Damn Birds!!!

flyinhigh · Post by **flyinhigh** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:03 pm

First I got this idea off the misc. forum
It's that time of year again when all the birds are going to show up and scare the crap outta with those close calls so I thought that I would post to see how many people have hit or had just close calls with birds..

I'll start it off, the other day I was at 3500 when all of a sudden noticed a bald eagle in front of us. pulled up and missed by I am guessing maybe a hundred feet.

so anyways happy flyin and watch out for dem dere birds

CClub · Post by **CClub** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:09 pm

After two summers of doing low-level photography I have more close calls with birds than I like to recall. Most involve hawks and eagles. Once saw a bald eagle underneath my wingtip, had my windscreen filled with a hawk but somehow managed to miss it. I've almost stalled trying to avoid one - it's hard to fight the instinct to pull back and not hit it.

Miss Mae · Post by **Miss Mae** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:28 pm

I've hit 2 birds, the first was at night...didn't even realize we'd hit anything until we got on the ground and saw the feathers....the other one was a falcon that I hit on the approach to landing. In both cases no major damage done to the aircraft.

NFA · Post by **NFA** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:32 pm

your hot!!!!!

Adanac · Post by **Adanac** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:32 pm

It was back in 91'. My first solo in a glider. I gave the signal for the tow plane to go to take off power and away we went. As the norm, I was airborn first and then the Scout lifted off. As we began to climb out I saw a big black bird take to the air from a near by tree and fly straight upwards. Not sure if the tow plane had spooked the bird or not but I watched as the tow plane and the bird flew directly towards one another. At the last possible second the bird did an amazing manuver and managed to avoid getting caught in the prop of the slow moving Scout. But once the bird was up and over the tow plane, it came straight at me. It seemed to move in slow motion as the distance between us closed. I quickly kicked the rudder in attempts to avoid the collision, but as the bird did the first time, it again yanked itself somehow out of the way of impacting my canopy. It was simply amazing. About a minute afterwords I remembered to breath and continued on with my first solo flight.

The one fact I will remember about that bird and how close it got was that the bird's eyes were green!

Adanac

Airtids · Post by **Airtids** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:39 pm

Float pilots will tell you that 90% of birds hang in the bottom 3000' of the airmass.
Took out two Canada Geese on short final in a 337. One hit the leading edge and did quite a bit of damage, the other hit the gear leg then went through the rear prop with not quite so much damage. Both made one hell of a mess though...

No Conflict · Post by **No Conflict** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:54 pm

Had close calls with Gulls and Hawks at low levels.. one hawk so close I saw it's talons... never had a strike though..

neechi · Post by **neechi** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 6:20 pm

I once saw a chickidie impailed on a fuel vent of a 172.

Other than that theres just been close calls. About once a year I get a real good scare from a bald eagle

Sometimes I wonder if they know what there doing.

zero · Post by **zero** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 6:28 pm

Funny you mention it. Float flying on the coast these days is more like an obstacle course...the herring have returned and the seagulls, bald eagles and seagoing ducks with them. It seems to me when a bird notices an aircraft approaching they fold up their wings and dive, dive, dive. Unfortunately the ones above you also, for some strange reason, do the same. Leaving your landing lites on seems to help but now I cringe every time I come near a bird that's higher than me 'cause I know it'll end up diving right in front of me...let's play "chicken".

ice ice baby · Post by **ice ice baby** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 6:43 pm

I've got a bird strike to my credit in a glider......The small bird managed to go between the prop of the tow plane and was tumbling through the air as it hit the canopy of the glider........it was small and there was no damage. I have also soared in the same thermal as an eagle. I have had numerous close calls in the circuit (with birds most of the time and once I was within 100' vertically of a king air when I was in a 150.)

Dizzy · Post by **Dizzy** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:15 pm

It's night in Rochester, NY, and I've been captain for only a couple months on a Beech.
The F/O starts the takeoff roll and in the distance I think I see a plastic bag on the runway. And we're heading right for it. It's not until it's maybe 50 feet away that it's not a shopping bag, it's a white owl. I looked at him. He looked at me. And then he disappeared under the wing. I didn't hear a thump, bang or any sound of gore so we continued but called ATC back to inquire. Sure enough, they found one dead owl.
It wasn't long until landing. We didn't find any sign we hit a bird so I don't know what killed him. Fright, maybe a vortice slammed him. Or maybe he was already dead when we went by. Go figure

Cool Rythms! · Post by **Cool Rythms!** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:41 pm

Only once, coming in on approach to Moncton. When I got out to do the walk around, there wasn't any damage, just a bit of blood. It was only a couple of inches or so from the right pitot!

Apache64_ · Post by **Apache64_** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 7:59 pm

I have had two bird strikes in my career. First one was on landing on a gravel strip, little bugger popped up off the runway and tried to out run us, never had a chance, went threw the prop and left nothing but a grey streak and a couple of feathers. Second one, was at night, heard a splat thought a big bug hit the windshield, found the streak of blood down the side of the engine and figured out it then.

Cheers

bezerker · Post by **bezerker** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:35 pm

I had a large crane go through the 1300 HP blender in LaRonge on the runway. The blender didn't completely do it's job. The wing just outboard of the engine looked like someone took a large sledgehammer and gave their best to ring the bell at the county fair.

The buggers usually got out of the way. We should have rejected before the impact.

JayVee · Post by **JayVee** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:48 pm

Be wary of seagulls on the runway, they are very slow to react. I've seen them standing well right of the runway centerline and at the last minute figure out that the large beige predator screaming towards them may pose a threat, so instead of taking the shortest route to safety, they lumber into the air and pass right to left missing the McNuggeter by mere inches.

One wet morning in Sudbury there were about 10 or 15 seagulls enjoying wormfest. I waited on the button while the pickup came out to scare them off. They flew up and did a quick circuit as the truck drove by, and immediately landed in the same spot. He then shot off some 12 gauge blanks. Once again the birds flew up, and flew back down. This time he sped toward the middle of the shitflock and parked. This seemed to piss them off as they rose into the air and circled overhead the truck.

Out came the shotgun again, only this time he wasn't fooling around. As the shithawks squawked and circled the truck, the driver dropped one from the sky.

Only after seeing one of their own plummet to the ground did the rest of the seagulls decide to flock off. My point of the story is that seagulls are defiant, they do not like to move away until it's sometimes too late.

My most memorable birdstrike was also in Sudbury, with fifteen dead seagulls on one landing. They were basking in the morning sun on the 1000' paint. We didn't see them until they started to fly and we were just touching down. I don't recall the aroma of KFC, but there were visual signs of ingestion.

I guess I should have started this with "There I was..." but it's all true.

Chantal · Post by **Chantal** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:48 pm

awww Dizzy, that story was so sad I almost cried, poor owl must of been lost

Conquest Driver · Post by **Conquest Driver** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:52 pm

In my career I've killed off 3 birds, (well that includes one group of "multiple kills") and one kite.

First one was at night in a 172 by YEG. Big "thump" and maintainance had to replace one wing rib. Aparently, if it hadn't hit the rib it would have been more expensive. Happend on takeoff at about 500 AGL.

Second was a kite over YXD. I saw it at the last second, too late to do anything about it. Circled over the playground and saw a bunch of guilty looking kids slinking off looking over their shoulders. The kite was 1000 feet AGL, so they must have had 2000 feet of line.

Third was multiple small birds in the Convair 440 in Honduras. We didn't even know we'd hit them till we were cleaning the aircraft the next morning. Sparrow size, judging from the spots.

Fourth was an unidentified bird we killed off with the Conquest, coming into YTH. Night, about 3,000 feet AGL. A thump, turn on the wing lights, lots of blood and feathers stuck to the leading edge on my side.

I've had a few evasive maneuvers to avoid them as well. Strangely enough, never hit one doing Magnetometer survey. I think speed has a lot to do with it. On survey you're slow enough they can get out of the way.

I also chased a pair of swans down a runway on landing once. Though they'd get out of the way, nope, just kept going straight and level right in front of me. Looked kinda cool, but real big.

pitot · Post by **pitot** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:15 pm

Last year I was coming in to land, short final I realized there was a hawk on the runway so I pulled up to go over and he took off. tried to miss but felt a big plunk. Went back to see if it was dead and it was, cut its head clean off. Poor hawk. Checked out the plane not a scratch. Musta just hit the prop perfect for no mess.

Flying Low · Post by **Flying Low** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:18 pm

I have had two bird strikes...both on takeoff rolls...and both with no damage. While flying geophysical survey I had countless close calls. Birds like to dive when alarmed and I was flying beneath far too many in that job. It's weird to see a bird dive on a plane.

Major Bedhead · Post by **Major Bedhead** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:02 pm

Everyone who wrote, could you do me a small favour?

I had a discussion with an owner of a school when I was teaching who was really pinching pennies as it were.

To the point where he advocated NO landing lights on at ANY time during daylight hours.

I quietly put on his desk a study by an organization in the US that showed that migratory birds and most birds in general (except penguins) were more likely to recognize an aircraft with either the recognition lights or landing lights on. Depending on where they were situated on the aircraft.

The boss told me in non uncertain terms that the bulb in a Seneca landing light at the time was around $35 ... and even though I wasn't advocating anything other than turning it on on the inbound track on an approach during bird season ... I was told to keep it off.

I did so .... and my logbook for 2000 shows five strikes in the Spring of 2000.

No kidding ...

And I was lucky ... all were starlings save two which were gulls (aka sewer falcons) who both hit the vertical stab.

Three instances on takeoff and two on approach below 2000 AGL.

I'm writing this because last week I was lucky enough to be flying for fun and Pirepped what looked like at the very least 2 square km's of snow geese ...

I can't imagine the damage something that large would do ....

And to show I'm not ranting, when I was a student years ago I flashed by a brown duck on my right side at 2500 in late Sept .... ten seconds later ... another on my left side .... then I came up center square on the main body of the flock ...

I don't know if it was the hours I had spent reading "What I learned about that" ... but somewhere I pulled out the reflex of turning my landing light on ....

The all scattered below down and away the second I turned on that $35 bulb ....

Weird eh?

Are schools still pinching those $35 pennies?

KAG · Post by **KAG** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:14 pm

I've hit 3 birds...
First was when Iwas instructing at ST Andrews MB. Was flying an old privately owned PA28-140 doing circuits when we hit a crow with the door vent, feathers actually blew in the cabin.

I've also injested little "tweeters" in the 200, twice. No damage - except to the poor bird, both times found a smear with feathers and it's feet and wing tips sticking out of the oil cooler.

Cheers.

twotter · Post by **twotter** » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:17 pm

Everywhere on the coast right now is an obstacle course of birds.. I've never seen so many bald eagles and with the geese and ducks on the move, the last thing we need is the shithawks looking at herring balls.. Makes it all fun and games at times..
BTW I quit counting bird strikes 25 years ago so who knows...

Wadd · Post by **Wadd** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 6:38 am

Q - What's the last thing that goes through a birds mind when hitting an aircraft?

A - It's ass

confuzed · Post by **confuzed** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 7:10 am

Everyone's right about flying floats and bald eagles, they really make you look forward to that first beer of the night. I've seen a bald eagle just barely miss the wing strut of a 185 (went between the strut and the fuselage scaring the crap out of me and the passengers) and just barely missed one flying a beaver. In the king air, I've seen a couple of blood splotches (not sure if it was us or the other shift) one of them being inside the air intake right where the ice vane is with quite a few feathers on the inlet screen.

TTail · Post by **TTail** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 7:51 am

What's the highest altitutde anyone has experienced a birdstrike at? Of course most of the stories you hear are usually within TO and LAND phases but I have heard some desolate rumors of birds being struck at much higher altitudes.

LJD