NEW YORK (AP) — Some of the nation’s busiest airports will soon begin testing experimental radar systems designed to track flocks of birds and help pilots avoid the type of collision believed to have crippled a US Airways jet nearly two weeks ago.
Proponents say air traffic controllers could someday use the technology to delay takeoffs, reroute flights before they leave the ground, and perhaps even radio warnings to pilots to take evasive action.
The new technology uses a combination of inexpensive marine radar antennas, much like the kind used on fishing boats, and powerful computer software to monitor birds as they gather and soar as far as six miles away from an airport.
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