Bird strike

[Jase Vanover]

I posted yesterday about my first solo, and planned to do some more
uneventful circuits today but ended up having a postable experience once
again.

On final I noticed a bunch of white dots on the runway... seagulls. We had
seen them congregating around the runway during runup and takeoff. My CFI
was still with me, as we were going to do a couple touch and goes before he
turned me loose solo. As it turned out, the ceilings were too low and vis
too bad for him to let me go it alone, so we decided to just do a couple
circuits and call it a day. Regarding the gulls, I asked my CFI, "Gee, do
you think they'll get out of the way?"

"Sure, no problem. Watch your speed," (it had crept up to 70 kts, so I
added full flaps and held the nose a bit to bring it back to 60).

I remember as we came in, watching the flock (20 or so) take flight off the
runway. I also remember seeing one brave gull hang around a little longer.
Don't know if this is the one we hit, but I remember seeing it hang around.

A couple of seconds before I was set to flare, with the gulls apparently off
to the South and out of harms way... thunk! I glance briefly out the side
window and saw blood and crap streaming back along the wing strut... no
visible damage. I managed not to flinch and send the plane into
contorsions, and actually made a pretty good landing.

Since this was supposed to be a touch and go, I push in the carb heat, raise
the flaps, apply full power and off we go into the wild grey yonder (again,
conditions were kinda crappy). Airspeed indicator seemed fine. Flight
characteristics were no problem (my CFI asked interestedly once we were back
in the air), but you just never know. We did another circuit and I greased
the landing (woo hoo!), then parked the plane.

If I had to do it over again, I think I should have shut 'er down and
checked for damage. There wasn't any, and I (and my CFI) didn't think there
was any at the time, but that's not the point. It isn't worth one more
circuit to take the chance. Examining the plane afterwards, there wasn't
even a dent. Blood and crap on the wing strut and on the underside of the
wing, and that was it. I think it was just a case of having everything
planned out in my mind what I had to do, and then everything happened so
quick that I just didn't change from what I had planned in my mind.

A good learning experience (with unfortunately, one fatality, but
fortunately none of the homo sapiens kind).

I googled for other bird strike stories and read up on them. Anyone else
have one while a low time student?

[tony roberts]

Good story, but your instructor should not have allowed you to take off
again after a bird strike.
--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

[aluckyguess]

I was wondering what it would be like if a bird got caught in the prop, if
it would be a bloody massacre.
"tony roberts" > wrote in message
news:nospam-57F579.19141415052005@shawnews...
> Good story, but your instructor should not have allowed you to take off
> again after a bird strike.
> --
>
> Tony Roberts
> PP-ASEL
> VFR OTT
> Night
> Cessna 172H C-GICE

[Brooks Hagenow]

Nice story. You should not have taken off after the bird strike without
checking for damage first but you already said that.

I once had a line guy tell me, "don't hit any bugs" as I was doing the
pre-flight because he was sick of cleaning bugs off the planes. I
wonder what he would have said if I had come back with a bird strike.

[tony roberts]

3 years ago at our local flight school a Maule on floats with instructor
and student on board hit a Canada Goose with the prop while in flight.
Parts of the goose came through the cockpit windshield and instructor
and student were each covered in blood, feathers and bone splinters.
Luckily for the student he was not alone. The instructor, landed the
plane with no windshield, a badly damaged prop and his vision obscured
by the blood and crap in his face. Massive damage to the plane but they
got down safe.

Tony
--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE



In article >, "aluckyguess" >
wrote:

> I was wondering what it would be like if a bird got caught in the prop, if
> it would be a bloody massacre.
> "tony roberts" > wrote in message
> news:nospam-57F579.19141415052005@shawnews...
> > Good story, but your instructor should not have allowed you to take off
> > again after a bird strike.
> > --
> >
> > Tony Roberts
> > PP-ASEL
> > VFR OTT
> > Night
> > Cessna 172H C-GICE

[Toks Desalu]

> Good story, but your instructor should not have allowed you to take off
> again after a bird strike.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing! It is pretty risky to continue. If I
was in the similar situation, I wouldn't continue until I check the damage.
But, yeah, you had an interesting experience.

The closest thing I ever encounter with bird:

While at position and holding, I had to wait few minutes for the birds to
stroll across the runway.

By commercial, I experienced a go-around at short final. They made an
announcement afterward that they had to go around because a flock of birds
was getting in the way. I believed that was at Boston, but I could not
forget the look of white knuckle as the passenger (sitting next to me)
grabbed the armrest. It was a bit strange because the nose was actually
brought to the climbing position before you can hear the engine at the
maximum power. I tried to talk to that guy but, I don't think he was paying
any attention.

Toks Desalu
PP-ASEL
"Dyin' to soar!"

[Ron Natalie]

Jase Vanover wrote:
> I posted yesterday about my first solo, and planned to do some more
> uneventful circuits today but ended up having a postable experience once
> again.
>
Congrats...you did the right thing: Fly the plane (you can freak out
later).

I once took a large bird in the wing and it pushed the leading edge back
to the spar.

[[email protected]]

Ron Natalie wrote:
> Jase Vanover wrote:
> > I posted yesterday about my first solo, and planned to do some more

> > uneventful circuits today but ended up having a postable experience
once
> > again.
> >
> Congrats...you did the right thing: Fly the plane (you can freak out

> later).
>
> I once took a large bird in the wing and it pushed the leading edge
back
> to the spar.

Ron
That sounds pretty interesting. Care to elaborate with specifics? I
know a guy in Ecuador who hit a big condor and it too made a dent that
went back to the spar. He landed, checked the damage, then took off
again to fly to home base down on the coast in Guayaquil for repairs.
The kicker was, he landed at Cuenca which is at about 8000msl and took
off again! It was in a Navion. I know the airplane and saw the photos.
Still shake my head at that.
In my many years of flying, I think/know I've hit hundreds of birds of
varying size, make and model. Had several come into the cockpit with
me. I hit the most with helicopters while crop dusting though.

[Jim Burns]

A fellow Aztec owner & A&P A/I just repaired another Aztec that had
supposedly hit a goose. It hit just inboard of the joint between the end of
the stub spar and the wing tip. Leading edge was pushed back to the spar.
Stub spar was bent. Wing tip destroyed. Piper factory tip tank enclosure
destroyed. Bladder ruined. De-ice boot ruined. He was actually able to
straighten the stub spar. Found a used tank enclosure, a new bladder, and
re skinned it. I was only able to get there to take pictures after he had
the old skin off and had straightened and reinstalled the stub spar.

This same A&P and his entire family grew up flying in the Wisconsin Horicon
Marsh.... tens of thousands of geese occupy this marsh several times each
year.... none of them had ever hit a goose. They all claim that geese will
dive away well in advance of the approaching airplane. They also say that
seagulls are absolutely suicidal airplane hunting idiots.

My own bird experience has been one dead on windshield strike of a hawk (we
think, from examination of remaining feathers) in a 182RG at full cruise, no
damage, just scared the crap out of me and splattered the hawk up the
windshield and over the cabin roof. Sounded like a bomb went off inside the
cockpit. And several near misses of sand hill cranes.... dumbest birds I've
ever seen. Turn their heads and watch you fly by.

Jim

"Ron Natalie" > wrote in message
m...
> Jase Vanover wrote:
> > I posted yesterday about my first solo, and planned to do some more
> > uneventful circuits today but ended up having a postable experience once
> > again.
> >
> Congrats...you did the right thing: Fly the plane (you can freak out
> later).
>
> I once took a large bird in the wing and it pushed the leading edge back
> to the spar.

[Matt Barrow]

"Jase Vanover" > wrote in message
...
> I posted yesterday about my first solo, and planned to do some more
> uneventful circuits today but ended up having a postable experience once
> again.
>
> On final I noticed a bunch of white dots on the runway... seagulls. We
had
> seen them congregating around the runway during runup and takeoff. My CFI
> was still with me, as we were going to do a couple touch and goes before
he
> turned me loose solo. As it turned out, the ceilings were too low and vis
> too bad for him to let me go it alone, so we decided to just do a couple
> circuits and call it a day. Regarding the gulls, I asked my CFI, "Gee, do
> you think they'll get out of the way?"
>
> "Sure, no problem. Watch your speed," (it had crept up to 70 kts, so I
> added full flaps and held the nose a bit to bring it back to 60).
>
> I remember as we came in, watching the flock (20 or so) take flight off
the
> runway. I also remember seeing one brave gull hang around a little
longer.
> Don't know if this is the one we hit, but I remember seeing it hang
around.
>
> A couple of seconds before I was set to flare, with the gulls apparently
off
> to the South and out of harms way... thunk! I glance briefly out the side
> window and saw blood and crap streaming back along the wing strut... no
> visible damage. I managed not to flinch and send the plane into
> contorsions, and actually made a pretty good landing.
>
> Since this was supposed to be a touch and go, I push in the carb heat,
raise
> the flaps, apply full power and off we go into the wild grey yonder
(again,
> conditions were kinda crappy). Airspeed indicator seemed fine. Flight
> characteristics were no problem (my CFI asked interestedly once we were
back
> in the air), but you just never know. We did another circuit and I
greased
> the landing (woo hoo!), then parked the plane.
>
> If I had to do it over again, I think I should have shut 'er down and
> checked for damage. There wasn't any, and I (and my CFI) didn't think
there
> was any at the time, but that's not the point. It isn't worth one more
> circuit to take the chance. Examining the plane afterwards, there wasn't
> even a dent. Blood and crap on the wing strut and on the underside of the
> wing, and that was it. I think it was just a case of having everything
> planned out in my mind what I had to do, and then everything happened so
> quick that I just didn't change from what I had planned in my mind.
>
> A good learning experience (with unfortunately, one fatality, but
> fortunately none of the homo sapiens kind).
>

1) He should have had you go around rather than attempting to land (then do
a clearing pass).

2) He should have taken over and continued the landing since your aircraft
was damaged.

All in all, you did good under pressure.

> I googled for other bird strike stories and read up on them. Anyone else
> have one while a low time student?

I haven't had one in all my years flying, though I had to go around for
deer/antelope/elk several times. In Oklahoma a few years back, the guy
landing two behind me hit a cow. Cow - 1, 172 - 0.


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

[Matt Barrow]

SHORT FINAL...

Bored Royal Air Force pilots stationed on the Falkland Islands have devised
what they consider a marvelous new game. Noting that the local penguins are
fascinated by airplanes, the pilots search out a beach where the birds are
gathered and fly slowly along it at the water's edge. Perhaps ten thousand
penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by, and when the
pilots turn around and fly back, the birds turn their heads in the opposite
direction, like spectators at a slow-motion tennis match. Then, the paper
reports, "The pilots fly out to sea and directly toward the penguin colony
and over fly it. Heads go up, up, up, and ten thousand penguins fall over
gently onto their backs." --Audubon Society Magazine

[Roger]

On Sun, 15 May 2005 20:08:42 -0700, "aluckyguess" > wrote:

>I was wondering what it would be like if a bird got caught in the prop, if
>it would be a bloody massacre.
>"tony roberts" > wrote in message
>news:nospam-57F579.19141415052005@shawnews...
>> Good story, but your instructor should not have allowed you to take off
>> again after a bird strike.
>> --
Agreed. When you hit something, check it out... carefully.

As to the mess? It depends on the size of the bird, engine RPM, and
no little luck.

I've told this before, but...
I hit a bird With a Cherokee 180 on take off at 3BS. It appeared to
be about the size of a big pigeon. It looked like it had gone through
the pop, hit the windshield and bounced off. (No mess).

However, I was uneasy, made the circuit back and landed.
When I opened the cowl I found the area between the two cylinders on
the pilot's side to be packed solid with bird. By the smell (good),
one more circuit and it would have been ready to serve, but so would
the engine.

Had I not checked we'd have been in for a very expensive top at the
least.

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

>>
>> Tony Roberts
>> PP-ASEL
>> VFR OTT
>> Night
>> Cessna 172H C-GICE
>

[Peter R.]

Jase wrote:

> I googled for other bird strike stories and read up on them. Anyone
else
> have one while a low time student?

When I was receiving my required night training during my primary
instruction, our C172 hit a bat on descent into an uncontrolled
airport. The poor creature caught the right leading edge of the wing,
just past the vent opening. It sounded like a rock hit the aircraft.

The impact chipped some paint and left blood and bar fur? attached.

--
Peter

[Mark Morissette]

As a student still, thankfully I've never had a strike yet...
However, yesterday as I was packing up from some solo short field
practice, I overheard a plane call in a birdstrike on the radio.

Sure enough there were seagull chunks all over the runway...the same
runway I had just landed on a short while before.

They were on their takeoff roll, so they just aborted the takeoff and
taxi'd back to their hanger. No idea what the damage was, if any.

As I was taxiing out for my circuits, I had some suicidal seagulls on
the taxiway, which thankfully decided to fly off when we were far too
close for comfort. (Details on my blog, link below)

At one point in my training me and my instructor also had a flock of
seagulls play "leapfrog" with a service vehicle sent out to chase them
away from the intersection. It was all great fun untill after about
10 minutes of this game I had that epiphany that I was paying $2+ per
minute for the entertainment.

It suddenly wasn't so much fun...but I guess in the longrun, it beat
having a birdstrike.


---
Mark Morissette
Courtice, Ontario, Canada
http://oshawapilot.blogspot.com (My student pilot blog)

[Margy]

wrote:
> Ron Natalie wrote:
>
>>Jase Vanover wrote:
>>
>>>I posted yesterday about my first solo, and planned to do some more
>
>
>>>uneventful circuits today but ended up having a postable experience
>
> once
>
>>>again.
>>>
>>
>>Congrats...you did the right thing: Fly the plane (you can freak out
>
>
>>later).
>>
>>I once took a large bird in the wing and it pushed the leading edge
>
> back
>
>>to the spar.
>
>
> Ron
> That sounds pretty interesting. Care to elaborate with specifics? I
> know a guy in Ecuador who hit a big condor and it too made a dent that
> went back to the spar. He landed, checked the damage, then took off
> again to fly to home base down on the coast in Guayaquil for repairs.
> The kicker was, he landed at Cuenca which is at about 8000msl and took
> off again! It was in a Navion. I know the airplane and saw the photos.
> Still shake my head at that.
> In my many years of flying, I think/know I've hit hundreds of birds of
> varying size, make and model. Had several come into the cockpit with
> me. I hit the most with helicopters while crop dusting though.
>
It was very interesting from my perspective. This was the FIRST time
Ron took me flying and I was afraid of flying at the time, but he
tricked me into it (called and asked if I wanted to go look at the
leaves!!). We were flying into Luray, VA and I was just thinking I
wasn't going to die when I noticed "THE BIRD". I thought to myself
"Hey, this is really cool, flying with the bir ..." "****" cries Ron; I
freeze. He came in hot and had to go-around. Before the experience I
"knew" if you went up in a plane and something bad happened you died;
after the experience I "knew" if you went up in a plane and something
happened you had to get Ron's brother John to drive you home. Not a bad
thing.

Margy

[John Gaquin]

"Jase Vanover" > wrote in message news:3%She.467
\>
> I googled for other bird strike stories

You did fine. In a perfect world, you probably should have just landed, but
you and your instructor could see the impact point and most of the results;
would take a hell of a bird to damage the strut on a cessna.

When I was flying commuter c402s I was landing in New Bedford one day, just
about in the flare, when a whole flock of gulls crossed me in flight. Never
saw them coming. The hits sounded like hammer blows - 7 or 8 as I recall.
A few off the nose and windscreen, just bounces, but 5 along the right
leading edge. Looked like someone had taken a sledge to it. Had to replace
the whole edge skin. Got a note from the owner trying to tell me that
birdstrikes are pilot error. I still have the note.

Another day a friend of mine at the same carrier was taking off in a
Bandierante when he caught a gull right on the nose. Damn thing slid up the
nose and caught itself on the left side windshield wiper. Had to fly all
the way to LGA looking at that mess.

[Frode Berg]

I sin brennende iver bablet John Gaquin ivei :
> "Jase Vanover" > wrote in message
> news:3%She.467 \>
>> I googled for other bird strike stories
>
> You did fine. In a perfect world, you probably should have just
> landed, but you and your instructor could see the impact point and
> most of the results; would take a hell of a bird to damage the strut
> on a cessna.
> When I was flying commuter c402s I was landing in New Bedford one
> day, just about in the flare, when a whole flock of gulls crossed me
> in flight. Never saw them coming. The hits sounded like hammer
> blows - 7 or 8 as I recall. A few off the nose and windscreen, just
> bounces, but 5 along the right leading edge. Looked like someone had
> taken a sledge to it. Had to replace the whole edge skin. Got a
> note from the owner trying to tell me that birdstrikes are pilot
> error. I still have the note.


Haha!

Thats a great one!!
Pilot error!
I guess bug squashing is also pilot error?
Let's all try to avoid the little buggers. Should make for some interesting
flight paths on take offs and landings...:-)

Frode