Bird Strikes on the rise?

A quick glance through Yahoo! News this morning lead me to a story on the rising number of bird strikes.  It claimed the total number of bird strikes in 2009 could surpass 10,000; a first.  At least 57 cases caused severe damage and a total of 8 people lost their lives.

I think it's fair to assume that people are becoming more diligent in reporting these incidents.  The Hudson River landing by Cpt. Sully cast a national light on the avian-aviator battle in the skies.  Where one in the past might have struck a bird and only had their mechanic look over the plane, the same people are now feeling obligated to report even the smallest tap of a feather.  Is that a bad thing?  No.  It helps keep accurate information on the size and seriousness of the problem.

I think back to all the times I've had near misses.  In the types of planes I fly, you're very often able to see and avoid most birds.  I spend a good bit of time in the pattern and so do the birds; so I've done my share of weaving and bobbing to dart around those tricky winged menaces.

The thought often arises "what would really happen if I did hit one?"  Naturally, I did a little research and found some pretty disturbing pictures of planes like mine that had encountered small birds.  Typically, they showed the mangled leading edge of the wings and/or a shattered windshield.  None of the reports I read said the strike brought the plane down.  Some people had been injured in the shattered windshield category, but none too seriously.  I also read many more reports that claimed the bird simply bounced off the strut/wing/landing gear and caused no damage.

This lead me to believe that if I strike a bird, one of two things will happen.  It'll either be a little bump and a careful return to the airport for a check or it'll be a glassy impact and a frightening return to the airport for help.  I'm not too pleased with the possibility of the second, but the risk is very little and it's worth it.  The risk is greater in a vehicle where the sudden implosion of your windshield has much greater and more immediate consequences.