Wildlife in Airport Environments: Chapter 10 Managing Turfgrass to Reduce Wildlife Hazards at Airports

Multiple factors-including safety regulations, economic considerations, location, and attractiveness to wildlife recognized as hazardous to aviation- influence the choice of land cover at airports. The principal land covet at airports within North America has historically been turfgrass, usually coolseason perennial grass species native to Europe. However, recent research has determined that, from a wildlife perspective, not all turf grasses are alike. Some grasses are more palatable to herbivorous hazardous wildlife (e.g., Canada geese [Branta canadensis]) than others, and thus are more likely to increase the potential for wildlife-aircraft collisions when planted near critical airport operating areas. How turfgrasses are managed (e.g., by mowing or herbicide use) can also influence the degree of use by wildlife. In this chapter we (1) review the role of vegetation in the airport environment, (2) review traditional and current methods of vegetation management on airfields, (3) discuss selection criteria for plant materials in reseeding efforts, and (4) provide recommendations for future research

Wildlife in Airport Environments: Chapter 10 Managing Turfgrass to Reduce Wildlife Hazards at Airports

Multiple factors-including safety regulations, economic considerations, location, and attractiveness to wildlife recognized as hazardous to aviation- influence the choice of land cover at airports. The principal land covet at airports within North America has historically been turfgrass, usually coolseason perennial grass species native to Europe. However, recent research has determined that, from a wildlife perspective, not all turf grasses are alike. Some grasses are more palatable to herbivorous hazardous wildlife (e.g., Canada geese [Branta canadensis]) than others, and thus are more likely to increase the potential for wildlife-aircraft collisions when planted near critical airport operating areas. How turfgrasses are managed (e.g., by mowing or herbicide use) can also influence the degree of use by wildlife. In this chapter we (1) review the role of vegetation in the airport environment, (2) review traditional and current methods of vegetation management on airfields, (3) discuss selection criteria for plant materials in reseeding efforts, and (4) provide recommendations for future research

A study of high-altitude manned research aircraft employing strut-braced wings of high-aspect-ratio

The effect of increased wing aspect ratio of subsonic aircraft on configurations with and without strut bracing. Results indicate that an optimum cantilever configuration, with a wing aspect ratio of approximately 26, has a 19% improvement in cruise range when compared to a baseline concept with a wing aspect ratio of approximately 10. An optimum strut braced configuration, with a wing aspect ratio of approximately 28, has a 31% improvment in cruise range when compared to the same baseline concept. This improvement is mainly due to the estimated reduction in wing weight resulting from use of lifting struts. All configurations assume the same mission payload and fuel. The drag characteristics of the wings are enhanced with the use of laminar flow airfoils. A method for determining the extent of attainable natural laminar flow, and methods for preliminary structural design and for aerodynamic analysis of wings lifting struts are presented

Preliminary design characteristics of a subsonic business jet concept employing an aspect ratio 25 strut braced wing

The advantages of replacing the conventional wing on a transatlantic business jet with a larger, strut braced wing of aspect ratio 25 were evaluated. The lifting struts reduce both the induced drag and structural weight of the heavier, high aspect ratio wing. Compared to the conventional airplane, the strut braced wing design offers significantly higher lift to drag ratios achieved at higher lift coefficients and, consequently, a combination of lower speeds and higher altitudes. The strut braced wing airplane provides fuel savings with an attendant increase in construction costs

Design of a large span-distributed load flying-wing cargo airplane with laminar flow control

A design study was conducted to add laminar flow control to a previously design span-distributed load airplane while maintaining constant range and payload. With laminar flow control applied to 100 percent of the wing and vertical tail chords, the empty weight increased by 4.2 percent, the drag decreased by 27.4 percent, the required engine thrust decreased by 14.8 percent, and the fuel consumption decreased by 21.8 percent. When laminar flow control was applied to a lesser extent of the chord (approximately 80 percent), the empty weight increased by 3.4 percent, the drag decreased by 20.0 percent, the required engine thrust decreased by 13.0 percent, and the fuel consumption decreased by 16.2 percent. In both cases the required take-off gross weight of the aircraft was less than the original turbulent aircraft

Preliminary design characteristics of a subsonic business jet concept employing laminar flow control

Aircraft configurations were developed with laminar flow control (LFC) and without LFC. The LFC configuration had approximately eleven percent less parasite drag and a seven percent increase in the maximum lift-to drag ratio. Although these aerodynamic advantages were partially offset by the additional weight of the LFC system, the LFC aircraft burned from six to eight percent less fuel for comparable missions. For the trans-atlantic design mission with the gross weight fixed, the LFC configuration would carry a greater payload for ten percent fuel per passenger mile

Effects of radiotransmitters on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of three-toed box turtles in captivity

The increased use of radio-telemetry for studying movement, resource selection, and population demographics in reptiles necessitates closer examination of the assumption that radiotransmitter attachment does not bias study results. We determined the effects of radiotransmitter attachment on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of wild three-toed box turtles (Terrapene carolina triunguis) in captivity. During May 2002 we captured 11 adult three-toed box turtles in central Missouri. We housed turtles in individual pens in a semi-natural outdoor setting. We radio-tagged 6 turtles, and the remaining 5 turtles served as controls. We captured and handled all turtles similarly during treatments. We collected feces daily prior to attachment (14 June–05 July 2002), while transmitters were attached (06 July–02 August 2002), and after transmitters were removed (03 August–24 August 2002). We conducted a standard assay validation and found that the assay accurately and precisely quantified fecal glucocorticoid metabolites of box turtles. We did not find a significant effect of radiotransmitter attachment on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of three-toed box turtles (F1, 9 =0.404, P=0.541). Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels of control and treatment turtles increased significantly during the study (F2,166=7.874, P= 0.001), but there was no treatment:period interaction (F2,166 = 0.856, P = 0.427). Additionally, we did not find a significant relationship between glucocorticoid metabolite levels and time in captivity (r2=0.01, F1,179=2.89, P=0.091) or maximum daily temperature (r2\u3c0.01, F1,179=0.301, P=0.584). Our results suggested that radiotransmitter attachment did not significantly increase fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in adult three-toed box turtles; however, we conducted our study in captivity and sample sizes were small. Thus, more research is needed to assess potential effects of radiotransmitters on turtles in the wild. We believe this study is the first to validate the use of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite measures for reptiles, which might prove useful in other research studies