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McConnell opens its doors to landowners

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Laura L. Valentine
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Fourteen landowners who neighbor McConnell visited the base for the fourth annual Landowner Appreciation Dinner Nov. 10, 2011.

A staple event for McConnell's Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard Program, the dinner helps educate, and continue to educate, landowners on the importance of the bird abatement program while also thanking them for their cooperation in reducing McConnell's bird strikes, said Sharon Hamric, 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Community Relations chief.

The BASH program, and the implementation of Vasi, a Border collie, in 2007, has helped decrease the number of birdstrikes by more than 30 percent. This reduction has saved millions of dollars in aircraft repairs, and most importantly, it has reduced the potential for the loss of life in aircraft mishaps.

About 120 landowners have property within a five-mile radius of McConnell. Their participation greatly increases the success rate of the program.

The land surrounding McConnell is home to both migratory and permanent resident species of birds. These winged creatures pose a tremendous threat to the missions of the 63 KC-135 Stratotankers assigned to McConnell and to aviation industries worldwide.

While at McConnell, the landowners toured the air traffic control tower, viewed the inside of a KC-135 and participated in a BASH question and answer session that included Vasi, the rescue Border collie trained specifically to enforce bird control on and around the base.

The LOAD was Brenda Douay's second BASH event as a landowner.

"Coming back this time, I saw [BASH] from a different angle because now I know the importance of the program and see why it's important to convince others to support it," she said.

The LOAD is just one event held throughout the year to show appreciation for the community's participation in BASH. Past events have allowed landowners to witness McConnell's day-to-day operations, including in-flight refueling missions.