Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for February 8, 2019
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
February 8, 2019: In 2018, pilots reported 14,661 collisions between birds and aircraft. That works out to an average of 40 per day.[1]
Such collisions have been a part of air travel from the very beginning. On September 7, 1905—less than two years after the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk—Orville Wright reported that a bird had hit his aircraft over a cornfield near Dayton, Ohio.[2]
A USA Today analysis notes that the number of collisions has increased dramatically over the past decade.[1] Many reasons have been given for the increase, including faster and quieter planes.
But the biggest factor may be the result of a famous collision where geese “forced airline pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger to make his dramatic emergency landing on the Hudson River.” Since then, “the FAA has worked to improve the voluntary reporting system,” and a big part of the increase may simply be the result of better reporting.[1]
Fewer than 5% of collisions result in serious damage to the aircraft.[2]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- February 7, 2019 – 90% of U.S.-born Hispanics speak English very well
- February 6, 2019 – 23 percent of voters nationwide believe their own representative in Congress is the best person for the job
- February 5, 2019 – 7.2 billion dollars needed for private railroad service
- February 4, 2019 – 13 percent of voters believe governing is the responsibility of government alone
- February 1, 2019 – 175,000 dollars a second for a Super Bowl ad
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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