“Miracle on the Hudson” captain Sullenberger criticizes LaGuardia transfer station

“Miracle on the Hudson” Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger calls the
plan to construct a garbage transfer station near LaGuardia Airport a
“terrible” idea, CBS News reported, agreeing with other critics who
say the facility would attract birds that could endanger airplanes.
“One of the things we’ve learned is that one of the few ways to
mitigate the bird problem is to not put anything near an airport
runway that’s likely to attract birds,” Sullenberger, who came to fame for landing his plane in the Hudson River after bird struck his aircraft from LaGuardia, said. “And
so putting a trash facility this close to one of the busiest runways
in the nation just doesn’t make sense.” He said that even an enclosed
facility, especially close to the water, would attract birds.

City officials say that birds, in particular geese, would be an issue
independently of the transfer station due to the water. While Federal
Aviation Administration regulations prohibit garbage facilities within
2,500 feet of the end of most runways at major airports, that zone
shrinks to 1,700 feet for certain runways, like LaGuardia’s Runway 31.
Another aviation security expert, Mark Rosenker, said that he did not
think the FAA would make a decision that would make bird strikes more
likely. [CBS]