String Follow Skyhawk

[pelmet]

A play on words from a TV show character but.....where did the string come from?

"C-GBPT, a Cessna 172N aircraft operated by Langley Flying School, was conducting touch and go takeoffs and landings at Vancouver/Boundary Bay, BC (CZBB). During the third and final touch and go on Runway 25 (which had a displaced threshold due to runway maintenance activities), a construction worker had a push broom removed from his hands shortly after the aircraft had flown overhead. The construction worker notified the airport operations manager (who was at the construction site) that a yellow string which he thought was trailing behind the aircraft, had entangled around his broom and subsequently removed the broom from his grasp. The broom traveled a short distance from the worker, got trapped beneath one of the construction vehicles, and broke free from the string. The airport operations manager called the tower and described what had happened. The tower attempted to contact the aircraft, however it had already departed the control zone on its way back to Langley Regional, BC (CYNJ). During cruise flight to CYNJ, the student pilot noticed an orange string going over the left wing's leading edge and the left main landing gear. The instructor then looked behind the aircraft and noticed a long string attached to a stick, trailing approximately 200 feet behind the aircraft. The instructor contacted CYNJ ATC and advised them of the situation. A low pass was conducted at CYNJ where ATC confirmed that an object was trailing behind the aircraft. The aircraft landed on Runway 19 without further incident and stopped at the end of the runway. The instructor removed more than 200 feet of string, which was entangled between the left aileron and flap, and wrapped around the left main landing gear. The aircraft was removed from service pending further inspection for damage."

[PilotDAR]

Well... my daughter watches endless Big Bang Theory on TV, so I suppose I'll have to have a string theory of my own. It's far fetched, but... Locally here in Ontario, I notice that some bird species pick up hay bale twine from the fields to make their nests. It is usually orange or yellow. Could a bird have been towing a piece of baling twine to their nest, been scared by the approaching plane, and released it?

[Jimmy2]

Well they gave that construction worker a story to tell for the rest of his life. If anyone believes him.

[lownslow]

the student pilot noticed an orange string going over the left wing's leading edge and the left main landing gear. The instructor then looked behind the aircraft and noticed a long string attached to a stick, trailing approximately 200 feet behind the aircraft.

So what half-finished wire span did they fly through to pick that up?

[digits_]

Well... my daughter watches endless Big Bang Theory on TV, so I suppose I'll have to have a string theory of my own. It's far fetched, but... Locally here in Ontario, I notice that some bird species pick up hay bale twine from the fields to make their nests. It is usually orange or yellow. Could a bird have been towing a piece of baling twine to their nest, been scared by the approaching plane, and released it?

200 ft of baler twine would get quite heavy though, I doubt a bird could pick that up completely.

[200hr Wonder]

Lets ask the real question what is the laden airspeed velocity of a European swallow?

[photofly]

It could grip it by the husk...

[pelmet]

Could it be string from a kite?

[2112]

It could grip it by the husk...

It’s not a question of where it grips it! It’s a simple question of weight ratio.

[pelmet]

There was a stick trailing the aircraft in flight. I fly at YNJ on occasion. Will have to ask about it next time I am there.

updated....apparently it was kite string which the aircraft had flown through. It had been trailing the aircraft and along the ground and on final just happened to wrap around the broom of the construction worker. Fortunately...….it didn't wrap around his neck.

[JasonE]

Could it be string from a kite?

This would be my guess. When I was about 10 years old I owned around 2500 feet of string for my kite It was wrapped up and tied to stick since it became a such a large ball when all wound up.....and yes I'd used all of it a few times. It would never have crossed my mind at that age that an airplane might fly by, and we lived fairly close to an airport.

[zeppelin]

what would Jan Micheal Vincent do?????

[pelmet]

what would Jan Micheal Vincent do?????

Hmmm, I figured everyone here was either too young or too old to pick up on the title.

String Fellow Hawk would....take matters into his own hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLFqeXm_5X4