J--Kodiak Improved Vis Exhaust Stacks

Kodiak Improved Vis Exhaust Stacks The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a Bureau within the Department of the Interior whose mission is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Division of Migratory Bird Management works within the Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain healthy migratory bird populations for the benefit of the American people. To abide by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, population monitoring of many migratory bird species is achieved by using aircraft and survey biologist-pilots and biologist-observers to count birds on their summer, migration, and wintering grounds, using visual or photographic methods. Before accepting the new aircraft in 2010, the FWS worked to conduct a series of flight tests. The goal of the test was to determine whether the biologist-pilot and biologist-observer suffered any visual impairment from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) exhaust plume. The OEM exhaust was deemed unacceptable by FWS because the exhaust plume greatly impaired the biologists ability to identify waterfowl from all four seats tested. A custom exhaust duct was designed, fabricated and tested. Observers reported much improved ability to identify waterfowl from the aircraft, and the nine amphibious Kodiak 100s were accepted with the custom exhaust ducts installed. In 2012, cracks began to occur in the custom exhaust system. A doubler was installed on all nine aircraft after cracks were found on the engine exhaust flange within a month of one another on two aircraft. Approximately one year later, a third aircraft was found to have cracking in the engine exhaust flange, the exhaust duct flange, and the exhaust duct body. A preliminary engineering report recommended improvements to the system. Because there is little or no demand for the Custom Exhaust Duct system outside of those required by the Migratory Bird program, the Government has been unable to identify any other commercial off-the-shelf product available for purchase.