Piper, an eight-year-old border collie, is one of about 10 dogs at airports across the United States with the weighty responsibility of keeping runways clear of birds. Now, some are working to combat this problem and while they might look funny, they are just as serious about their jobs as the problem is grave. Globally, bird and other wildlife strikes killed more than 258 people and destroyed over 245 aircraft from 1988 to 2014. In September 2012, a Dornier 228-200 crashed in Nepal after a black kite was struck on takeoff. In January 2009, an Airbus 320 with 159 passengers and crew was forced to land in the Hudson River after Canada geese were ingested in both engines. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number of wildlife strikes to civil aircraft annually has increased 7.4-fold: from 1,851 in 1990 to a record 13,668 in 2014. ©Video by CBS Evening Newsįor travelers, wildlife strikes to airplanes are no laughing matter. As the airport's Ready 5 fighter, Piper must be ready to launch within 5 minutes to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.Piper, an eight-year-old border collie, not only protects the Traverse City, Michigan, airport from geese and other birds, he rocks the aviator look. Get a bearing on Hollywood and Wolfman and launch the rescue helicopter immediately!" - Top Gun Anytime, day or night, K-9 Piper stands ready to fight the good fight. Repeat, we've lost Hollywood!" -"Launch Piper on Alert Five. "Voodoo 1, Voodoo 1, Wood's been hit! Wood's been hit! We've lost Hollywood.
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