Birdstrike on the M56!
 

This is only tangentially related to aviation matters but just the other day I was on my way to Manchester Airport on the M56 when I hit a pigeon. It scared the !!!!! out of me but it didn't even leave a mark on the windscreen! Now I thought this was a bit strange because at the University where I used to work we had some large windows that small songbirds used to fly into on a regular basis. These windows were usually covered in greasy bird-shaped marks recording each incident, and had some really messy areas where the poor little chaps had clearly popped on impact.

So here’s my question? Why is it that a tiny songbird can hit a stationary building and smash itself to a pulp flying under it’s own steam, but a fat pigeon hit by a Vauxhall Astra travelling at 70mph doesn’t leave a mark?

My deepest sympathies to the pigeon.
Of all the things to get hit by, a Vauxhall Astra......
I take it it must have been the downhill section near Lymm.

It could have been one of those really 'ard Wythenshawe pigeons! :)

Are you sure it was not a swallow??

Why is it that a tiny songbird can hit a stationary building and smash itself to a pulp flying under it’s own steam, but a fat pigeon hit by a Vauxhall Astra travelling at 70mph doesn’t leave a mark?


i) You presumably did not see the state of the pigeon, post-impact. Its health might have been impaired.
ii) Seriously sloped windscreen on Vauxhall.
iii) Pigeon: circa 300 grams. Vauxhall circa 1 tonne.
iv) Duck: circa 1500 grams. Aeroplane circa 175 tonnes.

In (iv) above, if duck enters engine, aeroplane has problem.

I hope that this will help.

As for the state of the pigeon post-impact - apparently the little chap has made a posting on the other PPRuNe (Professional Pigeons Rumour Network) where he boasted that he survived an "Astra-Strike" without compromising his airworthiness. This would seem to confirm cossack’s suggestion that this was in fact one well hard little aviator.

Course, it could 'ave been an African Swallow...

but they ain't migrate-ory :)

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...proceeding below Decision Height with CAUTION...

[This message has been edited by AffirmBrest (edited 25 April 2001).]

We all must be really bored to discuss and read that topic...

Hey Burger thingie, it is comments like yours that prove the point why this forum shouldn't be restricted only to pilots. If it wasn't for the wit in some of the replies above we'd all be wishing we were that pidgeon after listening to your probably boring diatribes. A little bit of variety uh?

Silkman, Cossack and Stagger, wonderful wit. Keep it up. Had me in stiches.

[This message has been edited by OzDude (edited 26 April 2001).]

Nothing like the stitches inflicted on the pigeon post-Astra. Talk about "per ardua ad Astra". I had a brief talk in pidgin English afterwards with the victim and from the bird's rasping comments I suspect, Stagger, you were not adhering to the 70 limit.

He's very lucky he wasn't grilled.

Nearly had an accident earlier whilst on the M56 when i realised i had just gone past an Astra.Busy looking in the rear view mirror for tell tale signs of impact damage to the Astra.Stagger, is your Astra Silver with red splashes by any chance ?

What was the last thing that went through the pigeon's brain when it hit the windscreen of said Astra ...... its arse!

Used to know someone who claimed that the had a duck fly under his car, without apparent damage to either (duck seen flying after with a surprised expression

broadreach If necessary I can call upon a mechanic who will testify than my Astra isn't capable of exceeding the speed limit - except when it's taking a ride on the back of an AA truck.

Read in "Pigeons Woldwide Daily", that TCAAS will soon be required as a retrofit for pigeons.

According to said source, TCAAS stands for Terminal Contact Astra Avoidance System, no mention as to compliance date.

If any further info becomes available, I will post it here.

Don't know about TCAAS on pigeons, but Mycroft's story would seem to suggest that some ducks are already RVSM compliant.

There has been a new development in the pigeon saga. In a letter in this Wednesday's edition of The Guardian, a reader wrote...

"As I left the M56 at approximately 60mph this week, I was shocked to be overtaken by two pigeons. Up until now, I had been completely unaware that pigeons were capable of such a speed."

So it would seem that, post-impact, not only is my feathered friend alive and flapping - but it looks like he's back to his old ways playing in the traffic and humiliating car drivers.

The reason that he left no mark on my windscreen is now clear - the closing speed was probably minimal. I must have just caught up with him briefly as he slowed between flaps.

Pigeons?? are you sure it wasn't young scallys playing chicken.

Ooh dear, sorry.

regards



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Half man, Half jalfrezi.

Stagger,

Are you sure that there was no brown stuff (ie.pigeon **** ;)) on your car? If I had a near miss or a slight coming together at that kind of speed I'd sure be dropping the brown stuff real quick :). May of lightend said pigeons' load enough allow it to take enough evasive menouvers to avoid serious injury. :) :) :)

OzPax1 http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif


[This message has been edited by OzPax1 (edited 18 May 2001).]

Sorry, did you say something?
I don't remember having been on M56?

stagger,

I hope you filed on him - these little sods deserve to be investigated by UK Airprox Board. Surely a case of "flying close enough to cause concern" by the pigeon?

AA

I once has a duck knock off [as in hit,not knicked] the mirror on my BMW motorcycle once
If bird hits building, 90degree impact. Whereas Astra, depends on shape and clenliness, has a bit, only a bit of aerodynamics going for it. Ergo, pigeon didn't hit the Asrta it hit the airflow. So any bird marks are in, sorry, on the back. I knew you had it bakcwrads

I was following a truck at about 30-40mph when a previously hit (or a well trained stunt) Canadian goose rolled out from under the truck. Took the underbumper air spoiler right off the rental car- big, big, bird!!!

The people at Avis were a little difficult...

RIP Little Sparrow. Pigeons hitting Astras?

Took out a sparrow at 120 in the Porsche at Brands yesterday. Now THAT's what he would have liked......

I was visiting my family in Oz last year and we went to stay with our cousins who own a property not to far from Cloncurry in Northen Queensland. Well anyway on the trip up from Brisbane via Winton & Longreach(worth visting for one of the original Qantas hangers)etc,and just as dusk fell and while traveling at 120kph we hit a whole flock of wait for it....Budgies. Bloody massacre it was,the windscreen was covered in little squish marks all over!! :)

Ozpax1 http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif


[This message has been edited by OzPax1 (edited 23 May 2001).]

Stagger, your not Dick Dastardly in disguise are you...... STOP THAT PIGEON NOW!

OzPax1
Is pigeon **** brown ? Or is it White ?
Anyone been in Trafalgar Square recently ?
It probably was brown when it realised it was an Astra.Poor thing.(The Pigeon,that is,not Stagger.)

Remember to Flare - no I'm not Dick but it's funny you should mention him because I asked the Greater Manchester Police to have a look back through the video recordings made by their traffic cameras on the M56 on the day of the incident and they came up with following incriminating still...

http://www.animationusa.com/picts/hbpict/pigeon.gif

WE should move this thread to JetBlast! Posts of this high standard ( :))are wasted here in Aircrew Notices!! :)

OzPax1 http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

[This message has been edited by OzPax1 (edited 29 May 2001).]

Once hit a pheasant whilst doing a fair clip in an Opel Manta on a back lane in Lincolnshire. Little ba$tard dented the front wing, wrote off the offside wing mirror and snapped the electric aerial. It then bounced over a hedge so I couldn't even take it home and eat it.

So I stopped to check the damage. Which is when the fun started. As I turned the engine off, the broken electric aerial tried to retract as the inner nylon cable was still intact. It flailed around taking bits out of the paintwork so I grabbed it and tried to stop it. Picture the scene - me pulling in one direction, Blaupunkt in the other - and the pheasant probably pi$$ing itself with laughter if it wasn't an ex-pheasant by then! Eventually I made a dive for the door, ducking the furiously lashing aerial, and turned the ignition back on. Then the cable wound out and I managed to cut it; turned the radio off - whereupon the cable raced into its hole with horribly expensive noises coming from within until I could find the appropriate fuse! Damned costly birdstrike - panel bashing, new mirror, new aerial and some respray work.

LOL Stagger!

Stagger, see your pigeon made a full recovery & made it to EGLL on tonights airport on BBC1!!

So the little bugger is on TV now? Just when I thought I’d achieved “closure” he’s back to haunt me!

I’m not sure who I’m more angry with right now – my avian foe or the little scallys who decided to use my car as a climbing frame and have left dents all over the roof. Unfortunately I wasn't doing 70mph when this happened.

I think I’ll try my luck with the train service to the airport this weekend!

Beagle, was the Opel Manta wirth repairing?

Just remembered that in my vicinity there is a colony of feral Guinea Fowl. Unfortunately the male believes that the road is part of his territory and will attack anybody using it - even if they are in a car at the time!

You know, all this avian(?) kamikazi behavior could all be being organised by a bad temperd Duck who is well known to the authorites! Here is his RSPCA mug shot... http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/Gif/WBDaffy2.gif

:)

OzPax1 http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

[This message has been edited by OzPax1 (edited 03 June 2001).]