SAN ANTONIO -- The U.S. Air splashdown in the Hudson River put a
face on a longtime industry problem of birds striking planes.
Paul Eschenfelder, a Texas aviation safety advocate, said the
industry is lagging behind. "Wind shear was an act of God and we
mitigated that. We can certainly mitigate the birds,"
Eschenfelder said. Eschenfelder claims airlines are running the
other way. Southwest Airlines does train pilots through
simulator training. In 2004, the airline made reporting of bird
strikes mandatory. The Federal Aviation Administration has yet
to do that. James White, deputy director for Airport Safety
Standards for the FAA, said about 39 percent of bird strikes are
being reported, explaining it is adequate to manage the problem.
Currently, there are no plans to make reporting mandatory, but
in light of the Hudson incident, the FAA has made the national
bird strike database available to the public. Other changes
include requiring more wildlife assessments at airports around
the country. The San Antonio I