[BC] 3,000 Birds Disrupt Radar

[Rachel Ehrenberg]

I thought I would share this in light of the earlier bird discussion.
See, broadcasters are not the only one who need to look out for our fine
feathered friends.
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 Large flocks of migrating geese are suspected of causing a breakdown in
 the radar at the St. Louis air traffic control center last Wednesday
 morning. About 7 a.m., radar screens showed about 3,000 blips, which
 the system interpreted as 3,000 aircraft. The Airport Surveillance
 Radar model 9, or ASR-9, became overloaded and crashed, the St. Louis
 Post-Dispatch reported last week. Air traffic controllers in Kansas
 City took over the airspace for about 15 minutes, until St. Louis
 controllers were able to switch to a backup system. Similar flocks of
 birds are believed to have caused radar crashes in ASR-9 systems at
 Kansas City on Nov. 2 and at Boston on Oct. 10. ASR-9 comprises a
 primary antenna that detects when airplanes have entered the airspace,
 and a secondary radar that sends signals to the airplane transponder so
 it can identify the aircraft. 

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