Alligators on the runways!

[sengelin]

So, I'm moving from New Mexico to south Florida next week and I've agreed to a travelling job with my same company. I will be flying out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale at least once a month. I'm watching "Miami Animal Police" on Animal Planet and they are showing an alligator trapper who has to patrol these two airports to make sure that no alligators get onto the runways! I'm not sure what the big deal is... alligators aren't going to get sucked into the engines and I don't think they stand a fighting chance against landing gear. I guess this doesn't really bother me, but it is one of those little south Florida realities I haven't quite latched onto yet.

[Passenger Mark]

Yikes! I have never thought of that one!!!

I guess not something that we have to worry about here in Southern Cal!

[CaptainStark]

Sen,

Smacking a Gator at 100+mph can be bad news. The loads placed upon gear struts can cause them to fail.

Years ago in California, a bunch of cattle wandered out on the runway at Beale AFB around sunset. A tanker in the pattern never saw them until they hit one. It tore the gear off and sent the plane into the weeds.

I have a book where the author recounts flying in S. America back in the 30's. After suffering an engine problem, the mail pilot landed in a field over "peculiar looking logs." When the pilot climbed down from his plane he was startled to see the logs were moving! Yup, the logs were really alligators sunning themselves!

Ray:ray

[Passenger Mark]

A tanker in the pattern never saw them until they hit one. It tore the gear off and sent the plane into the weeds.

But on the bright side...

They had steak that night!!! :shocked

:hamster = Moving Steak

[sengelin]

I always forget my physics. Good thing I'm not an airline pilot, huh? By my calculation, hitting a 400 pound alligator at 100 mph is like hitting a log that ways 1000 tons! Very unfortunate for the alligator, but definately not good for the plane!

Sean

[Passenger Mark]

YIKES!!!

Small airport, so not to worry about your large commercial airports. But removing them would not be a job I would want!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Admin/aligrunway1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Admin/aligrunway2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Admin/aligrunway3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Admin/aligrunway4.jpg

[spleisher]

Everglades Air, errrr, I mean Alligator... clear for takeoff, runway 16 right.