Animals on the Runway

TK211X

TK211X

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Aug 29, 2015
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325
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Tampa
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Yesterday I was turning final for 23 at KVDF. (Tampa F.L.)


Everything is fine until I get short final. I look at the displaced threshold and got a bit confused as this is the first time I see anything like it. There was a greyish-black wolf or fox or coyote or something (definitly NOT a dog) literally running around. It definitly made me scratch my head and look around before I got out of my C172.

Has anyone ever seen something like this? I thought airports had measures against this.
 
Saw Alaska Coastal Brown bears on the runway (beach) several times this summer.

I have seen coyotes on the runway in several states.

I had to buzz musk ox off the runway in Deering, Ak several times.

Maybe you saw chupacabra..??
 
I saw 3 kids laying in the grass on a turf runway. I was on short final and they got up and ran off. The grass was pretty tall and they were very hard to see.
 
Taking the active once at I19 and noticed deer at the opposite end of the runway.

Cheers
 
Had geese on the runway at Goodspeed Airport in CT, deer at Sussex County Airport in NJ, typical up here in the northeast.
 
Are you kidding? I've had tower advise of deer, dogs, and birds in the area / on the runway. At uncontrolled fields I've seen rabbits, turkey, and coyotes. I get to share final with turkey vultures, too. There's no reason why airports would be the only place on Earth that we don't have to share with nature.
 
Maciej said:
Had geese on the runway at Goodspeed Airport in CT, deer at Sussex County Airport in NJ, typical up here in the northeast.
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I've been told that, from the air, asphalt runways look like water to waterfowl. Not sure I buy that theory though.
 
Coyotes,deer pretty common,also geese.
 
Bears and wolves usually don't like company and will run when a plane's incoming. Moose are less predictable. Especially mamas with calves. They require a buzz job to help them decide to leave. Moose are a worse threat in winter. Most ski OP's are to places where the strip has been packed. Moose are lazy and like to use packed trails to hang out and are much more reluctant to run into deep snow. Winter flying offers more animal runway incursions for me. People are the worst. Especially snowmobiles. They can't hear the plane and looking up isn't instinctive when they pull onto the makeshift river or lake strips.
 
Deer and geese all the time around here, usually smart enough to expedite when crossing the runway. Two separate 'herds' of deer recently when I arrived to KFFA, opposite sides and ends of the runway. Found a ground squirrel lodged in the main gear in Fallon, NV once. All just part of the adventure.
 
TK211X said:
Has anyone ever seen something like this? I thought airports had measures against this.
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At ONZ one of the airport guys drives around the field when he gets there in the morning to chase the deer away from the runways, but they don't always stay away. Fences don't even slow them down.

The geese seem to hang closer to the ramp to stay away from this guy (or guyette, I wouldn't know):
ONZ_Coyote.jpg
 
There was this absolutely wonderful show about bush pilots in Africa where they routinely had giraffes, elephants and other megafauna on the runways. †he animals liked the clearings because they could keep an eye out for predators.

Oh, and they had to put thorn bushes on their tires or the hyenas would eat them. Wild.
 
timwinters said:
I've been told that, from the air, asphalt runways look like water to waterfowl. Not sure I buy that theory though.
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I believe it, I think I have a GoPro shot somewhere of all of the geese congregating in the middle of the runway at Goodspeed Airport; the runway is right in between a rather large pond and a river so I could see how this could be true.

Either way, a go around always generally seems to scare them away. The only issue I've run into is that groundhogs don't particularly seem to be afraid of planes and the noise they generate. Taking off from Caldwell Airport last week during my run up there were two groundhogs gallivanting around and tackling each other in the grass next to my plane.
 
I came in to KOXC Oxford, CT late at night and saw 3 coyotes cross the threshold. I reported it to the tower and it was such a common sighting that we got into 5 minutes of coyote jokes: why did the coyote cross the runway, etc. etc. Evidently there was a family living inside the fence.

Be alert! Fly the plane all the way to the chocks.
 
I saw an Elk standing next to the runway at BJC one day. I called the tower and let them know (I was doing pattern work). Soon I saw a pickup truck out there trying to run it off.
 
Had a fox run across the runway at MMU one time. At one of the local airports if I'm landing later in the day and it's quiet, I ask one of the line guy's to just drive the "golf cart" up and down the runway before I come in..
 
Gillespie had coyotes every day that ends in 'y'. Not as bad now that cities have sprung up around it. Deer at Santa Fe and Angel Fire. Share the land.
 
docmirror said:
Gillespie had coyotes every day that ends in 'y'. Not as bad now that cities have sprung up around it. Deer at Santa Fe and Angel Fire. Share the land.
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So does MYF. I've even seen them sit on the numbers of 28R and refuse to move while you are trying to takeoff.
 
I wish we had some coyotes to eat some of the sandhill cranes and geese that are always on and around the runways. At least I wouldn't have to wonder if a coyote is going to try to start flying away from me straight down the runway..
 
Geese, deer and coyotes mostly, although I did have a bald eagle fly in formation with me just off my left wing on a 1 mile final all the way to the numbers once.
 
X3 Skier said:
Taking the active once at I19 and noticed deer at the opposite end of the runway.

Cheers
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Where did you take it? You did bring it back, right, others needed it! ;)

Had a herd of deer run across the runway once as I started to accelerate for take off. Non event since I wasn't moving much, but I still waited a good 30 seconds to see if there was a last, timid one.
 
P1070761.JPG


We hope the young lady above will develop a healthy taste for these:

P1030433.JPG


Several times I've had to taxi onto the runway at midfield, roll right up to where these beasts are standing on the runway, and gun the engine to encourage them to waddle off to the side. Go-arounds caused by them suddenly taking off en masse in front of a landing airplane are common. A few years ago a C-152 from another field was doing a touch-and-go at our airport. On the 'go' they hit geese - one hit the left wing, and another 12-pounder went through the windshield, between CFI and student, and all the way through the cabin into the tailcone. They landed safely, but the airplane needed a new windshield, three feet of left wing leading edge, and an industrial-strength interior detail job. And they leave little souvenirs. By the time you taxi back to the hangar your tires are covered in green goo.

Until the perimeter fences were rebuilt a few years ago, Astoria Oregon (KAST) had a major problem with elk on the runway:

ast00083104.jpg


A Lear 36 hit one on a night takeoff roll. No occupants hurt, but the airplane was destroyed in the ensuing fire.

Then there's this NOTAM seen last May:
!MMV 05/043 S48 AD COW NEAR MOVEMENT AREAS 1505121459-1505191452EST​
 
KAPA has measures against animals on the runways but animals are disrespectful and get on the runways and taxiways anyway. :D

We see coyotes mostly (and pretty rarely overall but I've heard people talking about them on the radio a few times and seen one maybe once) but rabbits run out there too occasionally. Birds are a risk everywhere but it's worst when the geese are in town.
 
I had to set down at KWEA to wait out a T-storm a few months ago. It was just after dark when it clear so I could leave. As I was taxi-ing to the runway four deer crossed about 50 yds in front of the plane headed toward the runway. The must have kept going because I never saw them again.
 
Taking off from Gallup I hit a prairie dog with the nose wheel. Landing at Window Rock I hit a jack rabbit with the left main. Landing Back at Gallup I hit a raven with the left prop. All on the same trip.
 
Zeldman said:
Taking off from Gallup I hit a prairie dog with the nose wheel. Landing at Window Rock I hit a jack rabbit with the left main. Landing Back at Gallup I hit a raven with the left prop. All on the same trip.
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Geez, it doesn't pay to be an animal when *youre* in the plane does it!!??:yikes:
 
Foxes....I hit one just barely with the left main in my Cessna. He was sitting right on the centerline at night. Saw him just in time to swerve and just bump him with the left main. He ran off and I havent seen him again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Where my ultralight is hangared deer live ON the runway. They're accustomed to the ultralight. I fly right over their heads and pet them as I land.
 
TK211X said:
Yesterday I was turning final for 23 at KVDF. (Tampa F.L.)


Everything is fine until I get short final. I look at the displaced threshold and got a bit confused as this is the first time I see anything like it. There was a greyish-black wolf or fox or coyote or something (definitly NOT a dog) literally running around. It definitly made me scratch my head and look around before I got out of my C172.

Has anyone ever seen something like this? I thought airports had measures against this.
Click to expand...

was on short final during my student solo when a coyote decided to trot across the runway at approx. my touchdown point. it wasn't close at all but something I wasn't happy about seeing on my second solo landing.

a flying buddy was taking off from KARR one day. the controller cleared him to T/O and warned him of "birds in the vicinity". he cooly responded..."thanks, I will try to not run afoul of them" :rofl:. had a controller at the same airport tell me the same thing. not wanting to be a copycat I said, "thanks, 'i'll try to duck 'em!" :goofy:
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
The geese seem to hang closer to the ramp to stay away from this guy (or guyette, I wouldn't know):
ONZ_Coyote.jpg
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And the AWOS warns about them, IIRC.

Funniest story I heard about wildlife on runways was told to me by a pilot at 57D, Liz knows her I'm sure. Said pilot had to do some low passes one time because of a coyote on a runway, I forget where it was. The fella was standing right out in the middle and wouldn't budge. She finally decided she had enough room to land anyway, so she did, I think it was past the coyote. It was not a pretty landing, she bounced a couple of times, but made it without damaging anything.

When she turned around to see if the coyote was still there, she saw it dump a load right on the runway and then scamper off.

She figured it was his way of letting her know what he thought of her landing.
 
azure said:
And the AWOS warns about them, IIRC.

Funniest story I heard about wildlife on runways was told to me by a pilot at 57D, Liz knows her I'm sure. Said pilot had to do some low passes one time because of a coyote on a runway, I forget where it was. The fella was standing right out in the middle and wouldn't budge. She finally decided she had enough room to land anyway, so she did, I think it was past the coyote. It was not a pretty landing, she bounced a couple of times, but made it without damaging anything.

When she turned around to see if the coyote was still there, she saw it dump a load right on the runway and then scamper off.

She figured it was his way of letting her know what he thought of her landing.
Click to expand...

Ha! I did not know this!
Will be on the lookout...
 
Geese have a memory for unpleasentness. With pyro-tech screamers and being chased with the pick up each morning, the flock gets smaller every day and is usually gone after three days. Nesting pairs, if you let them get established, are very difficult to get rid of,
 
Heh just yesterday we had wild turkeys chilling on the side of the runway they didn't move till I did my runup then they waddled away. Up the state a bit RKW usually will have coyotes on it and they just don't give a crap, land by them and they'll just lay there on the runway while you roll by.
 
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