Bird strike

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

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

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

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)

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

"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.

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