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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Dayton International Airport in Ohio is experimenting with a new, gentler way to prevent potentially deadly collisions between birds and planes.
Airports around the world work hard to keep birds away from their runways. Some resort to shooting or poisoning large flocks.
But officials at Dayton are planning to plant tall prairie grass as a deterrent. The thinking is that heavy birds like geese, which cause the most damage to planes, avoid long grasses because they fear predators might be hiding in them.
The plan calls for up to 300 acres of the airfield's 2,200 non-aeronautical acres to be turned into tallgrass prairie.
There are more than 10,000 airplane bird strikes a year in the U.S. Most do little or no damage to the plane, but some cause catastrophic damage. The forced landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson River in 2009 — often called The Miracle on the Hudson — occurred after Canadian geese were sucked into both engines, causing the plane to lose power.
The most frequent problem is damage to the engines. The FAA estimates that such damage costs the industry $950 million a year.
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APPHOTO NYBZ157: In this Thursday, July 17, 2014 photo, an airplane takes off from Dayton International Airport, passing over one of the airport's prairies in Vandalia, Ohio. In an effort to keep birds away from aircraft, the airport is experimenting by planting the tall prairie grass. Heavy birds like geese, which cause the most damage to planes, are believed to avoid long grasses because they fear predators might be hiding within. (AP Photo/Skip Peterson) (17 Jul 2014)
<<APPHOTO NYBZ157 (07/17/14)££
APPHOTO NYBZ158: In this Thursday, July 17, 2014 photo, an airplane takes off from Dayton International Airport, passing over one of the airport's prairies in Vandalia, Ohio. In an effort to keep birds away from aircraft, the airport is experimenting by planting the tall prairie grass. Heavy birds like geese, which cause the most damage to planes, are believed to avoid long grasses because they fear predators might be hiding within. (AP Photo/Skip Peterson) (17 Jul 2014)
<<APPHOTO NYBZ158 (07/17/14)££
APPHOTO NYBZ159: In this Thursday, July 17, 2014 photo, Terrence Slaybaugh, director of aviation for Dayton International Airport, poses in one of the airport's prairies in Vandalia, Ohio. In an effort to keep birds away from aircraft, the airport is experimenting by planting the tall prairie grass. Heavy birds like geese, which cause the most damage to planes, are believed to avoid long grasses because they fear predators might be hiding within. (AP Photo/Skip Peterson) (17 Jul 2014)
<<APPHOTO NYBZ159 (07/17/14)££
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