Feds to release bird-strike database
Score one for openness in air safety data.
The Washington Post reported earlier today that the federal Transportation Department has overruled an FAA plan to close access to its database about planes hitting birds.
It looks like new Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood flexed his muscle, according to the Washington Post:
“I think all of this information ought to be made public, and I think that you’ll soon be reading about the fact that we’re going to, you know, make this information as public as anybody wants it,” LaHood said in an interview for The Washington Post’s “New Voices of Power” series. “The people should have access to this kind of information.
“The whole thing about the bird strike issue is it doesn’t really comport with the president’s idea of transparency,” the secretary said. “I mean, here they just released all of these CIA files regarding interrogation, and . . . the optic of us trying to tell people they can’t have information about birds flying around airports, I don’t think that really quite comports with the policies of the administration. . . . It’s something that somebody wanted to put out there to get a reaction. We got the reaction, and now we’re going to bring it to conclusion.”
The Associated Press filed its story shortly after the Post broke the news. USA Today had a story earlier this month based on the data from the last few years.
Also, public comments on the proposed regulatory rule were overwhelmingly opposed to the FAA’s action.
–Paul
Written by Paul Monies
Follow @pmonies
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