Thu, Sep 09, 2010
Pilots Say It's Another Flight 1549 Waiting To Happen
New York City official have been given a green light by a panel
of "federal experts" to build a trash transfer facility less than
half a mile from LaGuardia Airport, which has local pilots warning
of another situation like Flight 1549, but with no guarantee of the
same result.
Photo Credit Gregory Lam
The facility would be used to transfer garbage that is in sealed
containers from trucks to barges which transport it out to sea. But
the pilots say, sealed containers or not, the site will attract
large flocks of birds which tend to congregate around such
facilities. "It's just not a smart place to put it," said former US
Airways Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who was the pilot on
Flight 1549 which famously ditched in the Hudson River after
striking a flock of geese. No lives were lost in what has become
known as "The Miracle On The Hudson."
The facility was OKed because air traffic approaches LaGuardia's
Runway 31 differently than it does at most airports, placing the
trash transfer station just outside the runway's protected zone.
But a wildlife biologist told USA Today that the birds who
will be attracted to the trash site will behave just like any other
birds.
The FAA was originally cool to the idea of the facility so close
to the end of a runway at a major airport, but determined it would
be safe if the city kept the building there under 100 feet tall. A
study ordered by the DOT indicated the facility could operate
safely as long as the New York Sanitation Department took
aggressive steps to keep the birds away.
New York's deputy commissioner of sanitation Harry Szarpanski
told the paper that the city operates a similar facility in Staten
Island, and it does not attract birds. He said the facility is
completely enclosed, no trash is loaded outside the building, and
that air filters cut the odors that would attract birds to the
site.
Construction is already underway at the site near LaGuardia.
Wildlife Biologist Russell DeFusco, who was hired by opponents of
the facility, said while newer trash site designs are far better at
keeping birds away, an FAA study showed that even the most recent
designs attract a few, and that can be dangerous for aircraft.
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