DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) The Dallas City Council voted this week to purchase a new technology to increase aircraft safety at Dallas Love Field.
According to the City of Dallas, Department of Aviation Director Mark Duebner and Assistant Director Terry Mitchell proposed the implementation of the Pharovision Wildlife Detection infrared / electro-optical system to detect animals, people and foreign objects within a five-mile radius of aircraft. The system can automatically determine what the object is, track the object, and alert personnel. The Pharovision “Sentinel” tool also can detect people who have trespassed into the airport, as well as drones that fly into Love Field’s airspace and has future ability to detect runway Foreign Object Debris.
Bird strikes are common at many airports across the country. Staff at Love Field reported 180 confirmed bird strikes in 2017. The strikes are attributed to the airport’s location near Bachman Lake. Modern planes are designed to withstand a collision with a five-pound bird, but airport officials say encountering a flock of birds can be very dangerous. To put this into perspective, US Airways flight 1549 – the “Miracle on the Hudson” – struck a flock of Canada geese just after takeoff causing the pilot to land the plane on the river.
City officials say that Love Field is the first U.S. airport to implement the Pharovision Wildlife Detection system as part of the airport’s Federal Aviation Administration-mandated Wildlife Hazard Management Plan.
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