The impact of bird and wildlife strikes on aircraft will be the focus of the Intl Center for Aviation and Wildlife Risk Mitigation, a new facility at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s campus in Prescott, Ariz. The university notes that bird strikes cause more that $500 million in losses annually to U.S. civil aviation. Archie Dickey, an associate professor of aviation environmental science, will serve as director and lead research efforts. He started and has managed FAA’s online wildlife strike database since 1999. Noting the US Airways flight that was forced to land in the Hudson River in January, Dickey says the center was founded “to support data collection efforts, develop better solutions to reduce wildlife strike hazards, and serve as a clearinghouse to share this information with industry and organizations that need it.”
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