Bruce Mackinnon Memorial Award

2021   Dr. W. John Richardson   LGL Limited – John is a specialist in bird migration and avian hazards to aircraft. His academic training was in animal behaviour. Much of Dr. Richardson’s research, since the mid-1960s, has concerned bird hazards to aircraft and bird movements over many parts of Canada, the U.S.A., and Puerto Rico. He is internationally known for his work on the effects of weather on the timing and characteristics of bird movements, including radar and visual studies, analyses, and reviews. His recent bird hazard to aircraft work has included landfill studies and analyses of the circumstances of serious birdstrike accidents, especially involving military aircraft. He has contributed numerous papers to bird strike conferences in Canada, North America and internationally. He is a current member of the Bird Strike Association of Canada.

2019    Dr. Rolph Davis    LGL Limited – Rolph has been involved with bird hazard to aircraft safety issues for 40 years. He was president of LGL Limited, one of Canada’s leading firms in this field, for 26 years and continues to serve as that firm’s Executive Chairman. He has conducted bird hazard assignments in 8 provinces and territories in Canada and 20 states and territories in the U.S.A. Dr. Davis has been involved with many of Transport Canada’s major initiatives to reduce bird hazards to aircraft safety at airports in Canada. He also served as a continuing consultant to National Defence Headquarters on bird hazard issues at Canadian air bases. He has served on the BSAC Steering Committee since our formation in 2009.

2017 Mac Kuhring – At the request of the National Research Council of Canada, in 1962 Mac formed the Associate Committee on Bird Hazards to Aircraft and acted as chair of that committee until 1973. During his tenure as chair the Committee he initiated the publication of “field notes” to ensure the rapid (at least for the 1960s) exchange of information for solutions to bird strike problems. Sixty-one field notes were produced under his chair. As well, in 1969, Canada hosted the first ever “World Conference on Bird Hazards to Aircraft” in Kingston, Ontario with 140 delegates from 21 countries. Together with Dr. Vic Solman, he was a primary force behind the establishment of Bird Strike Committee Europe in 1966. The International Bird Strike Committee awarded the prestigious “Mike” Kuhring Prize for achievements of significance in improved flight safety concerning bird hazards to aviation. You can read the text of the award presentation here.