Bird strike hazard due worms on runway.
 

The Pprune Rumours and News forum details the results of massive hail storm at Istanbul. See below.

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5...07-2017-a.html

A snippet in the latest Time magazine was discussing things that fall from the air. It said "In 2007, a woman in Louisiana was crossing the street when large, tangled clumps of worms began dropping from above. The worms may have been propelled into the air by a water spout."

It got me thinking about an incident I experienced when flying a RAAF Viscount from Edinburgh airfield near Adelaide in South Australia to Canberra in 1965. There had been heavy rain at the airfield before we taxied for take off. The sky was now clear. As as we lined up we saw many sea gulls squatting on the runway. There was no way I wanted to risk hitting them so asked ATC to organise the fire crew to hose them off the runway.

The hosing did the job and the fire crew said the birds were feeding from lots of worms on the runway.

Edinburgh has a long runway. We started the take off roll and shortly before V1 we suddenly saw a large flock of seagulls rise into the air from the grass verge next to the runway and fly across our projected path. Within seconds we had multiple bird strikes but no indication of engine malfunctions. The risk was engine problems could surface later in early climb phase. With plenty of runway to spare we aborted the take off and used the full length to pull up without excessive use of brakes. The ground fine pitch of the Viscount Rolls Royce Dart engines was an effective stopping device which is why we hardly used the brakes.

We returned to the tarmac to inspect any damage while the fire crew picked up about 24 dead sea gulls we had clobbered. The ground crew found no evidence of damage to the airframe and engines apart from bits of feathers and blood. The techs did a full run up of all four engines to check for any anomalies. All was well and we departed after the runway was further hosed down to make sure there were no more worms.

The point of this post was to alert readers that after an extreme weather event such as tornadic tubes under low clouds with hail and heavy rain, it is possible that worms may be drawn upwards and deposited far afield including on a runway like Edinburgh. In turn these could attract birds.
Just a thought.

Something like this happened recently in QLD, I'm thinking it was Mornington Island but can't quite remember, perhaps that was where they diverted?

Due to a large fire nearby there were reportedly "Hundreds" of Birds flocking around the Airport creating quite a hazard and causing a few diversions.

Felt it was a good personal reminder to always allow a bit of extra fuel whenever you can, mother nature has weird ways of trying to catch us out that can't be predicted.

Whats the braking action on worms?

Dunno about braking action Gate, but I heard a story that some years ago a group from the American Temperance society arrived in OZ for a series of town hall lectures on the evils of alcohol.
Opening night, packed town hall, the head lecturer was determined to make the point.
Walking on stage carrying a bag, you could hear a pin drop, he opened the bag and produced two clear glass jars which he placed either side of the lectern.
Reaching back in the bag he produced a bottle of water and poured it in one jar. he then produced a bottle of Vodka and poured that in the other jar.
With a flourish he produced a box from which he produced a large worm which he dropped into the jar of water, the worm swam around happy as Larry. He then took another worm and dropped it in the Vodka. Worm shrivelled up and sank to the bottom.
Triumphantly the lecturer asked the room "Ladies and gentlemen what can we draw from this demonstration"?

A voice from the back of the room yelled " If you drink alcohol you won't get worms!!"

An 'oldie'...... but a 'goodie', Mr TB

Cheeerrrsss...:ok:

ixily - very common knowledge for anyone with Territory time that when the slightest column of smoke is created a fire, in come the fire hawks. Actually they are black kites and a couple of other raptor species, they thermal waiting for fleeing insects in the updrafts of air.

As an aside, there is much anecdotal evidence of them actually picking up burning sticks and dropping them elsewhere to start fresh fires although this is yet to be scientifically recorded. It would be the first use of fire as a tool by non humans. Smart critters, just not smart enough to hear an engine and dive....

Compressor Stall, I operated around Arnhem Land for a couple of years and can't say I witnessed this myself, but definitely interesting and makes a lot of sense now! Cheers!

Kites were always a bloody big hazard, as you said, not quite smart enough to get out of the way properly!! Had more than a few White Bellied Sea Eagles get uncomfortably close as well, they would have made for a pretty bad mess, both of the aircraft and my underwear.

Being one of those birder nuts and with some connections among them there's lots of people out there trying to get a shot of "fire kites" to finally prove the old anecdotal "evidence".
Don't think there's yet been a single photo of the behaviour caught to date though.

Locally known as $hit Kites.
You soon find out why when you have clean up after multiple bird strikes.

Get enough of them and it'll be sweetFA. Which is why most every new locomotive from UGL in Newcastle comes standard with a milipede removal system - and no, I'm not kidding. The little bastards climb on top of the rail in some country areas and follow each other in their thousands like bloody lemmings and create instant wheelspin when you run over them.

Fish
 

I can remember after a huge deluge in Kununurra, taxiing the Otter out and the runway covered in small dead fish brought all the way from the lake.

I have a great idea: Use drones to chase the birds away...