Plane-crashes because of collision with bees ???

[Dan Simper]

I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.

Is that true ?

[Ben Hallert]

If it's an open cockpit and the bee hits the pilot, sure.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
(Dan Simper) wrote:

> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.
>
> Is that true ?



Yes -- for the bee!

[[email protected]]

Dan Simper wrote:
> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be
devastating.
>
> Is that true ?

I have a hard time imagining a common scenario where this could
happen. A bee hitting an airplane will usually just go Splat!

A few years ago I had the misfortune of riding my motorcycle through
a swarm of large bumble bees at 85 mph. The impacts were a little
painful, but certainly not dangerous. The worst part was having to
spend about 15 min. digging fried bee goo out of the cooling fins on my
cylinders.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[[email protected]]

Dan Simper wrote:
> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be
devastating.
>
> Is that true ?


I have a hard time imagining a common scenario where this could
happen. A bee hitting an airplane will usually just go Splat!

A few years ago I had the misfortune of riding my motorcycle through
a swarm of large bumble bees at 85 mph. The impacts were a little
painful, but certainly not dangerous. The worst part was having to
spend about 15 min. digging fried bee goo out of the cooling fins on my
cylinders.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[Dan Luke]

"Dan Simper" wrote:
> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.
>
> Is that true ?

It might have been the "golden beebee" that you heard about.

That's a single, lucky shot from the ground that hits just the right spot on
the airplane (or the pilot) to bring it down.
--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

[Bob Chilcoat]

I swallowed a bee once while riding my bicycle to work. Stung me in the
back of my throat. Since I worked in a hospital, and was only a couple of
miles from there, already at speed with my heart rate up, I figured my best
option was to keep going, hoping my airway didn't obstruct before I got
there. Went straight up to my department (anesthesia), grabbed the first
anesthesiologist I saw and told him what had happened. We went straight
down to the ENT clinic and they found a bee sting sticking in the back of my
throat behind the uvula. I felt terrible for hours. A bee can certainly
bring down a bikie. I have serious doubts about an airplane, though.

OTOH, I heard once of a 172 that was nearly brought down when the pilots
opened the air vents after takeoff and out came a swarm of angry wasps that
had nested in the air vent intake while the plane was on the ground. I
think that was in "I learned about flying from that" 25 years ago or so.
Ouch!

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Dan Simper wrote:
> > I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be
> devastating.
> >
> > Is that true ?
>
> I have a hard time imagining a common scenario where this could
> happen. A bee hitting an airplane will usually just go Splat!
>
> A few years ago I had the misfortune of riding my motorcycle through
> a swarm of large bumble bees at 85 mph. The impacts were a little
> painful, but certainly not dangerous. The worst part was having to
> spend about 15 min. digging fried bee goo out of the cooling fins on my
> cylinders.
>
> John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)
>

[George Patterson]

Bob Chilcoat wrote:
>
> OTOH, I heard once of a 172 that was nearly brought down when the pilots
> opened the air vents after takeoff and out came a swarm of angry wasps that
> had nested in the air vent intake while the plane was on the ground.

I had a wasp come in the air intake of a 150 on final once. I made the mid-field
exit, pulled the mixture, and said "your airplane" as I went out the door.

George Patterson
He who would distinguish what is true from what is false must have an
adequate understanding of truth and falsehood.

[Ben Jackson]

On 2005-02-09, Dan Simper > wrote:
> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.

It's not so much the bees, it's what the rest of the tree with the
nest does that really causes problems.

--
Ben Jackson
>
http://www.ben.com/

[[email protected]]

And did the instructor hang around to taxi the plane?

Seems like a good argument for the mesh I've seen in some plane's vent
inlets.

-Malcolm Teas

[Al Gilson]

>
> Seems like a good argument for the mesh I've seen in some plane's vent
> inlets.
>
> -Malcolm Teas
- - -
That's why we have placed one of those little orange dish scrubber mesh
"thingies" in the air vent tube of our 172. It keeps the wasps from
getting into the vent system when they are looking for a home. -or- from
a flying bee/wasp to enter as we taxi down to the runway.
- - -
Al
1964 Skyhawk
Spokane, WA

--
Al Gilson
Spokane, WA USA
1970 VW Convertible
1964 Cessna Skyhawk

[George Patterson]

" wrote:
>
> And did the instructor hang around to taxi the plane?

What instructor?

George Patterson
He who would distinguish what is true from what is false must have an
adequate understanding of truth and falsehood.

[Morgans]

"George Patterson" > wrote

> What instructor?
>
> George Patterson

ROTFLMAO!

Flying solo, eh? Took me a minute, but I got it!
--
Jim in NC

[Roger]

On 9 Feb 2005 11:08:41 -0800, "
> wrote:

>
>Dan Simper wrote:
>> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be
>devastating.
>>
>> Is that true ?
>
> I have a hard time imagining a common scenario where this could
>happen. A bee hitting an airplane will usually just go Splat!
>
> A few years ago I had the misfortune of riding my motorcycle through
>a swarm of large bumble bees at 85 mph. The impacts were a little
>painful, but certainly not dangerous. The worst part was having to

Never tangled with a Bald Faced Hornet, I take it. It's like being
hit with a hammer and that's when you are standing still. <:-))

They are about twice the size of a bumblebee, with a white head that
reminds me of a skull. Just about as hard too.

But... bringing down an airplane. Inside, I can understand, but
structurally?

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

>spend about 15 min. digging fried bee goo out of the cooling fins on my
>cylinders.
>
>John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[Some Guy]

"Dan Simper" > wrote in message
om...
> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.
>
> Is that true ?

E = MC(sq)

energy involved is a function of the mass of the bodies times the square of
the closing velocity. with nearly zero mass compared to the aircraft, it
would be hard to imagine a bee doing any serious damage to an aircraft

[Paul Wheelock]

"Some Guy" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Dan Simper" > wrote in message
> om...
>> I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.
>>
>> Is that true ?
>
> E = MC(sq)
>
> energy involved is a function of the mass of the bodies times the square
> of
> the closing velocity. with nearly zero mass compared to the aircraft, it
> would be hard to imagine a bee doing any serious damage to an aircraft

If the bee was going the speed of light, it might cause some damage.

[Rich Lemert]

Some Guy wrote:

> "Dan Simper" > wrote in message
> om...
>
>>I heard that a collision between a plane and a bee can be devastating.
>>
>>Is that true ?
>
>
> E = MC(sq)
>
> energy involved is a function of the mass of the bodies times the square of
> the closing velocity. with nearly zero mass compared to the aircraft, it
> would be hard to imagine a bee doing any serious damage to an aircraft
>
>

Your explanation is correct, but the equation you provide is
Einstein's equation giving the equivalence between mass and energy -
it's valid even if the objects are at rest.

What you want is the equation for kinetic energy of a moving object,
K.E. = (1/2)m v(squared).

Rich Lemert

[Some Guy]

"Paul Wheelock" > wrote in message
>
> If the bee was going the speed of light, it might cause some damage.

Or if the plane were travelling at the speed of light...... equally as
likely.

[darthpup]

Maybe the original poster was thinking of a B17 or B29????.....