying intervals.
Electric pol shockers: Electrified poles that shock birds when they land on it.
Handheld lasers: A hand-held device that emits a concentrated light beam to scare away birds.
Dogs & raptors: Trained raptors and dogs used to chase away wildlife.

Airline Safety and Wildlife Protection Act

Tags: bird strikes, Scott Plakon

This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm and is filed under legislature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.