Kunsan safety install prevents fatal accidents

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Angela Ruiz
  • 8th Figher Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Birds that choose to make the Wolf Pack home, not only put themselves in danger, but also the lives of nearly one-hundred 8th Fighter Wing and Republic of Korea 38th Fighter Group pilots that fly here on a routine basis.
 
To help combat this problem at Kunsan, the 8th Fighter Wing Safety Office worked with local contractors to install 20 new bird cannons, Sep. 29. The bird cannons are used to scare birds around the flightline with loud noises, in an attempt to prevent birds from nesting here.
 
"On any airfield you are going to have a very attractive area for them to congregate feed, nest; basically what this does is provides a disincentive for them to be here on the airfield," said Lt. Col. Steve Hickey, wing safety chief. "It scares them both through a propane charge, a big bang and an electronic bird scare sound that sounds like nails on a chalk board for a bird." 

According to Colonel Hickey, it's not uncommon to see flocks of several hundred or up to a thousand birds in one place, presenting an obvious hazard to any aircraft flying here. 

Impact with an F-16 Fighting Falcon or ROKAF KF-16, more commonly referred to as a bird strike, can have devastating effects--from damage to multi-million dollar aircraft,  injury or even death.

"Kunsan's flightline is home to more than just our F-16's," he said. "There is the Republic of Korea Air Force along with Korean Airlines that use this flightline for their missions." 

A bird strike can be a frightening experience for any pilot. Capt. Erik Cobb, 35th Fighter Squadron F-16 pilot , experienced such an incident over Kunsan recently and is glad to see the new devices being installed. 

"I noticed a bird to my left, before I even had time to react it impacted the left wing," he said. "I felt a thump. Luckily there was no damage and I was able to bring the jet back safely." 

According to the captain, bird strikes are a major hazard here at the base with the migratory routes that run along the seawall which is parallel to the flightline.

"That's just one more reason we are so excited about the new cannons that are getting installed on the airfield," said the captain. "They are just one more tool to help with the [Bird Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard program] and mitigate the chances that this will happen again-- so there won't have to be a next time." 

Colonel Hickey agrees and sees the new cannons a safety tool for all aircraft flying at Kunsan. 

"This is really a win/win for everybody," he said. "Not only is this providing a effective mishap prevention tool for U.S. Air Force aircraft, but also for the ROKAF unit and Korean Airlines."