While bird strikes are a real and continuing threat to aviation, it is also an unusual air safety issue in that it has the potential to to result in very striking photographs that could be used in a completely different context, such as a brochure.

As an example, the 2009 ditching of a US Airways A320 happened because the aircraft struck a flock of birds shortly after taking off from New York's La Guardia Airport. The strike happened at over 1000' above the ground, and there were no photos of the actual strike, but there were multiple photos and videos taken of the aircraft before and after the crew landed in the Hudson River,

One of the most dramatic photos from that day was taken by a passenger in one of the ferry boats that picked some of the passengers and crew out of the water. It was from a cell phone camera, and the owner sent out messages to those on his social media network, and the picture soon went viral around the world.

Making Brochures from Photos

While this photo was about the aftermath of a bird strike, this kind of photo would be an excellent candidate for a brochure, whether it is in traditional print brochures or an online equivalents. A brochure photo doesn't have to be of magazine cover photo quality to be effective.

While a printed brochure may seem a bit old school media compared to what most people use today, the same effort that used to go only into a printed brochure should go into both the printed and electronic versions of your message.

Along with the text in the brochure, it has to help tell a story that supports the point that you are trying to make, or that illustrates the problem that you are attempting to solve. the kind of photo one needs when trying to make a point, or bring attention to an issue.

When it comes to bird strikes, it has been an issue in aviation since aircraft first flew, and will continue to be an issue so long as aircraft and birds share the same sky. Policy makers and regulators in the wildlife hazard arena will have a closely related ongoing issue, that of keeping the affected stakeholders focused on the need to deal with the threat.

For those who are working to create or change regulations and policies around this issue, a bird strike event that doesn't kill anyone and causes few if any serious injury attracts intense public attention, and provides a golden opportunity to keep bird strike hazards fresh in the public's mind.

The US Airways event was one of those golden opportunities, and had plenty of dramatic photos and videos to help remind the public for years to come. Since 2009 the proliferation of high quality photo and video technology in virtually every mobile device, makes it more likely that future bird strike incidents and accidents will provide other memorable photos.