I took my first flight out of Suvanabhumi on Jan 2nd, and after pushing back from the gate, I was mortified to see DOZENS (if not hundreds) of birds flitting around without a care in the world.

There were lots of white birds which looked like egrets. At one culvert alone I counted 14 of them. Then as we got closer to the runway, there were small flocks of black birds flying around.

Folks, birds are deadly to turbine jet engines. A friend of mine was on that UA flight in 2004 that aborted takeoff because of an engine flameout due to bird ingestion. A complete passenger evacuation ensued with injuries.

Before the airport opened I had read reports that there were efforts underway to remove the bird population. Those efforts seem to have been quite a failure.

It's only a matter of time before an aircraft has a serious problem due to a bird strike/ingestion. Yes, airplanes are designed with redundancy so that an engine shutdown, even on takeoff, should be no problem. But with the number of birds I saw, and with swarms of them roving the area, it's not out of reason to fear a double (or more) engine shutdown. Count the number of engines on a 737, 777, 767, A320, A330, MD80, etc...

For at least 20 years the BMA main garbage dumps have been along Soi On Nuch and they attract a LOT of Crows, Gulls (in season) and other scavengers.

In addition the Mangrove Swamps along the Gulf around Samutprakarn are breeding and feeding grounds for Cormorants, Herons, Egrets and other large waders, and the fields in the area of the Airport also attract Open Billed Storks and various species of Duck.

All these are quite large birds.

It was only about 2 years ago that the Authorities apparently woke up to the danger these birds offer to planes taking off from Sumannaphum Airport, but even then little has been done to solve the problem – which is not an easy task in any case.

I certainly agree that it can only be a matter of time before there is a significant incident at Suwannaphum caused by a bird strike.

Patrick

What is needed is a crackdown on birds.

I bet the wild birds could be sold as "chicken" by the street vendors in the entertainment zones. Drunk foreigners wouldn't know the difference.

I took my first flight out of Suvanabhumi on Jan 2nd, and after pushing back from the gate, I was mortified to see DOZENS (if not hundreds) of birds flitting around without a care in the world.

There were lots of white birds which looked like egrets. At one culvert alone I counted 14 of them. Then as we got closer to the runway, there were small flocks of black birds flying around.

Folks, birds are deadly to turbine jet engines. A friend of mine was on that UA flight in 2004 that aborted takeoff because of an engine flameout due to bird ingestion. A complete passenger evacuation ensued with injuries.

Before the airport opened I had read reports that there were efforts underway to remove the bird population. Those efforts seem to have been quite a failure.

It's only a matter of time before an aircraft has a serious problem due to a bird strike/ingestion. Yes, airplanes are designed with redundancy so that an engine shutdown, even on takeoff, should be no problem. But with the number of birds I saw, and with swarms of them roving the area, it's not out of reason to fear a double (or more) engine shutdown. Count the number of engines on a 737, 777, 767, A320, A330, MD80, etc...

You must have been on the Eastern Runway then, as I am on the Western Runway (Southern end) and see very few of our “Fine Feathered Friends” on/or near the runway, but they do enjoy flying around the Klong (Canal) that runs by my office.

“Our Fine Feathered Friends” nose when and if the “Great Eagles” takes off or lands.

Safe journeys in and out of this New Airport "Suvarnabhumi" to you all.

Yours truly,

Kan Win

This is one of my "I read this and I hope it is true" stories.

Alsthom , in France , make the French high speed trains.

One section of R&D was working on windshields with the

possibility of bird strikes in mind. Somebody in the team

had heard that NASA had been working on this so they

contacted them. NASA had developed a cannon which

projected bird carcases at a windshield at different velocities.

Alsthom ordered one and started testing out their windshields

with it. They had problems. None of their windshields held up.

They sent their test results with all the protocols used to NASA

hoping for help. It should be mentioned that they were using

chickens bought in a local supermarket.

They got a one-line reply from NASA.

THAW THE CHICKENS !

Coincidentally I was talking to my parents about this as we flew up to Chang mai. It seems in Heathrow they employ a hawk of some sort

I took my first flight out of Suvanabhumi on Jan 2nd, and after pushing back from the gate, I was mortified to see DOZENS (if not hundreds) of birds flitting around without a care in the world.

There were lots of white birds which looked like egrets. At one culvert alone I counted 14 of them. Then as we got closer to the runway, there were small flocks of black birds flying around.

Folks, birds are deadly to turbine jet engines. A friend of mine was on that UA flight in 2004 that aborted takeoff because of an engine flameout due to bird ingestion. A complete passenger evacuation ensued with injuries.

Before the airport opened I had read reports that there were efforts underway to remove the bird population. Those efforts seem to have been quite a failure.

It's only a matter of time before an aircraft has a serious problem due to a bird strike/ingestion. Yes, airplanes are designed with redundancy so that an engine shutdown, even on takeoff, should be no problem. But with the number of birds I saw, and with swarms of them roving the area, it's not out of reason to fear a double (or more) engine shutdown. Count the number of engines on a 737, 777, 767, A320, A330, MD80, etc...

Here's a good title for the problem: Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH).

Lots of googles on that subject, here's a few:

http://wildlife-mitigation.tc.faa.gov/public_html/

http://www.edwards.af.mil/psafety/sef_main/bash.htm

http://www.birdstrike.org/

Seems like that got ya comin' & goin', BUSH above and FOD below.

Mac

Well the new airport was a well known nesting area of said birds and everyone knew it.

Well the new airport was a well known nesting area of said birds and everyone knew it.

Yeah, but they got rid of the cobras, didn't they? DIDN'T THEY???

Birds nesting at airport - disaster waiting to happen.

I took my first flight out of Suvanabhumi on Jan 2nd, and after pushing back from the gate, I was mortified to see DOZENS (if not hundreds) of birds flitting around without a care in the world.

There were lots of white birds which looked like egrets. At one culvert alone I counted 14 of them. Then as we got closer to the runway, there were small flocks of black birds flying around.

Folks, birds are deadly to turbine jet engines. A friend of mine was on that UA flight in 2004 that aborted takeoff because of an engine flameout due to bird ingestion. A complete passenger evacuation ensued with injuries.

Before the airport opened I had read reports that there were efforts underway to remove the bird population. Those efforts seem to have been quite a failure.

It's only a matter of time before an aircraft has a serious problem due to a bird strike/ingestion. Yes, airplanes are designed with redundancy so that an engine shutdown, even on takeoff, should be no problem. But with the number of birds I saw, and with swarms of them roving the area, it's not out of reason to fear a double (or more) engine shutdown. Count the number of engines on a 737, 777, 767, A320, A330, MD80, etc...

humm.....they are not taking the plane, why they care...better to pocket the $$$$$