Birdstrikes - How Often? How Likely?
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Birdstrikes - How Often? How Likely?
How often, or how likely is it for a light aircraft (such as a piper warrior) to experience a birdstrike, and how bad would the resulting mess likely be?
Would you be going OTT if you wore impact resistant sunglasses (like the Mil spec Oakleys) whilst flying?
Would you be going OTT if you wore impact resistant sunglasses (like the Mil spec Oakleys) whilst flying?
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Bird strikes happen, they aren't uncommon, but they are not a regular occurance for any given pilot.
I've a little over 250 hours at this stage, and haven't had a bird strike. A friend that I fly a lot with has 400 hours, and no bird strikes. So that helps to put it into perspective.
The chances of having a bird strick, where the bird strike was on the windscreen, and was with sufficient severity to penetrate the windscreen, and in such a location to then hit the pilot in the face, is so unlikely that I have never heard of such an incident. I'm not saying it's never happened, but it's extremely rare.
If it did happen, I can't imagine the brand of sunglasses making the slightest bit of difference. It's a bit like saying if you were punched in the face at full force, would you be better off wearing Oakleys........
dp
I've a little over 250 hours at this stage, and haven't had a bird strike. A friend that I fly a lot with has 400 hours, and no bird strikes. So that helps to put it into perspective.
Would you be going OTT if you wore impact resistant sunglasses (like the Mil spec Oakleys) whilst flying?
If it did happen, I can't imagine the brand of sunglasses making the slightest bit of difference. It's a bit like saying if you were punched in the face at full force, would you be better off wearing Oakleys........
dp
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I had a birdstrike on my second solo 
coming in on final (thankfully!). No damage to helicopter or me; Mr. Blackbird on the other hand 
.
There's form-filling to be done if it happens!
Cheers
Whirls
coming in on final (thankfully!). No damage to helicopter or me; Mr. Blackbird on the other hand .There's form-filling to be done if it happens!
Cheers
Whirls
Professional Student
A mate of mine had a bird fly into his cowling on a check ride. He checked Ts & Ps....no problems. No other signs of trouble, indeed no sign of damage, therefore flew on!
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Coming in to land at Leeds Bradford several years ago in a C182 I was " cleared to land" on runway 27 ( now closed) At the commencement of the round out I saw a very large flock of lapwings perched contentedly fair and square on the threshold. These birds are a perennial problem at Leeds and fly in from the adjacent Tarn at yeadon. I briefly contemplated going around but instantly concluded that the increased noise and disturbance of overflying them at full power and low level would have resulted in them taking off directly in to the front of the aircraft, and that in the event of a subsequent forced landing I would not have had a clear cut landing area to aim for. I decided in a split second to proceed with the landing as the lesser of the two evils, knowing full well that they would be bound to leave the runway when I got closer to them. They all took off bang on cue right in front of me exactly as expected, and six of them hit the aircraft at various different points with no subsequent serious damage apart from one dent in a wing leading edge and a fair bit of blood and feathers here and there, at least one having gone throught the prop and another literally bouncing off the windscreen. Another hit the tailplane and I felt the impact through the stick. As has been mentioned there is some form filling to do for CAA analysis which comprised a report of aircraft damage, engine type, speed at time of impact( low in my case). The only inconvenience for the airport was the temporary closure of the runway while the bird debris was removed.
Had one at 3 in the morning. Most fortunately on the right corner of the windshield; so, neither came in, nor messed up my side of the windshield.
Landing light gave me enough warning to duck
Flying in a glider you see lots of birds. There's just as many out there flying behind an engine, but at the higher speed they're harder to see.
If you see one seagull, he's likely got mates nearby.
Landing light gave me enough warning to duck
Flying in a glider you see lots of birds. There's just as many out there flying behind an engine, but at the higher speed they're harder to see.
If you see one seagull, he's likely got mates nearby.
Moderator
In 5000 hours I've had 4 bird strikes on different occasions, with no damage (other than bird bits to the plane). A number of evasive manuevers prevented more strikes.
Last year a local C172 hit a goose. It took out most of the windshield. The instructor landed safely, but he and the student were both in hospital for some time afterward. I saw the plane afterward, and in my opinion, it would have needed a complete new interior as well as a windshield.
Another friend hit a goose in a C150. It pushed the leading edge of the wing, outboard of the strut back so far that the spar was displaced. He said it would barely fly straight to land, but he got it down.
The little ones don't seem to do much harm, but goose sized birds are a problem...
Last year a local C172 hit a goose. It took out most of the windshield. The instructor landed safely, but he and the student were both in hospital for some time afterward. I saw the plane afterward, and in my opinion, it would have needed a complete new interior as well as a windshield.
Another friend hit a goose in a C150. It pushed the leading edge of the wing, outboard of the strut back so far that the spar was displaced. He said it would barely fly straight to land, but he got it down.
The little ones don't seem to do much harm, but goose sized birds are a problem...
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Is it true Penguins fall over backwards when keeping an eye on a plane?
PS In light aircraft you will always avoid strikes if you do the correct things .. .. ..
turn all your lights on so the birds can see you and
remember a bird will always dive away from you and away from the sun, so you should climb into the sun .. .. ..
works every time until you come across one that hasnt read the theory.
PS In light aircraft you will always avoid strikes if you do the correct things .. .. ..
turn all your lights on so the birds can see you and
remember a bird will always dive away from you and away from the sun, so you should climb into the sun .. .. ..
works every time until you come across one that hasnt read the theory.
I hit a blackbird on final for White Waltham (can't remember the runway)where these things seemed to flock at the threshold. There was a thump as one of them hit the port undercarriage leg. Pulled off the runway and checked, everything was OK so I reported it and carried on with my circuits.
I would imagine that something cruising at 120-130 knots taking a blackbird / seagull sized bird on the windscreen would result in the pilot eating an avian sandwich. Don't forget that the windscreens are ony 1/4" of perspex.
I would imagine that something cruising at 120-130 knots taking a blackbird / seagull sized bird on the windscreen would result in the pilot eating an avian sandwich. Don't forget that the windscreens are ony 1/4" of perspex.
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i recall hearing ( no confirmation ) of a pelican going through the windscreen of a 172 in florida...but in over 3000 hours i have had only one strike ( to the wing ) of a pa38 tomahawk with no damage resulting....
as christimson said you have probably a better chance of winning the lottery than having a serious birdstrike in you flying career ( if you are flying light aircraft )...but then the risks might be greater if for instance you fly in an area of intense bird activity...and depending on what part of the world you are flying in...many countries have large birds that fly at low altitudes and obviously the size of the bird ( not just the strike location ) is relevant..
i recall reading many years ago of an eagle ( i think ) that penetrated the cockpit of a 727...
like many things in life...its often a matter of fate and timing...
the dean.
as christimson said you have probably a better chance of winning the lottery than having a serious birdstrike in you flying career ( if you are flying light aircraft )...but then the risks might be greater if for instance you fly in an area of intense bird activity...and depending on what part of the world you are flying in...many countries have large birds that fly at low altitudes and obviously the size of the bird ( not just the strike location ) is relevant..
i recall reading many years ago of an eagle ( i think ) that penetrated the cockpit of a 727...
like many things in life...its often a matter of fate and timing...
the dean.
I have a collection of birdstrike pics on my company laptop. The highest 'hit' I could find was just above FL310. One 767 out of CDG had multiple strike above 10,000 and one bird pierced the area below the windscreen, cut through the bulkhead, ripped the ASI out of the panel and smacked the skipper in the chest. 240 kts.
In 7000+ hrs of heavy jets I have had about 10 brdstrikes including a christmas day one at EMA (they told me it was a Turkey but I didn't believe them and settled for an 'unknown'). I've also had the same approx number of lightning strikes.
In 7000+ hrs of heavy jets I have had about 10 brdstrikes including a christmas day one at EMA (they told me it was a Turkey but I didn't believe them and settled for an 'unknown'). I've also had the same approx number of lightning strikes.
The highest reported bird strike occurred at 37,000 ft, with the highest reported sighting at 54,000 ft!
A common misconception is that only large birds cause significant damage to aircraft and that small birds are a mere nuisance. This may be true for slow moving aircraft like helicopters, but this is hardly true for fast-moving aircraft. If an 8-oz bird hits an aircraft traveling at 90 kts, the bird strikes the aircraft with a force of 2 tons. With the same 8-oz bird at double the speed (180 kts), the force of the impact is quadrupled to 8 tons of force!
Gratuitously lifted from http://www.propilotmag.com/March/avhazmar.html
A common misconception is that only large birds cause significant damage to aircraft and that small birds are a mere nuisance. This may be true for slow moving aircraft like helicopters, but this is hardly true for fast-moving aircraft. If an 8-oz bird hits an aircraft traveling at 90 kts, the bird strikes the aircraft with a force of 2 tons. With the same 8-oz bird at double the speed (180 kts), the force of the impact is quadrupled to 8 tons of force!
Gratuitously lifted from http://www.propilotmag.com/March/avhazmar.html
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54000 ft ?? oh my god!!! what kind of birds are that ?
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Originally Posted by Fuji Abound
Instrument rated of course, and I guess supplementary oxygen of some sort - either that or badly uncertain of its position.
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A couple of years ago I came across an Eagle over the ridge at Malvern. It was much bigger than a buzzard - I've seen plenty of those over the years - and until I got closer to it I thought it was another aircraft. 3,000'.