Delta Airlines Hits UFO ..ok here we go

[Fonsini]

Originally Posted by Trim Stab

Highest verified bird-strike was FL370 with a vulture over Africa (Ivory Coast I think). There have been unverified reports of birdstrikes even higher than that.

Serious question - what exactly are they breathing at 370, do large birdies have an especially low oxygen requirement ?

[Maoraigh1]

I can't think of a reason for a vulture to deliberately go to such an altitude.
Caught up in a CB, and chucked out the top, gliding, disoriented, hypoxic, then an already bad day got worse?

[Bergerie1]

Fonsini,

Birds have a different lung system which is particularly efficient. See here, a slightly irritating commentary, but physiologically correct:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMmyVu1ueY

[megan]

The Rüppell's vulture of Africa lays claim to being the highest flyer with confirmed evidence of flight at an altitude of 37,100 (mid air with a jet requiring engine shutdown - previous record had been a mid air at 21,000 with a Mallard).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCppell%27s_vulture

Bar Headed Geese migrate across the Himalayas at 29,500.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ans-of-the-sky

[BobbyHowie]

Out of interest, after impact, how far off was the radome tip from the actual array? Must have pretty close.

[Gauges and Dials]

How is radome pressure equalized?

The radome is forward of the pressure bulkhead, isn't it? In which case, there must be some holes to allow the pressure inside the radome to equalize with the outside air. If the holes became plugged, might that not cause the radome to collapse as the aircraft descended?

[RAT 5]

I don't note any mention of FL or altitude. The a/c was, presumably, IMC. Could t have been an ice ball? The crew will surely know if it was an impact or spontaneous collapse? I suspect the former would have sounded hugely scary, and the latter not so much, if at all.

[LeadSled]

Folks,
I recall a very nasty accident with a (I think) B727 and condor over the Andes, high 20s, low 30s?, it came through the windsceen, and if I am remembering correctly, one of the pilots was killed, leaving the remaining pilot with a explosive decompression over very high ground.
Very nasty situation, but the remaining crew got the aeroplane down OK.