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Close Encounters Of The Bird Kind

Timely topic.

A few days ago, a pilot here hit a buzzard after takeoff, at about 2,000 feet. Went right through the center of the windshield of his Bonanza, causing facial lacerations to pilot and passenger. The pilot also broke his wrist, possibly when he raised his hand to protect his face (he doesn’t recall). He was wearing a Dave Clark headset that basically disintegrated due to the impact of the bird/windshield to his head.

It got worse. The slipstream promptly yanked the (damaged?) glareshield up, obscuring most of the pilot’s forward view. The good news (?) was that the deformed glareshield at least deflected some of the wind coming through the gaping hole where the windshield used to be. He somehow managed to land safely. The bird was found, mostly intact but most definitely deceased, in the baggage area.

Let’s be careful up there. Wearing a helmet with a face shield during takeoff and landing seems much less like overkill than it used to. 😬
 
Dugaru said:
Timely topic.

A few days ago, a pilot here hit a buzzard after takeoff, at about 2,000 feet. Went right through the center of the windshield of his Bonanza, causing facial lacerations to pilot and passenger. The pilot also broke his wrist, possibly when he raised his hand to protect his face (he doesn’t recall). He was wearing a Dave Clark headset that basically disintegrated due to the impact of the bird/windshield to his head.

It got worse. The slipstream promptly yanked the (damaged?) glareshield up, obscuring most of the pilot’s forward view. The good news (?) was that the deformed glareshield at least deflected some of the wind coming through the gaping hole where the windshield used to be. He somehow managed to land safely. The bird was found, mostly intact but most definitely deceased, in the baggage area.

Let’s be careful up there. Wearing a helmet with a face shield during takeoff and landing seems much less like overkill than it used to. 😬
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Ouch. I almost wish i didn’t read this post. One more thing to be afraid of that I can’t control.
 
20 years ago hardly anyone wore a helmet on the ski slopes. now people give looks if you don’t have it on

we are slow learners 🐌
 
Simple fix, just fly like a drone/UAV.

Birds, lacking electronic conspicuity or ADSB-out, will have to yield right of way to BVLOS UAVs if that CFR Part 108 NPRM passes forward as-is.
 

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A few days ago Carey and I were on a hike here in Colorado. We were at 9300 ft altitude. She said she could hear geese and we both started looking for them and finally spotted them. They were so high they flew into clouds higher than East Buffalo Peak which is nearby and has a 13,000 ft elevation. That really surprised me when they went IFR into a cloud that high. Gives a pilot pause…
 
Me too! This was a thick cumulus cloud and they definitely did not go above it. I wondered how they maintained their V formation in the cloud. By the constant honking and audio location? Or did they maintain formation? I’ve seen them several times at 6000 ft while I was airborne but 13000 ft + also surprised me.
 
Caveman said:
"...I wondered how they maintained their V formation in the cloud..."
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Even in the worst daytime IMC, I don't recall a time when I couldn't see my own wingtips. Visibility in most clouds has to be what, 50 feet? 100? I honestly have no idea, but it's not zero. I'd imagine they don't have to put any special effort staying in the V formation. Just follow the guy in front of you.
 
Caveman said:
Me too! This was a thick cumulus cloud and they definitely did not go above it. I wondered how they maintained their V formation in the cloud. By the constant honking and audio location? Or did they maintain formation? I’ve seen them several times at 6000 ft while I was airborne but 13000 ft + also surprised me.
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Makes you wonder if they can sense/determine ground speed. Possible they go high for favorable winds. I believe many animals can sense magnetism and always wondered if that was what migrating birds use to navigate. Also wonder if they can use that for attitude or maybe they have a different sense of gravity than we do. Interesting stuff.
 
Tailwind/RVGuy said:
I also have noticed that raptors act differently than non-raptors. Here in Wisconsin, we have a lot of Eagles. They tend to just look at you and seemingly ask "what the heck are you doing in my airspace". They do not seem to take a lot of evasive action. Other types of birds will tend to immediately dive. Not sure if right or left. I would not want to hit either type of bird.
Keith
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Definitely spot on about the raptors. I have “flown formation” on a Bald Eagle in an Army Blaskhawk Helicopter. We had a full load of Army Rangers in the back in the summer with the doors open. The eagle just looked over his shoulder at me like to WTF are you doing here. He didn’t dive, and barely turned away from my noisy machine flying with him. The Rangers in back saw him and cheered like you wouldn’t believe:-)……..
 
Two separate Amaxon fulfilment uav drones taken out separately by a temporary crane.

Big drones. Give the crane two victory markings.

This is what hapoens if you blow off crane notams. Maybe cranes need EC!

 
A few years ago when I had a paid day job we were flying back to Aberdeen Scotland over the North Sea 1/2 way between Norway and Scotland and were above the 2500 ft smooth cloud tops when we passed a large Vic of migrating geese just above the smooth cloud tops in the sun, heading on the same heading as ourselves.
 
rv8or said:
A few years ago when I had a paid day job we were flying back to Aberdeen Scotland over the North Sea 1/2 way between Norway and Scotland and were above the 2500 ft smooth cloud tops when we passed a large Vic of migrating geese just above the smooth cloud tops in the sun, heading on the same heading as ourselves.
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I have to say, the long distance migration thing is one of the most fascinating and also mysterious phenomena of the avian world. The geese I encountered long ago were above a cloud deck that topped at around 8000’…
 
Another bird strike here at New Kent International Aerodrome (W96).

Another turkey vulture, from the looks of it (only the bird’s wing stayed stuck to the aircraft wing). Tagged my hangar neighbor’s Bellanca Super Viking and punched a hole in the leading edge. Aircraft operated normally and he was able to land safely.

Let’s be careful out there.
 

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Dugaru said:
Another bird strike here at New Kent International Aerodrome (W96).
Another turkey vulture, from the looks of it (only the bird’s wing stayed stuck to the aircraft wing). Tagged my hangar neighbor’s Bellanca Super Viking and punched a hole in the leading edge. Aircraft operated normally and he was able to land safely.
Let’s be careful out there.
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On the plus side, those wood wings are STRONG. On the other hand, they're not as easily repaired as aluminum.
 
Mel said:
On the plus side, those wood wings are STRONG. On the other hand, they're not as easily repaired as aluminum.
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They are hell for stout. Luckily the owner is an A&P IA who knows his way around aircraft woodworking!
 
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