Wildlife hazard management is an important element of operations for all airports, as operators want to avoid or mitigate the risk of accidents occurring from wildlife strikes. Thanks to the particular advancement of drone technology in recent years, the practice of wildlife hazard management is being enriched by the development of remote-controlled predator replicas that can descend from the sky and scatter pest birds. Some airports have tried to use replica predator drones as an experimental technique. Gary Searing, executive director of Birdstrike Committee Canada, notes that remote-control predator-like aircraft have been around for decades. “Their effectiveness depends upon the species of birds being dispersed and the skill of the operator,” he said.

Drones are a fast-growing sector in aviation, being used for both commercial and recreational purposes. “Some commercial uses are directly useful for airport operations—for example, aerodrome ground lighting inspections—and promise gains in efficiency. Their use by airports as part of their overall wildlife hazard management plan is also a potential benefit of this new technology,” said David Gamper, ACI World director of safety.

Appropriate use of the technology requires integration into the airport’s approach to wildlife management. “Drones are being used experimentally to manage wildlife from the air and can maneuver over hazardous wildlife to harass, or just be used for surveillance purposes. All drone operations must comply with local/national regulations, and flight rules must be established for the operation of drones on and around each aerodrome. Drone operators should be certified to the degree that the law requires,” said Gamper. “Drone technology will probably never replace the need for manned patrols and interventions but could assist with reducing the frequency of patrols. Coordination between the remote monitoring center and operators that might respond to wildlife sightings is required.”

While they do provide benefits, drones are unlikely to become a "one-stop" solution to airport wildlife hazards. “Given the investment of time and money required to get permitted and proficient, drones are a specialized method suitable for specialized situations such as waterfowl on ponds or in flocks on fields. Certainly, people will use these devices on many species and in many situations, but I doubt it will become the ‘go-to’ method for most airport wildlife control,” said Searing.

Focus on Safety

Wildlife hazard prevention specialist Mogens Hansen emphasizes that the use of drones at airports requires a strong focus on operational safety. “How can one ensure that all people at the airport can distinguish between the legal use of a drone and any illegal drones flying around the airport? Such a task requires a great deal of logistical and informative work,” he observed. “Moreover, it must be the staff of the bird-control unit who have to deal with the drones. Operating drones against birds should not be a task for external parties lacking the overall expertise in bird control as required of bird controllers.”

Model aircraft have been used to deter birds for years at military airfields. “There are many regulatory restrictions for use at civil airfields, but it is still possible to obtain a special permit to do so,” said Searing. “Like any tool, it will have a specific role to play in the overall control program. It is not a panacea. What is new is that the incorporation of GPS into these devices can prevent them from encroaching on airport movement corridors.”

As drone operations are forecast to surpass the number of manned aircraft operations in the future, developing rules, procedures, and regulations will create the conditions for safe drone operations. “To ensure the safe operation of a drone, especially in close proximity to aircraft and airports, there is a need for awareness and education of drone operators. There is also a need for the states to ensure that all drones operate within clearly defined and known limitations as well as for enforceable legal and/or administrative sanctions for using drones in an unsafe or dangerous manner," said Gamper.