Drone Patrol
By Rebekah Waters, FAA Safety Briefing Magazine
You can often find me in the woods hiking with my dog. There’s nothing I love more than spotting wildlife along the way. We often see Canada geese, chipmunks, squirrels, and the occasional beaver. While it’s fun to spot these creatures in the wild, it’s not so fun to spot them around an airport. Wildlife can pose serious risks to aviation. Using drones as part of an airport wildlife management program can help mitigate these risks.
Many airports have wildlife management programs to help reduce the risk of bird strikes and collisions with other wildlife. These programs employ techniques like habitat management, population control, active deterrents, and monitoring. You can read more about these programs in this issue. Adding drones to these programs could help enhance them. In fact, there can be key advantages to using drones for wildlife management, especially during hazard assessments. Aerial data collection is easier, safer, and more economical when drones are part of a wildlife management program. Drones can inspect areas that are usually difficult to access and cover ground more quickly, making it easier to collect information about wildlife and their habitats.
If you are involved in an airport wildlife program, adding a drone to the mix could be a useful tool, but there are a few things to consider. First, make sure you are ready to comply with all safety regulations (both local and FAA) including part 107. The FAA has information about on-airport applications for drones, including a letter to airport sponsors about using drones to disperse wildlife. This letter goes over important information to consider including the need to contact regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife permitting offices. As this letter points out, it is important to understand all regulations, in addition to FAA regulations, surrounding wildlife management, including any permits that are required. More information about on-airport operations can be found at bit.ly/DroneOnAirportOps.
Aerial data collection is easier, safer, and more economical when drones are part of a wildlife management program.
Next, decide how you will use a drone to enhance your airport’s wildlife management program. Develop a concept of operations and check with your airport manager and ATC to see if they are open to the idea of using drones in wildlife management. Work with them to ensure your program adds value to the airport. Once you’ve successfully added a drone to your wildlife program, it is important that pilots who use your airport monitor ATIS and be on the lookout for NOTAMs regarding any airport wildlife drone activity.
Wildlife management is an important part of airport safety. When adding a drone to your airport’s wildlife management program, follow the steps above to ensure you reap the benefits.
Learn More
- ‘Game-Changer’: Drones Can Reduce Wildlife Strikes at Airports, According to Award-Winning Eagle Research, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University News
- FAADroneZone
Rebekah Waters is an FAA Safety Briefing associate editor. She is a technical writer-editor in the FAA’s Flight Standards Service.
