1. Old RAF saying, "birds always break down" in the effort to gain energy and avoid the big metal bird they are about to ingest, so don't follow them?!
2. Many moons ago the RAF Dominie (Bae 125 bizjet flying classroom) Flight Safety Officer noticed most of that Sqn's birdstrikes were in the aerodrome circuit pattern at 180 kts and below, though the training task required much low flying at 500' MSD at up to 240 kts in the low flying areas of UK and abroad. The difference he attributed to the SOP use of the very bright landing lights in the low flying areas to avoid ingesting Bucanneers, Jaguars, Hawks, Jet Provosts and the like.
3. The SOP for circuit/landing use only prescribed the taxi lights for conspicuity, so the FSO worked hard to persuade the Standards and Training Flight instructors to trial SOP with bright landing lights for circuit and landing use. Having overcome the "not invented here" syndrome, the procedure was trialled and resulted in a REDUCTION IN STRIKE RATE. The complaint that the use of the lights consumed expensive filaments and if forgotten after landing they melting the leading edge perspex cover was treated with the contempt it deserved.
4. The B73NG weather radar radhaz distance for humans is quoted as 15 metres so I very much doubt it is irritating our feathered friends at this range and beyond, though you should be performing a confidence check on taxy out anyway, so might as well leave it on........? The old high radiation power BAC111 "Orange Porridge" weather radars may have been more like poultry microwavers and therefore effective but I have yet to read definitive research on the topic.
5. Too many flying hours and years later my own strike rate is luckily low from following the bright lights policy, deciding I will NEVER duck (no pun intended!) below the approaching flock, and should the multiple encounter with strikes occur my intention is to put the aircraft on the ground ASAP and not to hope that the damaged engines will continue to perform during a go-around.
6. Can anyone supply a link to the RYR B738 accident report at Rome Ciampino for our further education?
7. The 60 deg AOB manoeuvre was a joke wasn't it, just to wind us all up and very effective too............!!!???
