RJA #2b: Research Topic

The topic I have chosen for my research project is "Bird Strikes". What I will be researching about this topic is how the amount of bird strikes has risen over the past two decades. I will also be researching about what is being done currently to prevent bird strikes in both commercial aviation and general aviation and also what is being planned for the future.

I do not know a whole lot on the topic of bird strikes and preventing them. I do know that it is a becoming a major problem in the aviation community. I have witnessed a bird strike personally, I have had to be very cautious when flying and I have had to perform evasive maneuvers on take-off due to large flocks of migratory birds in and around the airport vicinity. The opinions that I could address in this argumentative paper is that more funding needs to be available to both small and large airports in order to control the bird populations and their locations. Another argumentative topic would be about how to control the birds and which airports need bird control the most.

What I don't know about this topic is the statistics of the amount of bird strikes. I am also unaware of the procedures that airports and airline pilots have for minimizing bird strikes. I really want to learn more about what plans airports have for minimizing the number of bird strikes for now and in the future. I would also like to know more about the funding that airports have for controlling birds in the airport vicinity and how much it costs the airline industry annually to repair aircraft because of bird related incidents.