"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