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Plane Truth

A radar system that alerts birds can help prevent collisions

January 16, 2009

Planes can be too quiet for birds to hear. A new radar system can send signals to the birds by tracking the heat from their ears and sending them a click sound.

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The recent miracle landing in New York was a relief to all the passengers. Planes that collide with birds cause a number of dangerous accidents. How can we avoid accidents like this one? Physicists and biologists may have the answer with a new radar system that warns birds away from approaching airplanes.

The radar system works by sending out pulses of microwave energy. When it hits a bird's inner ear. It turns into a very tiny heat pulse. The heat causes the bird's inner ear to expand. Scientists believe this causes the bird's brain to hear a "click", notifying the bird that something's coming.

UPDATE: Results from the bird warning test have been presented to the aviation community, and can decrease the risk of plane-bird collisions by at least 67 percent, according to a biology security group that Dr. Genova advises.

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Martha J. Heil
mheil@aip.org
American Institute of Physics
Tel: 301-209-3088