Discussion
Willy Nilly said:
A friend of mine was on a plane that suffered a bird strike in the week and had to be diverted due to a broken engine. So, how big does the bird have to be, roughly to damage the engine? A can't believe a sparrow does much damage.
Geese however - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_15...A human hair is about 0.05mm or 0.002" in diameter, some of the clearances in a jet engine are half that so even a small bird can clog up and damage an engine.
A larger bird can weigh a couple of kilos, if something that large hits the front of an engine then you've got the potential for big problems.
A larger bird can weigh a couple of kilos, if something that large hits the front of an engine then you've got the potential for big problems.
I saw a Harrier divert in to RAF Marham in about 1998/99, it was a T2 trainer version. It must have been fairly big bird as it went through the front windshield, through the cockpit and smashed itself in to the back of the compound about 2 inches to the right of the rear pilots head. Lucky it was a trainer as the student was in no condition to fly.
Although as for the worst smell. A back seat jolly ride given to a MP officer out in Ali al Salem. Down the runway, pilot sticks it on its arse going vertical and told out at the top. About 5 mins later it’s coming back to land. When the pilot taxied back into the hanger I was gob smacked. There was pucke everywhere. All over the canopy, the pilot, most of the rear seat instruments. (2 x Tv Tab displays, a CPRMD (map and radar display)) between bits of wiring.
The pilot was not f
king pleased to say the least. The officer in the back looked like death. Cheeky fking tried to walk of and leave me and a mate to clean up. As an SAC at the time the Flt Lt tried bullying us in to cleaning it giving us a right gob full for telling him it’s his mess he cleans it. When our WO walked down and saw the mess and handed the MP officer a rag and wet wipes and impolitely suggested he start fking scrubbing I was struggling not to burst out laughing.
Although as for the worst smell. A back seat jolly ride given to a MP officer out in Ali al Salem. Down the runway, pilot sticks it on its arse going vertical and told out at the top. About 5 mins later it’s coming back to land. When the pilot taxied back into the hanger I was gob smacked. There was pucke everywhere. All over the canopy, the pilot, most of the rear seat instruments. (2 x Tv Tab displays, a CPRMD (map and radar display)) between bits of wiring.
The pilot was not f
king pleased to say the least. The officer in the back looked like death. Cheeky fking tried to walk of and leave me and a mate to clean up. As an SAC at the time the Flt Lt tried bullying us in to cleaning it giving us a right gob full for telling him it’s his mess he cleans it. When our WO walked down and saw the mess and handed the MP officer a rag and wet wipes and impolitely suggested he start fking scrubbing I was struggling not to burst out laughing. irocfan said:
Isn't there a modern fable about testing some plane against bird strike so they tried a new cannon to simulate this. Somehow though they managed to use frozen chicken?
There is, I can’t confirm if it’s true though. Having had to mop up the remains of bird strikes on the airframe and smell the remains after they go through the engine I can confirm neither are enjoyable tasks. Normally engines just require a wash, boroscope and ground run after. irocfan said:
Isn't there a modern fable about testing some plane against bird strike so they tried a new cannon to simulate this. Somehow though they managed to use frozen chicken?
De Havilland aircraft Hatfield pioneered the use of a chicken cannon to test canopies and airframes and having worked with a few ex-aerospace machinists I've heard the 'frozen chicken' story on a few occasions.
I've had several birdstrikes and they aren't much fun - especially if they come through the canopy 
The most dangerous for a twin or multi-engine (aside from said coming through the window) is the multi bird strike. That took a Nimrod down on T/O at Kinloss back in 1980 killing both pilots:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id...
The most dangerous for a twin or multi-engine (aside from said coming through the window) is the multi bird strike. That took a Nimrod down on T/O at Kinloss back in 1980 killing both pilots:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id...
Interesting video from a few years ago in Manchester.
https://youtu.be/9KhZwsYtNDE
The engine was written off.
https://youtu.be/9KhZwsYtNDE
The engine was written off.
Willy Nilly said:
A friend of mine was on a plane that suffered a bird strike in the week and had to be diverted due to a broken engine. So, how big does the bird have to be, roughly to damage the engine? A can't believe a sparrow does much damage.
Depends on the aircraft type and size, but could be anything from half a pound to a few pounds.Willy Nilly said:
A friend of mine was on a plane that suffered a bird strike in the week and had to be diverted due to a broken engine. So, how big does the bird have to be, roughly to damage the engine? A can't believe a sparrow does much damage.
It depends where the bird goes in the engine, if it just goes through the fan, (the blue bit in this diagram) then you might get vibration or some surging and a damaged blade (bent on the leading edge). I had a dove damage a few fan blades on an RB211 a few years ago. You might also get damage to the acoustic panels (inside the engine pod before the fan blades).If it goes through the core though you can get much more damage and surging or even a complete failure even with a small bird.
Simpo Two said:
When you consider how many birds there are, it seems remarkable that aeroplanes aren't brought down every day by them.
They tend to fly away from you though. I’ve seen loads where they’re coming towards you but seem to take avoiding action at the last minute. 
If they hit the aircraft hull it’s often around the nose area and you usually hear a noise like someone hitting a biscuit tin.
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