Date:04/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/04/stories/2007020413210300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Some flights are unwelcome

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: A bird hit can be lethal for any aircraft and the Indian Air Force is taking no chances as Aero India 2007 nears. It has formed a team delegated to keeping birds off the flight path of aircraft and has taken a number of initiatives to ensure the show is not marred by a bird hit.

Since the Yelahanka air base is a training station with flying all round the year, a team to ward off birds is always active but efforts have to be stepped up in view of increased air traffic during the show. The IAF says it has been meeting the city's civic authorities for the last six months to chart out a plan. Of primary concern are the garbage dump at Mavallipura to the west of the airfield and the fishponds to the east.

Hundreds of tonnes of garbage are dumped at Mavallipura and it attracts birds. The IAF says it is not just the food that attracts them. The garbage gives off methane gas while decomposing which rises up in the sun's heat, generating thermals.

The thermals are used by some birds to fly without expending much energy. The dump has been given a soil cap so that the garbage is not exposed and the thermals not generated. Around the runway, Zon guns have been installed that use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to generate a loud bang to scare birds. They are timed to fire every 30-40 seconds. Shimmering tape from Delhi, which is silver on one side and red and silver on the other, has been planted because it looks like fire to birds from a distance.