Bird strike(s)

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:rVHbf.520936

Hitting a Canada Goose exerts the same force as dropping a 1000 pound
weight 10 feet.

Probably a good deal worse. Consider Atlas sitting still, and a 10lb goose
hitting your windshield at 125 kt.


Anyone ever hit a bird? Anyone got a good bird avoidance plan they'd care
to share?

All some time ago: 1. returning LGA-EWB w/ 1 pax late evening in a c402
at 7500 ft, about 170 kt, iirc. Terrifically loud boom, like a gunshot,
woke us both up bg. No damage, but some light smearing near the top of
the windshield. Windshield on 402 is quite slanted.

2. Landing EWB in a 402, had a flock of gulls rise up and cross my path
right to left just as i was flaring (about 80kt). heard and felt several
loud, solid thumps. later counted eight impact points, five on the stbd
wing leading edge. required replacement of leading edge assy. got a note
from the owner in my next paycheck lambasting me, insisting that birdstrikes
are "pilot error", and we must give the gulls right-of-way. I still have
the note.

3. a good friend at the same commuter took off one day EWB-LGA in a
Bandierante and caught a gull just on the top of the nose assy just after
t/o. the bird slid up the nose and snagged and eviscerated itself on the
Cpt windshield wiper assy. Nice view all the way to NYC.

Never had a strike I was aware of in transports.

You can be cautious, and try to avoid or observe areas with known bird
problems, but in my opinion, unless you are well trained and skilled at
judging relative speed and motion of two moving bodies, trying to take
evasive action can be more dangerous than the strike itself.

Jay Honeck wrote:

/snip/

Anyone ever hit a bird? Anyone got a good bird avoidance plan they'd care
to share?

I have been told that evidence indicates aircraft with operating weather
radars (i.e. turned "on") have statistically fewer bird strikes. FWIW.

Happy Flying!
Scott Skylane

That's how we got rid of the Canada Geese at one of our small airports
near here. You get permission from your state, which ours readily gave,
then you harass the hell out of them. You kill some, you bother the
rest. Took a couple of weeks and haven't seen them since.



sfb wrote:

What idea? I've seen Canadian Geese get knocked off their feet by a golf
ball, roll-over, get up, and continue to eat and crap.

"Newps" wrote in message

Start shooting. They'll get the idea.

Jay Honeck wrote:

Hitting a Canada Goose exerts the same force as dropping a 1000 pound weight
10 feet.

Yikes! That would make mince-meat out of ANY GA aircraft.

I smacked a Canadian during an off field landing in a glider. $500
worth of wing tip damage and a dead goose...

I lined up to land on the lawn of a corporate office park in NJ. I saw
the flock of geese around the small pond. My intent was fly my pattern
around them, overfly them and land further up the slope. As I turned
final, the flock took off flying into the wind along my final path.
Their climbing formation intersected by glide path about 20 feet AGL. A
perfect horizon of geese. I almost closed my eyes and then THUMP.

I thought I got one on the tail but it turned out to be a tip. I rolled
to a stop and started dreading the task of having to go back and
administer the coup de grace to a flopping, wounded goose.

When I got out and started back there was only a lifeless lump. But a
car had stopped and the driver had already jumped the guardrail and was
walking towards the goose. Having watched the landing and the
collision, he kept saying something about me being in trouble for
landing here and that I should go to the guard booth.

I was in glider outlanding mode which means smiling a lot and making it
clear that there is no problem. But he just kept heading towards the
goose. He got their first and to my surprise, he scooped it up and
headed back to his car, leaving me standing in the middle of the lawn
wondering what was going on.

He threw it his trunk, got back in the car and drove off. Goose dinner
I guess.

No, I don't know what exit it was.


We've got large flocks of (what appear to be) sea gulls congregating on our
field over the last few weeks. At this time of year we also get flocks of
migratory birds (ducks and geese) stopping over, too. The place looks like
a bird sanctuary.

I've come very close to hitting birds, but (knock on a burnt-orange Cessna
dashboard) thus far have gotten away clean. Last night, while landing in
the last glint of twilight, I saw a very large bird go zinging past me while
on short final. There was nothing I could do but cringe...

Anyone ever hit a bird? Anyone got a good bird avoidance plan they'd care
to share?

Sheesh! Glad he didn't care if you and the plane were ok!! Makes you want
to call him up the next time you hit a skunk with your car.
Jim

"Maule Driver" wrote in message
m...
Jay Honeck wrote:

Hitting a Canada Goose exerts the same force as dropping a 1000 pound
weight
10 feet.

Yikes! That would make mince-meat out of ANY GA aircraft.

I smacked a Canadian during an off field landing in a glider. $500
worth of wing tip damage and a dead goose...

I lined up to land on the lawn of a corporate office park in NJ. I saw
the flock of geese around the small pond. My intent was fly my pattern
around them, overfly them and land further up the slope. As I turned
final, the flock took off flying into the wind along my final path.
Their climbing formation intersected by glide path about 20 feet AGL. A
perfect horizon of geese. I almost closed my eyes and then THUMP.

I thought I got one on the tail but it turned out to be a tip. I rolled
to a stop and started dreading the task of having to go back and
administer the coup de grace to a flopping, wounded goose.

When I got out and started back there was only a lifeless lump. But a
car had stopped and the driver had already jumped the guardrail and was
walking towards the goose. Having watched the landing and the
collision, he kept saying something about me being in trouble for
landing here and that I should go to the guard booth.

I was in glider outlanding mode which means smiling a lot and making it
clear that there is no problem. But he just kept heading towards the
goose. He got their first and to my surprise, he scooped it up and
headed back to his car, leaving me standing in the middle of the lawn
wondering what was going on.

He threw it his trunk, got back in the car and drove off. Goose dinner
I guess.

No, I don't know what exit it was.


We've got large flocks of (what appear to be) sea gulls congregating on
our
field over the last few weeks. At this time of year we also get flocks
of
migratory birds (ducks and geese) stopping over, too. The place looks
like
a bird sanctuary.

I've come very close to hitting birds, but (knock on a burnt-orange
Cessna
dashboard) thus far have gotten away clean. Last night, while landing
in
the last glint of twilight, I saw a very large bird go zinging past me
while
on short final. There was nothing I could do but cringe...

Anyone ever hit a bird? Anyone got a good bird avoidance plan they'd
care
to share?

Jim Burns wrote:

Sheesh!Â*Â*GladÂ*heÂ*didn'tÂ*careÂ*ifÂ*youÂ*andÂ*t heÂ*planeÂ*wereÂ*ok!!

Hmm. I wonder what would have been for dinner had the pilot been hurt.

- Andrew

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
[clipped]
Hitting a Canada Goose exerts the same force as dropping a 1000 pound
weight 10 feet.

Yikes! That would make mince-meat out of ANY GA aircraft.

Anyone ever hit a bird? Anyone got a good bird avoidance plan they'd care
to share?


I read an article few years ago about a bird watcher in Israel who
contacted the military after hearing about their bird strike problems. The
person had been studying migratory flocks of birds in Israel for decades.

It seems Israel is the flyway for three continents. There are more birds per
square mile over that region than anywhere else in the world - when they're
migrating. His solution for fewer damaged and destroyed aircraft was
migratory maps with historic dates, altitudes and flying condition overlays.

Military said they saw an immediate reduction (something like 50%) in
aircraft losses when they stopped flying where the flocks historically fly.
One pilot said the daily 'bird maps' are an important part of each
pre-flight now.

Israel and hundreds of millions of birds. Who knew? But I guess it makes
sense when you look at a globe.


Montblack

"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. While the goose
had given me visions of a lovely golden roasted breast and some delicious
foie gras, the pilot, now devoid from his machine, was much easier to
catch."

Jim

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...
Jim Burns wrote:

Sheesh! Glad he didn't care if you and the plane were ok!!

Hmm. I wonder what would have been for dinner had the pilot been hurt.

- Andrew

Right, there are guys with dogs that given permission of the state will
harass the geese until they leave. Shooting at the geese doesn't do it.

"Newps" wrote in message
. ..
That's how we got rid of the Canada Geese at one of our small airports
near here. You get permission from your state, which ours readily
gave, then you harass the hell out of them. You kill some, you bother
the rest. Took a couple of weeks and haven't seen them since.



sfb wrote:

What idea? I've seen Canadian Geese get knocked off their feet by a
golf ball, roll-over, get up, and continue to eat and crap.

"Newps" wrote in message

Start shooting. They'll get the idea.

Years ago, Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA employed jeeps to disperse the
Canada geese.


sfb wrote:
Right, there are guys with dogs that given permission of the state will
harass the geese until they leave. Shooting at the geese doesn't do it.

"Newps" wrote in message
. ..

That's how we got rid of the Canada Geese at one of our small airports
near here. You get permission from your state, which ours readily
gave, then you harass the hell out of them. You kill some, you bother
the rest. Took a couple of weeks and haven't seen them since.



sfb wrote:


What idea? I've seen Canadian Geese get knocked off their feet by a
golf ball, roll-over, get up, and continue to eat and crap.

"Newps" wrote in message


Start shooting. They'll get the idea.