Bird Strikes: Common in Lubbock?
By: Julie Musgrave
Updated: January 15, 2009
We realize many folks are concerned about their safety as the news of this crash could affect us here in Lubbock. Now, bird strikes do happen in Lubbock, however they are uncommon.
Here at home, bird strikes are a real threat that aviators are constantly trying to prevent. That's because Lubbock is right in the middle of a bird migratory pattern. Right now -- the airport is in the middle of a project to get rid of some standing water nearby that birds have the tendency to hang out in. Before, they would shoot cannons before takeoff that would scare the birds away. But as far as anything as dangerous as what happened in New York today, is very unlikely for folks taking off here in Lubbock.
James Loomis, Lubbock International: "Bird strikes and airplanes have been an issue ever since man started to fly. We have to do everything we can, and we do. We don't have a problem here. We're in a nice open space, we're mitigating the only standing water we had that would cause birds to come to the airfield."
Loomis tells us that planes are built to be able to handle birds flying into the engine, he says what happened in New York is a rare case in that the plane couldn't carry on as planned.
