TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (USTCNS) --- It's amazing, considering the size and numerous redundant safety systems of a C-5 or KC-10, that some of Mother Nature's smallest creatures can pose a serious threat to the safety of these aircraft.

Surprisingly though, a bird smaller than 2.5 pounds, with a 3-foot wingspan, can cause millions of dollars in damage or worse to them when David and Goliath collide.

This is where the Air Force's and Travis' Bird Air Strike Hazard abatement program comes into play. B.A.S.H. is a program to help preserve war fighting capabilities through the reduction of wildlife hazards to aircraft operations.

At Travis, seven falcons and three bird handlers unite as a
team through the art of falconry.

"Falcons are birds of prey; they scare other birds to death," said Jeff Kingscott, bird handler. "Just seeing an attacking falcon will cause birds to flee the area very quickly. They are capable of diving on their prey at speeds of more than 140 mph!"

"Our goal is to significantly reduce the number of bird strikes and incidents with Travis planes" said Chris Feairheller, bird handler. "We do this through aggressive surveillance, patrol, identification and response. We can respond in minutes to bird sightings, get a falcon up in the air and eliminate the potential threat."

"We need a great degree of control over our falcons," said Kingscott. "During conditioned response training, we try to keep them at an altitude of around 200 to 300 feet and within a fairly close radius. When we're ready for them to come back down, we blow a whistle and swing a lure with food."

There are more than 100 species of birds that inhabit the base throughout the year. Business picks up during the rainy season because of food and habitat availability.

Since the inception of the Bird of Prey program in 1998 at Travis, the annual number of bird strikes has dropped from 269 to 54, which saves the base an annual average of $900,000 in aircraft repairs, says MSgt. Sammy Hager, 60th Air Mobility Wing, B.A.S.H. program manager. This is a true testament to the value the falcons and bird handlers bring to the base, he said.

"The program has been very successful," says bird handler Mark Mlynek. "We're not going to eliminate all the birds, but we have lessened the damage to planes and possibly eliminated any potential accidents."

Feairheller agrees, "The falconry program here is an essential part of the overall B.A.S.H. program. The falcons are the eyes on and over Travis." (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).