Solutions to Prevent Bird Strikes
Policy for Speaking
by Dr Jerry LeMieux
I am dedicating my efforts to reducing the risk of aircraft accidents caused by bird strikes. I have developed and patented several technical methods to prevent aircraft bird strikes and I want to inform the world about these possible solutions. Its just a matter of time before we have another airliner in the Hudson and its time to develop a permanent technical solution to the bird strike problem just as we solved the midair collision problem and the ground collision problem. Please use the information that follows to invite me to present the latest government and commercial efforts and my recommended solutions.
Hear about current bird accidents and understand the 20 year history of FAA compiled statistics to learn about the increasing severity of the bird strike problem. Learn about the NTSB investigations after a bird strike accident and learn how recommendations are made to the FAA to improve aviation safety. Hear about the latest developments aircraft and jet engine manufacturers use to bird proof airliners against bird strikes.
Hear about what organizations are doing worldwide to reduce the risk of the bird strikes. Learn about the current government efforts to reduce the risk of aircraft bird strikes. View the scientifically developed methods used by airport wildlife control technicians to control bird populations in the vicinity of airports.
See a demonstration of the magnitude of the consequences that have occurred when teamwork in aviation has failed.
Learn about the delineation of existing data link technologies and the next-generation (NextGen) air ttransportation, system as well as explanations of how they could be used to inform a pilot of an impending bird strike. Observe the
Finally, hear recommendations on how to combine a bird detection sensor, data link, warning system and collision avoidance system to build a collision avoidance system for birds, thereby eradicating the bird strike problem once and for all.
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INVITE DR JERRY LEMIEUX TO SPEAK
Dr. Jerry LeMieux speaks to both government, private and commercial organizations throughout the United States and around the world, addressing a wide variety of conferences, universities, and professional gatherings. He generally books his speaking calendar 3-6 months in advance, and even dates that appear are sometimes being negotiated with other groups. Only confirmed dates are added to Dr. LeMieux's itinerary.
To invite Dr. LeMieux to speak to your group, simply fill out his speaking invitation form completely and email it directly to his executive assistant at sales@onebirdstrike.com. If you prefer, you may also write him a letter which should include the information suggested at the bottom of this page.
Costs:
Normal arrangements for hosting Dr. LeMieux (and his companion, should he opt to be accompanied) to attend, include hotel accommodations, honorarium, meals, and round-trip airfare(s) from Syracuse, NY (when applicable), to be invoiced after the event. All travel arrangements are made by our office and we have found that it works best if you simply plan on the cost of a round trip airfare from Syracuse to your event, regardless of flight connections or other speaking engagements. Please rest assured that we always seek the best possible fare, so your actual cost may be lower. We have established this policy due to the complexity of Dr. LeMIeux's travel schedule. Because Dr. LeMieux has no set speaking fee, honorariums are negotiated for each event.
Our Process:
Once you have submitted your written request using the DRJ Information Form (.doc file). to Dr. LeMieux's executive assistant at sales@onebirdstrike.com, please allow about 14 days for a response to your request. Within that time Dr. LeMieux and his review team will examine your invitation and make a determination as to Dr. LeMieux's ability to fulfill your request. If Dr. LeMieux and his office have agreed to a firm date for you, you will be notified via email. We will list the date, time agreed and the terms of our acceptance. At that point you will have two weeks to respond in writing as to your acceptance as stated.
If we all agree, then a confirmation email packet will follow, with all the details for your time with Dr. LeMieux. Within two weeks to ten days prior to Dr. LeMieux's engagement with you, you will receive a final travel arrangements email listing everything we are expecting on both ends, to help you have a great engagement with Dr. LeMieux.
Canceling:
Once we agree to a date for Dr. LeMieux be with you a cancelation fee becomes enforceable. You will be expected to provide an honorarium of $1500/day should you cancel an engagement without his consent. If Dr. LeMieux's engagement would have required him to be with you overnight, then the fee of $3000 will be collected to cover both days. Failure to return forms does not release you from the cancellation fee, should you cancel. It is your obligation and responsibility to contact us if you decide to cancel.
Limitations on Schedule:
In order to protect Dr. LeMieuix from undue stress and exhaustion, his schedule is limited to no more than two speaking times per day, preferably separated by some time for rest. It is possible to add on interviews, question-and-answer sessions, special meals or book signings by indicating this in your initial application.
Written Request:
For a faster response, we suggest using the online invitation form mentioned above. However, if you prefer to write an invitation letter instead, please include the following information:
- A full description of the event.
- A full description of how you would like Dr. LeMieux to participate in the event, including if possible the times you would like him to speak.
- The attendance and type of audience you expect, and a description of the event venue.
- The proposed date or dates for event (please note if your dates are flexible, and give preferences.
- A full description of your organization/institution.
- Complete contact information for your organization/institution, including the name, address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the primary contact person.
- The name of the closest airport(s) and the distance from that airport(s) to the event.
Please note that Dr. LeMieux generally books his calendar 3-6 months in advance. In most cases, all travel and lodging expenses are paid by the event sponsor. Because Dr. LeMieux has no set speaking fee, honorariums are negotiated for each event.
Send an e-mail to his assistant at jlemieux@onebirdstrike.com
Resources
To invite Dr LeMieux use the Invitation Information Form (.doc file). When you have completed this form, please save it as a Word Document and email it to Dr LeMieux's executive assistant at sales@onebirdstrike.com as an attachment.
To request Dr LeMieux for a Radio/TV interview use the Radio-TV Interview Request Form (.doc file). When you have completed this form, please save it as a Word Document and email it to Dr LeMieux's executive assistant at sales@onebirdstrike.com as an attachment.
To request Dr LeMieux for a Newspaper/Magazine interview please use the Newspaper or Magazine Interview Request Form (.doc file). When you have completed this form, please save it as a Word Document and email it to Dr. LeMieux's executive assistant at sales@onebirdstrike.com as an attachment.
Read Dr LeMieux's Biographical Sketch (.doc file)
Read Dr LeMieux's Introduction (.doc file)
Use Dr LeMieux's Picture (Lo Res) Hi Res
To promote Dr LeMieux's speaking at your engagement please see the Press Release (.doc file).
After you fil out the forms above you will receive a confirmation/acceptance letter with all the details spelled out.
On 15 January, 2009, at 3:25 PM, US Airways Flight 1549 takes off from LaGuardia airport in New York. The aircraft makes a left turn and begins climbing to 5000 feet. The pilots are cleaning up the aircraft (i.e., bringing the gear and flaps up), accelerating to 250 knots, and executing the after-takeoff checklist. Two minutes later, at 3:27:09 PM, 219 knots, 2700 ft, the aircraft collides with a large flock of Canada geese.
* * * * * *
3:29:25 PM, 192 knots, 726 feet – By this time, the pilot must have seen how far away the runway actually was. Using his expert judgment, he decides that he does not have enough altitude and airspeed to glide into Teterboro airport.
LaGuardia Controller: “Okay, which runway would you like at Teterboro.”
Pilot: “We’re gonna be in the Hudson.”
3:29:29 PM, 192 knots, 657 feet – Here, he makes the final decision to ditch in the Hudson River. LaGuardia
Controller: “I’m sorry. Say again, cactus.”
3:29:35, 190 knots, 534 feet – The controller can’t believe what he is hearing, so he asks the pilot to repeat what he said. The controller must have also realized that he might be the last person to talk to anyone on the crew.
LaGuardia Controller: “Cactus, ah, cactus fifteen forty-nine, radar contact is lost. You also got Newark airport off your two o’clock and about seven miles.”
3:29:46, 189 knots, 312 feet – Here, the controller is trying to maintain communication; he just lost contact with the aircraft as it dropped under his radar coverage. The co-pilot says “No relight,” and the Captain says, “Ok, let’s go. Put the flaps out.” The flaps generate more lift for the aircraft at a slow airspeed.
LaGuardia Controller: “Cactus fifteen twenty-nine, uh, you still on?” 3:30:16 PM, 139 knots, 360 feet – Passengers are placing their heads in their laps.
LaGuardia Controller: “Cactus fifteen forty-nine, you got runway two nine at Newark at your two o’clock and seven miles.
3:30:30 PM, 131 knots, 225 feet – The Captain says “Got any ideas?” and the co-pilot responds “Actually not.” Aircrews are trained to work as a team, and the Captain is asking the co-pilot if there is anything they may have missed.
3:30:43 PM, 128 knots, 0 feet – After a hard jolt, the aircraft comes to a stop next to the Intrepid Aircraft Sea, Air and Space Museum. A total of 3 minutes and 34 seconds had elapsed between the time of the bird strike and landing in the Hudson. Later, the flight attendant in the forward cabin will describe the touchdown as firm, and the aft flight attendant will describe it as violent. Initially, the flight attendants do not realize they are in the water. No one in the cabin has been hurt, and the passengers remain calm. The fight attendants yell “evacuate” and passengers move toward the doors and get on the rafts. The evacuation proceeds very smoothly, and it’s not long until the passengers are picked up by boats. Many passengers are standing on the wing. By 4:20 PM, all passengers and crew members are off the airplane. The aircraft is then tied to tugboats, pushed to Battery Park and tied to a pier.
As you’ll learn in the chapters ahead, when an aircraft collides with a flock of large birds, a successful outcome only becomes possible if pilot skill combines with a certain element of luck. But what if the ceiling had been down to 200 feet, for example? There would have been virtually no time to decide on where to land, and the pilot would have had to just accept where he was. The result would most likely have been an impact into a densely populated area with total loss of passengers and crew and probable loss of life on the ground as well. The government would have reacted more aggressively in the aftermath, as they did back in ’80s when airliner-to-airliner mid-air collisions had become so frequent that there arose a public outcry.
The first fatality caused by the collision between an aircraft and a bird occurred in 1912 on a transcontinental flight when a gull jammed in the aircraft control cables of a Wright Flyer, causing loss of control and a crash. Since the time of that accident, many more aircraft have taken to the skies. And since 1912, bird populations have increased dramatically too. In the next 10 years, annual air passenger traffic is expected to increase from the current value of 600 million to 1 billion, and over the next 25 years, the projections for increased air travel stand at 40%. Aircraft bird strikes occur almost every single day. Many cause damage but no loss of life. It may seem strange to say, due to the enormity of the losses that bird strikes have caused, but we have been lucky so far.
We have to stop picking away at this problem with temporary, limited solutions that only delay the inevitable. I’ve been on technical teams with government and industry, and we have solved some of the most difficult problems involved in the defense of our country, so I know the power of effective collaboration, and I know how achievable these seemingly impossible solutions actually are. I have served with some of the smartest people and the greatest leaders, and I have observed that, ultimately, the greatest problems are solved people feel inspired to act selflessly and tackle each little challenge that arises. When airliners were colliding with other aircraft in the 80s, and when airliners were colliding with the ground, we analyzed the factors involved, isolated the cause, and developed a solution that we then perfected over time.
These were very difficult issues, and our final solution was permanent and well thought-out. I strongly believe that bird targets need to be sent directly to the cockpit; and fortunately, today, we have the technological capability to do so, although the necessary components have not been assembled into the ideal combination – yet.
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