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BIRD STRIKE! I'm an ace.

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Toobuilder

Toobuilder

Well Known Member
I've had a few birdstrikes before, but tonight takes the cake.

Perfect evening to fly. I run over to Rosamond to get some gas for our trip to Chandler tomorrow. Upon my return to my home strip I perform the customary "low approach" to check the sock. Fairly low power, only about 165 knots - done it a million times... At the departure end, just as I start to pull for the downwind, I see the sunset blackened by a flock of birds fleeing the area. I duck just in time to save my eyes from shattered plexiglass and bird carcasses. After the "boom" I raise my head to see the large hole in the windscreen and blood and feathers all over the cockpit. As I pull into the left downwind I feel the blood running down my head... A hand swipe confirms that I'm bleeding. Logic tells me that even a small cut on the head bleeds profusely, but I still hope that I don't pass out from shock before I can get the thing on the ground. As it turns out, the approach and landing are non events and it is only when I shut the engine down in front of the hangar that the adrenaline really kicks in. In the aftermath it looks like I'm out one windscreen vs. three quail in the cockpit plus two more in the engine . I guess that makes me an ace, and very lucky to have my sight and life. Time to re-evaluate the value of the "low pass" to check the windsock. On the upside, I was looking for an excuse to do a flat wrap windscreen...

Go ahead and tell me how dumb the "low approach" is... I'm in no mood to argue.

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No argueing here but...

.... CONGRATS of a job well done! You kept your calm, you never forgot to FLY THE PLANE and got safely on the ground. That's the way to do it. :)

Too bad about the plane ofcourse, but a windscreen is easier to replace than your life.
Very quick thinking: to duck to save your eyes!

And now you'll soon have that flat wrap windscreen too, nice bonus!

Lastly; congrats of beeing an ace too! I bet VERY few of the ace-pilots during WW II did their five kills ON ONE MISSION.... :D
 
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Go ahead and tell me how dumb the "low apprach" is...
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No need to, you've already told yourself ;)

Everything is a fun / risk / cost / luck balance, and the combination of 165K and sunset seems to have tipped tipped the balance :(

The one lesson one might take, and borne out by military experience, is that a helmet / visor combination would have reduced the risk of inury to you to almost nil - the windscreen would take most of the energy, and helmet visor protect you from the remaining energy, and added windscreen fragments. To do it properly, you would need a clear as well as tinted visor, and always use at least the clear (those were the RAF "rules"). Whilst I now do 99% fly with a helmet, for canopy clearance I only have the dark visor fitted, so will use your experience to really try and use it when low / fast.

Out of interest, was it a standard Vans windscreen?

Andy Hill
RV-8 G-HILZ
RV8tors
 
Andy Hill said:
Out of interest, was it a standard Vans windscreen?
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It is my understanding that this is the second windscreen fitted (following an ill placed grab to get out of the cockpit). I think it's aftermarket, but I don't know the supplier.
 
Glad you are okay! A new windscreen, a couple Flintstone bandaids, a little glass cleaner, and a new pare of undies life is good!

Nothing better than a good quail dog and an over under on opening morning chasing a covey. Never thought about using the RV. ;)

Good job flying the plane after the incident. I would guess it was a tad distracting having a hole in front of you with blood all over. Well done.
 
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Wow!

Michael...it's just great to see you alive!

In my ag business, bird strikes are fairly common and I always duck and flinch.

FWIW, I learned a long time ago, that when a bird is near the ground and gets startled, it'll jump up..(of course...it'd be suicide for him to dive)...happened to a friend in his -4''split the wooden prop and dented the gas tank but he managed a pattern with a shaking engine and made it.

Thanks the good Lord!
 
Lucky Guy

Glad the outcome wasn't worse. Really appreciate you posting the pictures. More than mere words, these really drive home the point about adding unnecessary risk to the things we do. You might want to take this one step further, and forward both your print description and pictures to EAA and AOPA. If anyone there has an intesest in safety, they'll get printed.
Thanks again for having the courage to shine a light on yourself.
Best,
Terry CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
Hey Pierre...do you think the 1/4 prop cone paint works on birds as advertised? I had it on my Pitts and saw a few close calls and big birds dive....I have not painted my prop cone in the Giles just yet but i have an LED wigwag landing light ON all the time when bellow 2500 agl?
Does anything works at all?
 
Birdstrike

Whew, that probably got your attention. Thanks for sharing with everyone, valuable lesson learned here as a previous poster said: "Fly the airplane first". The big question is "Got any good Quail recipes?
 
Glad your OK. The plane can be repaired!

Did you eat the birds? :p Quail are yummy!

Last weekend I was up flying when the Sun was comming up. I could not resist a low power low approach on our field. There was nobody in site so I went for it. I started seeing birds and a flock of geese as I turned final so it ended up being one of those moments where you say to yourself "Self, this ain't worth it!" So I just leveled off and flew a 300ft approach with my eyes peeled!
 
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Thanks for the post. It was very informative (and scary). I, too, was shocked when you revealed the damage was by quail. :eek:
 
Yes.

Mitch, I don't have any stats that show that a 1/3 painted spinner works to deter birds but when I've seen them running, the two-color spinner is definitely noticeable, rather than the blurred prop blades.

I know a bird has incredible vision but a solid color spinner cannot be seen moving, so my guess is that a 1/3-2/3 painted spinner would be a good idea.

Best,
 
Great job all around Michael - great to see you made it through this, and as others have said, the windshield can be replaced. We have a time each year here at our Airpark where Turkey Buzzards fill the skies...I might have to start thinking about pulling the helmet out of the bag on some of those days.... Cause man, all it would take is one thing going the wrong way, and you've got an eye full of bird!

Thanks for sharing this one - it is going to make a lot of people think - and thinking is GOOD!

Paul
 
Paul, I know " thinking is good" but wasn't it a "Quail" that said.....wait for it!!!......"a mind is a terrible thing" :D
 
Glad to see you're (mostly) OK! I'm a little surprised that the quail didn't glance off the windscreen. Did your prop take any damage?

Also, I second the idea of stenciling 5 bird silhouettes under your canopy!

:)
 
"Low approach" indeed-------I am familiar with the flight habits of quail.

Glad you are OK, as others have said, good job following rule #1, fly the plane.
 
Brantel said:
Did you eat the birds? :p Quail are yummy!
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No, but the two under the cowl were ready to eat!

Yummy or not, the smell these things were giving off even 30 minutes later was enough to turn my stomach! Besides, the one I have in my hand was the only one that did not look like ground round. In fact the only way I can get an accurate count is to collect all the feet and divide by two.


I have a good couple of hours of cleanup ahead of me today.
 
lostpilot28 said:
...I'm a little surprised that the quail didn't glance off the windscreen...
Click to expand...

Maybe if it was just one bird I might have been OK, but I flew right through 50 of them so the windscreen couldn't take the mutiple hits. :confused: It looked like a swarm of bees! On the other hand, the one pictured has some heft to it. I think this one drilled me in the shoulder and dropped into my lap for the remainder of the flight. 165 knots is a LOT of energy... The little sucker left a bruise.

Interestingly, it appears that the rest of the airframe is untouched. Despite 5 birds going through the arc of the prop, it doesn't show a hit.
 
Mike S said:
"Low approach" indeed-------I am familiar with the flight habits of quail...
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...Yes, it was low... :eek:


On the other hand, this is not this first birdstrike this airplane has seen... The last one was on the way back from Osh, at 6500 feet over New Mexico. Just cruising along on auto pilot trying to stay awake and BANG!... There's a bloody smear on the windshield. Never saw it coming.
 
pierre smith said:
Mitch, I don't have any stats that show that a 1/3 painted spinner works to deter birds but when I've seen them running, the two-color spinner is definitely noticeable, rather than the blurred prop blades.

I know a bird has incredible vision but a solid color spinner cannot be seen moving, so my guess is that a 1/3-2/3 painted spinner would be a good idea.

Best,
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other that old school looking outside the cockpit..what do you use? do you have your spinners painted for your spraying job?
 
Toobuilder said:
Maybe if it was just one bird I might have been OK, but I flew right through 50 of them so the windscreen couldn't take the mutiple hits. :confused: It looked like a swarm of bees.
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"Like a swarm of bees?" ; You say....... :eek:

I think you have a serious condition known as quailoverpopulous. Let me pack up the dog and my trusty 28 gage and I'll be right there! ;)


I would like to suggest you rethink the low approach thing while I am hunting. You might hit my dog. ;)
 
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Ace

Is it quail season and did you have your hunting license in your possession? All kidding aside---good job of holding it all together after the impact.
 
Job well done in flying the plane, and really glad you are [relatively] OK.

The plane can always be fixed, one's life, seldom!
 
A 165 knot pass to "check the windsock"? I have my doubts the only reason for that pass (buzz job) was to check the wind sock.
 
...what's the lesson here?

I think you could call this 'Birdstrike 101', and take away quite a few things;

1. a bird strike only results in a crash if the plane or pilot is damaged beyond airworthiness(?)....so protecting your 'essentials' is paramount.
2. assess maneuvers that increase risk vs benefit. ( not a criticism :) )
3. how to increase survivability with better equipment BEFORE the incident. Great comments on the helmet, visor or even goggles! I also wonder how a 6,7, or 9 would have fared, with a less robust windscreen ( due to shape).

Is it worth using a thicker or more sloped windshield on our aircraft if operated at 160 kts plus? Is the flat wrap stronger than the bubble?

just some questions to ponder.........
 
Toobuilder said:
You would never make it past my wife... Around here almost anything that moves is fair game, but she's made it VERY clear that the quail are not to be touched!
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:D

I know what she means....I love watching them more than hunting them anymore, especially the desert variety.

Now about that low pass........;)

Glad you still have your sense of humor and your health.
 
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flyboy1963 said:
...Is it worth using a thicker or more sloped windshield on our aircraft if operated at 160 kts plus? Is the flat wrap stronger than the bubble?...
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A buddy of mine built a F1 Rocket and I think was one of the first (if not THE first) to do the flat wrap. Since he races the airplane (at low level), he told me he selected the windscreen slope and increased thickness for better birdstrike protection. Certainly makes sense to me.

I've already pulled the stringline on the -8 and when it flies again it will have a thicker, flat wrap. Probably won't stop a goose, but I sure hope the smaller birds will bounce off. Goggles and a helmet are nice, but I'd like to keep the critters on the OUTSIDE from now on.
 
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I think your mod will work much better to keep the cockpit cooler than the standard -8 fuse NACA vent.

Nice work keeping your cool (no pun intended).
 
I'm with Mike

"Low approach indeed" Given that quail need oxygen over 20' I'd say you could have just cut power and heard the wheels squeak. Perhaps a bit of an overrun though. Glad you are OK and even more glad you are learning.
 
I have a friend that had a duck come through the windscreen on final at night. Blood everywhere but none of it was my friends. Luckily the bird came through the passenger side and he was alone in the airplane. I think it was a Cessna 410. Huge hole. Very scary! Glad you're OK
 
Mike S said:
"Low approach" indeed-------I am familiar with the flight habits of quail.

Glad you are OK, as others have said, good job following rule #1, fly the plane.
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yeah.



you can put a jabanero in the breast cavity, and wrap the breast with bacon. Cook and enjoy!

blood is pretty corrosive to al, are you doing a deep clean to neutralize all the blood?
 
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So Glad You are Okay

So glad that you are okay, thank you for sharing your experience, good job keeping your cool and getting down safe.

I do want to state that that when you fly low it is a reasonable choice to fly fast. Besides maintaining kinetic energy I have another reason. We have a lot of Class G around here and I do like to fly very low on occasion - When I fly fast the birds that flush up off the ground don't have time to get to my altitude. I suppose that the prop noise could be a factor as well. I don't think that there is any strategy can prevent bird strikes. I have come head-ducking close to birds three times, each time at 2000 AGL or above.

Hans
 
We have a lot of critters out here in the desert and the wind shifts often, so the low pass has some practical application. I'll agree that dragging the runway at 5 feet in an attempt to scare the critters away and check the sock is more "fun" than "practical", but it is our culture here. ...or was. I've certainly had to take evasive action to miss a bird or two, but this is the first time that I flushed out a whole group right into my path. The timing could not have been better - it was as if I was being tracked by some form of biological anti aircraft artillery and they were waiting to fire until I was dead to rights.

The morning following this incident I flew the Hiperbipe over to WJF to drop off the -8's transponder for an update. Still two miles out and nice and high, I spotted a raven off in the distance and I have to tell you it made my heart jump for a second. I gave that thing a wide berth and kept a close eye on him. I'm guessing that reaction will mellow a bit in time, but I doubt I'll ever be able to comfortably rip down the runway at warp speed again.

The experience left more of an impression than just skin lacerations.
 
flying....and learning

Toobuilder said:
We have a lot of critters out here in the desert and the wind shifts often, so the low pass has some practical application. I'll agree that dragging the runway at 5 feet in an attempt to scare the critters away and check the sock is more "fun" than "practical", but it is our culture here. ...or was. I've certainly had to take evasive action to miss a bird or two, but this is the first time that I flushed out a whole group right into my path. The timing could not have been better - it was as if I was being tracked by some form of biological anti aircraft artillery and they were waiting to fire until I was dead to rights.

The morning following this incident I flew the Hiperbipe over to WJF to drop off the -8's transponder for an update. Still two miles out and nice and high, I spotted a raven off in the distance and I have to tell you it made my heart jump for a second. I gave that thing a wide berth and kept a close eye on him. I'm guessing that reaction will mellow a bit in time, but I doubt I'll ever be able to comfortably rip down the runway at warp speed again.

The experience left more of an impression than just skin lacerations.
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In my opinion.....your sense of safety has been enhanced (even though that was a tough way to reach this point). I cringe when I see a low, fast zoom down the runway because we have numerous waterfowl and countless smaller birds that "fly low patterns" near our runways. I stopped doing low passes many years ago after having too many close calls of the aviary sort. I also decided I wasn't making a very good impression on anyone who might see the low pass........

Glad you are able to relate your experience with no serious personal damage.
 
Nice job

Great job remembering to keep flying the plane after being bashed in the head! To many folks forget that step and the story ends a lot worse...

And thanks for not crashing my old airplane! :D

btw, the canopy was a Todds Canopy (www.toddscanopies.com). I believe they are thicker than the stock canopy. I replace the original canopy due to a crack the original builder caused during the build. He just fiberglassed over it with the skirt. I "discovered" it when it cracked the canopy from the skirt to the top while over Vegas... Hence the new canopy.

Hopefully you get this fixed and flying yet again!

John
 
Wow. What a story to tell! Glad you lived to tell it. To bad for the windshield (and the birds).
 
Did you have a hanger BBQ and cook up the quail, jk. Glad you survived, I have almost hit some birds turning final to land at FMN, the controllers told me to be cautious of the wildlife at the approach end of the runway, close call.
 
Not sure if this has been said already, and I just read Sam's post about not doing low passes.

This was night, so why did you need a low pass to see a windsock? Was it not lit? If not why not?

In any case with an unlit windsock, can you not get an ATIS froma nearby airport and judge the wind from that?

In the absence of that, fly your approach and watch your ground speed, you will soon know if you are on the wrong runway. This does away with the need for a risky low level pass.

There were plenty of tools available I think that made this 100% not necessary.

Flame suit on ;)
 
Regarding the all or none tone on making a low approach or pass, there's no one answer for everyone. There are pilots who wouldn't consider flying in a "dangerous" homebuilt airplane. There are people who won't fly on airliners. There are people who like to race down the interstate, weaving between cars on motorcycles at 120 mph. Everyone has a different tollerance for risk. Determine the risks and make your decision accordingly.

For note, in 11+ years and after 1325 hours, I've hit three birds. One at ~100' on takeoff, one at about 500' and another at somewhere around 2500'. Only the dove did damage to the cowling while climbing out on takeoff. The prop chewed one up and the other hit the gear leg fairing.

I've never hit one on a low approach, pass or other wise flying low for entertainment. And I've done that a few times.
 
In defense of a low pass

At some rural airfields, a low pass is almost a requirement. Not to show off or anything else but to scare the wildlife away. You think a bird did some damage? Wait until you hit a deer. Or be like the poor guy out this way that hit a rabbit with his nose wheel, which caused is RV-6A to flip over. The only casualty being the rabbit and the -6A, of course.
 
RV10inOz said:
...There were plenty of tools available I think that made this 100% not necessary...
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In the context of this forum, FLIGHT is not necessary...

Reasons for the low approach:

1) Due to local geography, the winds at my airport are often vastly different that the two airports only a couple of miles away. They can and do change direction in the time it takes to do a touch and go. Eyes on the sock is a prudent thing to do.

2) There are many animals around this area and they don't much care about the posted signs concerning remaining clear of the runway. They DO respond to a great big, noisy thing in the local area.

3) Low passes are fun.


Look, people assign risk/reward differently. Now that I've had a face full of exploding plexi and bird guts, my tolerance for that particular risk has changed. But I'm not on a crusade here. Just wanted to illustrate that we do get bitten every now and again.
 
Missing the point.

All the congratulations to Toobuilder for his performance after the event are fine BUT.

Quail are a ground dwelling bird. They almost never fly above 10 feet. What was an RV-8 doing down there? None of the post impact skill and expertise would have been necessary if the LOW PASS had not occurred in the first place.

When I was 19 I did low passes too. Then I grew up. Now I am 55 with 19,256 hours. Had I not grown up the extra 19,000 hours would have been flown by somebody else.

Lets keep this in perspective. :mad:

Stay safe, stay high.

Gerry.
 
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