Bird strikes can take down an airplane ­— like the incident that made Captain Chesley Sullenberger famous for his 2009 landing on the Hudson River. The problem plagues the airline industry, but four industrious 12-year-olds from Utah may have the solution.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the major problem is exacerbated by the fact birds get acclimated to repellant techniques like noise or fireworks. The sixth-graders tried sound systems, power washing and robots, but these didn’t work.

The group, which calls itself the Bionic Porcupines 2.0, then learned random motion scares birds. They devised a system called a Bionic Scarecrow, which looks like a miniature version of the air dancers used at car lots and football games. The Scarecrow dances in the wind, keeping the birds away.

A pilot project at Salt Lake City Airport, located near a migratory bird route, was successful. The Environmental Protection Agency and the North American Bird Strike Conference lauded the project. The kids since patented their invention and have been contacted by interested airports. They’re currently crowd funding for a trip to Washington, D.C. to accept an EPA award.