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Thread: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

  1. #1
    Senior Member kmach's Avatar
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    Default Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    Hi,

    Yesterday while flying my passenger was asking what would a bird do to the

    aircraft if we hit one.

    I like all try not to find that one out, but I was

    wondering if anyone has ever had a bird strike with a Kitfox and what damage

    occurred .
    Kevin,

    Kitfox Outback
    912 ULS
    Airmaster AP332CTFH-WWR70W
    Summit Aircraft Wheel Skis
    C-FOXW

  2. #2
    Senior Member HighWing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    Personally, I have never experienced a bird strike, but have friends who have. One ingested a bird through the opening in the round cowl, no effects to the airplane, but a mess to clean up. Another took a bird hit to the leading edge of the wing with no effects. A video clip I took several years ago while flying Idaho - http://highwingllc.com/videoarchivepages/birdstrike.html
    Lowell

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    I've had a bird strike on a Cessna 152 I was flying, but never on my Avid. The pidgeon hit the aluminum prop and splattered, but beyond the mess on the windshield there was no damage. None of the pieces were large enough to crack the plexi.

    The polycarbonate on Avids and Kitfoxes is more flexible and I would be surprised if a small bird would come all the way through. I don't doubt that it would crack the lexan, but unless it was a duck or goose I wouldn't expect it to end up in the seat with me.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    One of my glider instructors had a mid-air with a bird.
    He landed with a broken canopy and a few cuts in his face.
    Fortunately he was not incapacitated, something that a bird strike could easily cause.

    Roberto.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Dave S's Avatar
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    Kevin,

    The only bird contact I have personally had with the kitfox was nerfing a sparrow off the right side of the cowl on takeoff. Must have gone beak first because some paint was chipped; otherwise just some bird gunk and feathers stuck to the side.

    Other experiences I am aware of:

    1) a person who had a canadian goose get up on very short final in front of his 172....hooked it with the prop, left the innards on the windscreen with no penetration and the body hit the left wing, eating up all $1000 of the guys deductible. Total bill was allegedly about $5000.

    2) A person repairing a Bellanca after hitting a mallard in the windscreen in cruise flight. Penetrated the top of windshield, occupants OK....duck ended up in the end of the tailcone inside the plane and punched holes in everything in between.

    3) One of my friends bounced a seagull off the top of the wing of a 152 with no consequences to the plane or passengers...very low angle impact.

    I think one of the best defenses is to be aware of bird habits and bird concentrations. Study the little feathered creatures when we can.

    Not all birds have the same reaction to an airplane in their environment.

    Canadian geese and seagulls are both big and really stupid.....I watch for them near an airport and when descending or taking off - especially during spring and fall migration times. Young geese are stupider yet...

    Hawks will fly pretty high (lot of red tails in the Midwest) but I have seen that they have pretty good awareness and will fold their wings and drop if encountering an airplane in the sky (so climb, don't dive)...I think they see us before we see them. Seen hawks up to about 3000 AGL. Hawks hunting for mice near the ground and runway....way different deal - they seem to focus on their prey in this instance and don't see airplanes.

    Like to keep an eye out for buzzards....we have the turkey vultures and they don't seem to give a rat's elbow who is in their sky, but they are pretty easy to see and move in a fairly predictable manner. Buzzards seem to like pattern altitude....

    Most of the non-contact bird close encounters I have seen tend to occur during takeoff or landing close to the surface or within 1000' of the ground. Also in the habit of making bird presence reports on the CTAF to help other pilots know where the little buggers are. ...."Gaggle of geese on midfield crosswind @ 500' AGL..."

    Non pilot first time passengers have a tendency to ask questions that we aren't always prepared to answer without some thinking. Probably a good reason to bring non-pilot first time passengers with us to keep us on our toes and cause us to think about the answers a little.

    The answers we can give are going to concentrate pilot training regarding awareness, avoidance of the risk and emergency procedures (engine failure/pitot failure/windshield failure, etc which could result from a bird strike).

    In the back of my head I have considered that as slow as a kitfox takes off and lands.....the birds should have a pretty good chance of getting out of our way if they want to....

    Photo attached of the only non-standard bird proofing installed on our kitfox....a reinforcing edge on the back of the air scoop.

    My sense is that lots of pilots have near encounters woth birds. Just one of the things we have to watch for. The fact that a kitfox does not go 300 knots might be an advantage

    Looking up "bird strikes in the NTSB database should give some empirical information as to what has happened with light aircraft and birds. Maybe sometime when it is foggy & ugly outside......

    I wonder if instructors doing a BFR ever engage the issue???

    Sincerely,

    Dave S
    KF 7 Trigear
    9*12ULS, Warp Drive
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  6. #6
    Senior Member Slyfox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    I fly with birds all the time. I've seen birds at all altitudes. My worst birds and I have hit is the sparrow, darn little things, I don't think they know where they are going. Anyway, keep your kool with the bigger ones and look out for them. I've had larger birds fly right twards me, if I have to I always pull up and bank at the same time so they, if any, hit on the bottom of the plane, never had that happen,but have done the pullout. Birds will drop when you get close to them, like 20ft away. I've had eagles fly right tward me 10 ft from my wing many a time they don't even flinch, just fly by like I'm not even there, this is at about 80mph. I've had eagles fly up to me and almost keep with me for a few second along side. I've had black birds on approach to landing, they all seem to be pretty predictable. The worst birds are the ones around the airports, seems these are aquinated to air travel, they won't move for nothing, I've had to move out of their way more than many.
    Last edited by Slyfox; 08-22-2012 at 04:19 PM.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    Trying to decide if this is technically a strike or not. ( From 1:50 on ... )
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EY8-X3-l6s

    Roberto.

  8. #8
    Senior Member kmach's Avatar
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    Quote Originally Posted by rwaltman View Post
    Trying to decide if this is technically a strike or not. ( From 1:50 on ... )
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EY8-X3-l6s

    Roberto.
    I wonder if he had extra underwear at the hangar ?
    Kevin,

    Kitfox Outback
    912 ULS
    Airmaster AP332CTFH-WWR70W
    Summit Aircraft Wheel Skis
    C-FOXW

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    I guess you could call this a bird strike except it was me that struck the bird. I was flying the pattern at a grass strip, doing touch and goes. Around 15 wild turkeys had been about half way down the strip and they would scatter when I'd take off but come right back before I could come around to land. About my 4th landing they scattered, about half going off to the right and the other half left. Just as I was making my flare for a nice 3 pointer, the ones on the right decided they would join those on the left. One didn't make it. One of those fat Nanco's nailed him. I parked it and walked back expecting to find a dead bird but I only found some feathers and some fresh poop. (His, not mine) This is my only kill so far and I hope it's my last. James Thomas

  10. #10
    Senior Member GWright6970's Avatar
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    Default Re: Any Bird Strike experiences ?

    I have had several close calls over the years, most when flying a Cobra helicopter gunship... gun runs at high speed will do that a lot! But only one actual HIT.

    It was when I was flying my Cessna 172... base to final turn, right wing strike on a turkey vulture. What a sound! Hit 'em square on, I guess. I landed, got with my favorite mechanic who said lets take a look at "your bird"... I said ok, I have my plane in my hanger. He said no, I mean the "REAL bird!"

    We got in his car and drove over to the shopping center parking lot where I figured it may have landed.... errr crashed. Yeppers, there it was on a lady's car hood... with this lady trying to gather a crowd... "look what fell from the sky!!" ........"I mean LOOK at it!" She was not angry, nor was she upset.... she was just having the time of her life telling everyone about "the bird that just exploded in the sky!"

    We listened and examined her car...there was no damage to her car. We never said a word, figured it might be best, so she could have her moment.

    It put a very slight dent in the leading edge of my wing, and was not that hard to clean up as it never got to really dry. The event and the subsequent inspection were then noted in the log book by my mechanic. Event closed.

    I wonder if she is STILL talking about the bird that exploded in the sky?

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