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BASH coordinator turns to man's best friend to protect $150M aircraft

Dover AFB Airlifter, February 2006

Pyrotechnics, paintball guns and border collies are probably not the first things that come to mind when thinking of an Air Force base. Yet, these are a few of the crucial tools that help Dover Air Force Base accomplish its mission as safe as possible. While the giant birds here, also known as the C-5 Galaxy, might seem large enough to withstand anything, the huge numbers of birds in the area can actually cause a tremendous amount of damage to the aircraft.

 

Flyaway Farm and Kennels' bird chase

Dover AFB Airlifter, November 2003 

Dover Air Force Base's Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard program uses border collies, paintballs, boats, shotguns, pyrotechnics, and grass management to keep birds off and away from the airfield...

C-17's Best Friend: Border collies help protect aircraft

Charleston AFB Dispatch, August 2003 

Its a bird.  Its a plane.  No its...a border collie?  Every day a team of well-trained border collies search the flightline for birds in danger of damaging aircraft

All in a day's work

Dog Fancy, July 2004 

Beyond the familiar roles as assistance dogs, farmhands, and bomb- and drug-sniffing, dogs continue to use their unique talents in useful, albeit strange, modes of work.  Flyaway Farm's Border collies keep geese away from the airfield to prevent them from flying up into a plane's engine and potentially causing a crash.

Dover AFB sets trend with bird radar

Dover AFB Airlifter, October 2006 

"The information collected (by the radar) will help the BASH program refine the scheduling
restrictions that are part of the Dover BASH plan, and eventually it will allow the immediate detection of birds that are a direct risk to aircraft flying in and out of Dover Air Force Base," said Doctor Voltura

BASH Border collies keep birds at bay

MacDill Thunderbolt, May 2004 

MacDill members will see border collies chasing birds off MacDill's airfield to prevent bird strikes...MacDill's two new collies are four-year old Coal and six-year old Trim. 

Charleston base tests collies as low-tech answer to wildlife problem

The State, August 2003 

Officials believe the dogs could be an important tool in preventing aircraft from hitting wildlife, collisions that have killed two dozen airmen and cost the U.S. Air Force more than $615 million in damaged and destroyed airplanes since 1985.

Dog helps keep flightline safe

314th Airlift Wing Public Affairs, October 2002

The 314th Operations Support Squadron has a new tool to keep the flightline here safe, and he works for mere kibble. Since Oct. 1, military working dog Colin, a 2-year-old border collie, has patrolled the perimeter fence to deter deer, birds and other wildlife from crossing into the runway area.

New Bird-herding Dog on Southwest Florida International Airport's Radar-

Naples News, June 2001
Look out birds — Radar is on the job. Radar, a 2 1/2-year-old border collie, arrived at Southwest Florida International Airport three weeks ago and is easing into her job as a bird herder. She replaces Jet, the nation's first airport bird dog, who retired in January after he was diagnosed with a heart condition. Radar's task is to herd and frighten feathered creatures from runways and the areas surrounding them.

Dogs make a difference at DAFB

The News Journal, DE, November 2003

Base officials said the number of bird strikes dropped 55 percent in the first year of dog patrols by Flyaway Farm and Kennels. Bird strikes are a threat to aircraft taking off and landing, and the birds are more than a safety concern. In 2001, geese sucked into a C-5 cargo jet's engine caused $798,000 in damage.

Working Like a Dog

Gulfshore Life Magazine, July 2004 

Radar the border collie plays a vital role in making air travel safe for the millions of people who fly in and out of Southwest Florida International Airport each year. The five-year-old dog’s specialty is chasing birds off taxiways and runways. Her efforts drastically reduce the number of potentially dangerous bird strikes by planes.

Wildlife Management Patrol Changes Paws

Dover AFB Airlifter, October 2002

The biggest hazard to flight safety on Dover Air Force Base during the fall and winter months is the presence of migratory waterfowl – snow geese, Canada geese, and ducks. Since Oct. 1, Flyaway Farm and Kennels, based in Southport, N. C., has been helping to bring the threat under control. Administered at Dover AFB by FFK handler Karen Voltura and Trixie, the seven-year-old "tailless wonder" border collie, the program is helping the presence of the waterfowl near the airfield and surrounding farmland steadily decline.

BARC to banish birds at Daytona Beach International Airport

There’s no rest for weary birds at Daytona Beach International Airport. Two "dogged" staff members are spending their days clearing birds from the airfield as part of a new BARC (Bird Activity Reduction Canine) program. Daytona Beach International Airport is one of only a handful of airports in North America to use dogs to clear birds from the airfield.

Canine Air Traffic Controller Saves Lives

Radar, a 2 1/2 year old border collie made an international debut Friday at her new post on the runways of the Fort Myers-based airport.  Although the little pooch is only 30 pounds, she is responsible for countless tons of aircraft taking off and landing on her watch...

Those Doggone Birds

Star News, Supply, NC, February 2004 

Hatchery turns to canines to keep hungry beaks at bay