WX Radar to avoid Birdstrike

[Colonel Savage]

So should we turn on WX radar when departing/arriving if concerned about birdstrike?

 

[CesnaCaptn]

Does that even work with newer radar that is low powered? For that matter, does it even work with old radar?

 

[Colonel Savage]

Does that even work with newer radar that is low powered? For that matter, does it even work with old radar?

That's why I was asking. It was mostly used as a "technique" by some, but I don't know if it was ever proven scientificly to work.

 

[Hawker800]

Have heard rumors that it works. What have we got to lose. I have struck two in my career. One of them caused two grand worth of damage to the leading edge of a King Air 350. Neither time was the radar on. Very lucky both times.

 

[Benhuntn]

It works on humming birds. I use the radar all the time and have never hit a humming bird. It doesn't work on sparrows, sea gulls, hawks, pigeons, larks, owls, robins, etc as I have it many of them.

 

[ImbracableCrunk]

Works on elephants, too. I've never hit an elephant when I had the radar on.

I flew with one Captain who swore by having the radar on. He said one time he sat at the end of the runway and turned on the radar. At the same time, at the other end, a flock of birds took off.

I wasn't sold by that story.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

I've never hit a pegasus either. I've heard they can do a lot of damage however.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

This is very old school and perhaps back in the day when the radars left everyone in the ramp sterile if you left them on, maybe it could have had some effect, older pilots stand by the practice (my old man claims that it used to work) but the modern radar emitting strength is very low and lets not forget that the rate of closure is pretty high. At ANA we run the radar continuously regardless of weather but the bird strikes haven't stopped

 

[crj567]

It works great-as long as you have birds flying around in front of you comprised mostly of precipitation!

 

[Colonel Savage]

...I flew with one Captain who swore by having the radar on. He said one time he sat at the end of the runway and turned on the radar. At the same time, at the other end, a flock of birds took off.

I wasn't sold by that story.

We were waiting for t/o out of RSW one day and in front of us was a small lake with some birds around it. One bird popped his head up from behind a small mound just before I turned the radar on so we could check the wx for departure. Seconds after I turned the radar on, I noticed he ducked back down. I turned it off, and his head popped back up. I explained to the Capt what had just happened, and he told me to try it again. Same thing happened. I did it a third time, same result. "I'll be damned," the Capt said, "maybe there is something to that."

Coincidence?

 

[dugan jones]

We were waiting for t/o out of RSW one day and in front of us was a small lake with some birds around it. One bird popped his head up from behind a small mound just before I turned the radar on so we could check the wx for departure. Seconds after I turned the radar on, I noticed he ducked back down. I turned it off, and his head popped back up. I explained to the Capt what had just happened, and he told me to try it again. Same thing happened. I did it a third time, same result. "I'll be damned," the Capt said, "maybe there is something to that."

Coincidence?

or maybe it was just a bird playing peek a boo with you

 

[ron burgundy]

We were waiting for t/o out of RSW one day and in front of us was a small lake with some birds around it. One bird popped his head up from behind a small mound just before I turned the radar on so we could check the wx for departure. Seconds after I turned the radar on, I noticed he ducked back down. I turned it off, and his head popped back up. I explained to the Capt what had just happened, and he told me to try it again. Same thing happened. I did it a third time, same result. "I'll be damned," the Capt said, "maybe there is something to that."

Coincidence?

So you are getting ready to launch a 150,000 lb. aircraft full of fuel and over 100 pax on board and you are playing with ducks in a pond? Awesome...

The only thing that would make it better is the fact that it was 200 and 1/2 mile. Long delays. Lot of free time. Hell, the birds won't fly in this. Might as well play with 'em.

 

[IBNAV8R]

I don't think RADAR would have deterred these geese.

http://quipster.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/suspected-taliban-geese-survivors-return-to-scene-of-crime/

 

[J32driver]

This idea doesn't work.

While flying the CRJ, I was placed "into position and hold" on a runway that had a couple of hundred seagulls sitting at about the 1000' marks. We turned on the radar and not a single bird so much as twitched. We had to have airport ops come out with the bird canon's and scare them away before we could depart.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

This idea doesn't work.

While flying the CRJ, I was placed "into position and hold" on a runway that had a couple of hundred seagulls sitting at about the 1000' marks. We turned on the radar and not a single bird so much as twitched. We had to have airport ops come out with the bird canon's and scare them away before we could depart.

If you were a bird, would you be intimidated by the CRJ? Not me. Now the EMB-170 is another story.


* Thought I was on the Regional Board with my EMB-170 comment. :erm:

 

[8sugarsugar]

If you were a bird, would you be intimidated by the CRJ? Not me. Now the EMB-170 is another story.


* Thought I was on the Regional Board with my EMB-170 comment. :erm:

comparing which regional jet is scarier is like...............i dunno, you fill in the blank, I'm at a loss for words

 

[BoilerUP]

The birds I've hit in the Citation with the radar on lead me to believe it doesn't work.

...then again, the birds we hit passed us before slowing down and getting smacked...

 

[Stifler's Mom]

comparing which regional jet is scarier is like...............i dunno, you fill in the blank, I'm at a loss for words

I was making fun of the Mighty E-170 Drivers on the Regional Board. Hence my comment about thinking I was on the Regionals Board to begin with.

I've lost myself too. :nuts: Oh well, on to the next thread.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

If you are flying an airplane with Predictive Wind Shear capability, isn't the radar running anyhow?

 

[Dizel8]

The birds I've hit in the Citation with the radar on lead me to believe it doesn't work.

...then again, the birds we hit passed us before slowing down and getting smacked...

Yeah, I was gonna ask you about the chicken wire in the tail pipe, but now I get it, it prevents overtaking birds from flying in there.

The other day, I saw an old 500 series with d- ice boots on the trailing edge, know anything about that?