Is RAF use birds of prey ?

[Harfang]

Hi every body,

I would like to know if RAF use bird of prey on air base to hunt birds ?

stephane

[Jason C-C]

http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-401770.html

[ross blackford]

:D, Back in the days, 30 years ago, when lighties werre permitted to (and encouraged to) fly into Sydney (Mascot) a number of private pilots from the Royal Newcstle Aero Club including myself flew into Sydney one Saturday afternoon. I was flying the first leg (Maitland-Sydney) and on finals I just noticed out the corner of my right eye a hawk rising to meet us. It flew just outside the prop and between the fuselage and right hand wing strut of the C172 and collected the fin just above the fuselage. What happened to the hawk we'll never know but I declared a PAN and my intention to land as the aircraft was still under full control. This was agreed by ATC and they sent a vehicle out to meet us when we turned off the runway and to help with the inspection and further communication with ATC. The only damage was a very slight dent in the starboard side of the fin where the hawk hit it and we were able to then taxi in and get some refreshment and continue on out to Camden with another pilot in command. I've always wondered if it was a bird control hawk that I hit that day or just one of the local live-in hawks or ospreys.

,

Ross.

[ChippyWho]

Watching the recent series 'The Tube' (yea, hoping for a little 80s ZZ Top or Echo and the Bunnymen -disappointed!) I was amused to learn that London Transport have a falconer on staff to keep down bird populations in the big train depots...

(Maybe they should employ Halberdiers to deal with fare dodgers?)

Edited April 18, 2012 by ChippyWho

[freedomfighter]

A flying facility in Wiltshire used to use falcons to scare birds while I was in Air Traffic there. I can remember on airfield inspection when the birdman came rocketing round the corner towards touchdown on one of the runways where gulls had gathered. The window of the vehicle was open, an arm was outside with a hawk on it. The gulls were slow on the uptake (and take-off!!), and the hawk was thrown forward off the arm and had bowled a Lesser Black-backed gull over almost before it (the gull) had extended its wings fully. Needless to say we weren't bothered by gulls for a couple of hours that morning! Our birdman also had a Buzzard, which he used to hunt rabbits on the airfield with (outside opening hours of course). The Buzzard was an expert, and all the birdman's falcons & hawks were fed on frozen rabbit year round.

[FIGHTS ON]

Royal Navy still use them at RNAS Yeovilton. Mind you the way things are going there soon won't be any planes left to protect from birds