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Aeronautics unveils another safety initiative — retasking
wildlife cameras

Another safety initiative recently unveiled by Idaho's Division of Aeronautics is retasking wildlife cameras at remote airstrips to measure use levels, allowing the Division to pinpoint the most popular locations – those with the most pressing need for safety trainings.

With 31 rural airstrips to manage and maintain, determining investment priorities has always been a challenge for the Aeronautics Airport Maintenance unit. Without control towers to log aircraft operations, determining use levels at backcountry airstrips was nearly impossible without the recent innovation.

Senior Utility Craftsman and big game hunter Dan Conner (pictured below, at Cavanaugh Bay Airstrip) suggested the idea of utilizing wildlife cameras to measure use levels. Last week at the Garden Valley Airstrip, Aero staff placed two cameras at strategic locations for a two week time period.

A recent accident report from NTSB showed that 68% of Idaho’s general aviation accidents occurred during the takeoff or landing phase of flight. Now, every takeoff and landing can be recorded. Not only were raw numbers calculated, photos could be obtained so Aero staff could determine what type of aircraft was using the airstrip. Understanding the aircraft type and use levels is critical to shaping the safety training for users.