Bird strike

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?

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

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

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

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

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!"

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.

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 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.

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