Charleston, W.VA. – Hercules and NED have a fairly spacious office in the most busy airport in West Virginia.
Border Collies and their handling make daily patrols along the Millelong airfield to ensure that birds and other wildlife remain away from the airplanes and keep the passengers and the safe crew.
Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaked in affection for passengers inside the terminal while calmly waiting for a flight at the West Virginia Yeager International Airport.
Chris Keyer, the dog manager and the airport’s wild life specialist, said that preventing a bird from hitting a plane “can make the difference for someone’s life.”
Collisions between wildlife and airplanes They are common in airports throughout the country. With that in mind, Yeager Management in 2018 bought Hercules on the recommendation of a wildlife biologist.
Hercules spent the first 18 months of his life training geese and sheep in his birthplace in Charlotte, based in North Carolina. Flying geesewhich teaches Border Collies to help companies address annoying wildlife problems.
When Hercules stepped on Charleston’s airfield for the first time, “I endured breath,” said Flyway Rebecca Gibson’s owner. “But boy, he seized the reins. It was his place.
“He has done incredible job and has been a great dog for them. We are very proud of him.”
Along the way, Hercules became a local celebrity. He has his Instagram and Tiktok accounts and regularly organize school groups.
Now 8, Hercules has some help. Ned was 2 years old when he was welcome in the Redile last year from another kennel where he trained goats and geese. Ned has shaded Hercules, following Keyser’s commands and learning security problems, such as not venturing on the track.
“Ned is ready to work,” Keyer said. “It is collected in all that. He is doing fantastic birds and running.”
Within the airport operations center, Hercules is relaxed until they tell him it is time to work, barking at the door in advance. Ned, on the other hand, always moves. When he is not outside, he will bring his blue inflatable ball to anyone who is willing to play.
Charleston Airport is at the top of a mountain and has a wildlife collection, including Canadian geese, hawks, ducks, singing birds and bats. After it rains, the worms reach the surface and cause an increase in bird activity, Keyer said.
In addition to bringing dogs in their regular rounds, Keyser is in constant contact with the airport tower, looking for birds in the field or relieves reports of airplanes that see the nearby wildlife.
“We exercise a lot,” Keyer said. “You don’t want any weight in this work. It’s a job of all day. You always have your eyes in the field, you have your ears open listening to the radio.”
Border Collies are among the most energetic dog races. They have been used for decades for Shoo Canada Geese Off Golf Coastses. They have also scared birds in other airports, military bases and locks and dams.
Dog instincts are to the flock, not kill. “But in the mind of the bird, they are not different from a coyote or a fox, which is a natural predator of the bird,” Gibson said.
Around 19,000 strikes that involved airplanes and wildlife occurred in US airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a database of the Federal Aviation Administration. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the United States killed 76 people and destroyed 126 planes.
Perhaps the most famous strike of the bird plane occurred in January 2009 when a flight from the New York Laguardia airport almost immediately flew to a flock of Canada’s geese, eliminating both engines. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger He guided the impotent jet to the Hudson Frígido River. The 155 people on board survived the incident, which was captured in the 2016 “Sully” film, starring Tom Hanks.
At Charleston airport, wildlife plane incidents vary every year a few to a couple of dozens.
“Every time a plane hits a bird, it must be inspected and causes a delay in the flight,” Keyer said. “And sometimes you don’t make your connection flights. So it is the important thing that is to keep everything in operation.”
In 2022, there were five airport attacks at the airport involving bats. In December 2000, a plane crashed with two deer after landing. The tip of the leaf of the right engine propeller separated and pierced the fuselage of the plane, seriously injuring a passenger, according to the FAA.
Within the terminal, Hercules moves his tail while moving to greet passengers. Among them was Janet Spry, a Scott deposit, West Virginia, a resident who hopes to address a flight to visit his daughter and grandchildren in San Antonio.
Spry needed some cheers. In addition to fearing to fly, Spry’s 15 -year -old cat was sacrificed the previous day after being diagnosed with an inoperable condition.
An improvised visit of Hercules brought a smile, and more. Hercules placed a leg on Spry’s arm and delivered many wet kisses.
“He is improving my day,” Spry said.
He also joked if the airport might want to let Hercules stay with it for a while.
“I think there was an empty seat on the plane by my side,” Spry said.
