Animals vs. Aircraft

[flywithastick]

After piercing the hull, it promptly found a new home in the thigh of a reluctant frequent flyer. I always thought that that was a guy who deserved free travel for the rest of his natural life. [/B]

Nah. Just give him a few ticket vouchers and some wheel chair service for a while... It's not like he was profiled or discriminated against!

If there's a seat choice I'll move on past those in the prop arc, just for this reason. Though my concerns were more about being cut in half by a piece of a prop blade.

 

[Slug]

Another Deer

Had a friend out night flying in the T-38 traffic pattern at Columbus AFB, MS with a foreign student up front. About their third landing the IP in the back felt a thud but thought they had dropped it in from about a foot too high; no big deal. When he tries to retract the gear the left main won't come up all the way and then won't go down all the way. In the meantime all the other -38s are reporting dead animals on the runway. Airfield management finds a deer cut perfectly in half on the runway. After numerous tries the main finally comes down. The student never said anything, although he saw the deer because he couldn't think of the correct translation.

We stuffed and mounted both halves of the deer and put them on opposite sides of the wall entering the squadron bar. The four hooves were made into coat hangers. About 2 years later a farmer shows up at the squadron with the gear door for the left main that he found in a field under the traffic pattern.

 

[Jepp2Jet]

King Air 1 Goose 0

"Something went bump in the flight"

 

[501261]

The biggest D@mn buzzard I've ever seen in my life down in Merida, Mexico. His wingspan must have been about 8 feet long, could barely see the runway with this big ole Sombrero wearing thing trying to fly away from us. Amazingly enough no damage to the aircraft.

On another note, I had a road runner hop INTO our Lear in the boonies of Arizona. And let me tell you those d@mn road runners are mean SOB's. It took us about 30 minutes to "convince" this SOB to get out of the plane. In case you’re still thinking road runners are nice, cartoon animals, let me tell you they are very fast and have extremely sharp beaks and claws! If we had a video camera it would have won some money on "America's Funniest Home videos.” Plus, it took us about 2 weeks to get all the feathers finally out!
!"

 

[AK737FO]

Fun Thread

The first critter I hit was a suicidal lizard of some sort that ran out in front of me while I was in po-dunk New Mexico. The little guy ran right out and threw himself in front of a C-310 nose tire. Just a speed bump on the taxi.
Next up was a drake mallard on a night landing. I saw him in the landing lights and had a split second to duck (no pun intended). He hit the top of the windshield and then split himself on the rudder. No damage except a couple of lost heart beats.

My personal record was a flock of sandpipers on takeoff in Oregon. I aborted and took a look for damage. The old C-310 was covered in blood and feathers but no damage since they are little birds. We went out and cleaned up the mess on the runway. We counted feet and wings, divided by 4 and came up with about 20 birds KIA.

In Alaska I got to see a Piper T-1040 (a Ho with PT-6's) after it hit a cow moose with the left wing. The wing was trashed and the airplane never flew again since T-1040 parts are very hard to find. The guys flying that day were pretty shook up and used the crash axe to finish off the poor old moose...

 

[GumbyflysVipers]

Know of a F-16 landing at Kunsan "by the sea" Korea that took a pheasant strike on landing. The bird hit right at the main gear over center lock collapsing the gear resulting in loss of the AC. So if you ever get stationed at Kunsan, take your shotgun so you can be a member of the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) team and kill pheasants on the airfield and have a fine dinner.

 

[RJlifer]

"On another note, I had a road runner hop INTO our Lear in the boonies of Arizona. And let me tell you those d@mn road runners are mean SOB's. It took us about 30 minutes to "convince" this SOB to get out of the plane. In case you’re still thinking road runners are nice, cartoon animals, let me tell you they are very fast and have extremely sharp beaks and claws! If we had a video camera it would have won some money on "America's Funniest Home videos.” Plus, it took us about 2 weeks to get all the feathers finally out!"

Now THAT's FUNNY!! I can just envision what that scene must've been. Did you have any bigwigs standing by during the Road Runner Removal procedure??

 

[charley varrick]

501261 wrote:
On another note, I had a road runner hop INTO our Lear in the boonies of Arizona.

And that, my friend, is why I always keep an up-to-date ACME catalog in my flight bag!

 

[AlphEcho]

Insects at High Altitude

In response to flywithastick and Typhoon 1244 and their sightings of insects at abnormally high altitudes: I too have seen some while flying, but the weirdest thing regarding this phenomenon was when I was on the top of Mt. Rainier back in Washington 3 years ago. I was panting my way across the crater near the summit when I saw a brightly colored butterfly flutter nonchalantly in front of me! At first I thought the 14, 411 foot elevation was getting to me but my more experienced climbing buddy said that butterflies and other insects were not too uncommon that high as they hitch thermals up to the summit. As I continued to trudge on I couldn't help to think that his means of ascent was vastly preferrable to my own!

 

[katanabob]

One day while doing some hood work in preparation for my instrument ride, the safety pilot quipped, 'oh, man.. you gotta see this!' I quickly removed my foggles and looked outside, only to see what appeared to be...... a washing machine box at 4500 feet, almost directly above the VOR. I headed right for it and did an aerial turn about the box as we looked on in disbelief. I made a couple close passes and we could make out the 'Maytag' printed on a couple sides, though the box was spinning so fast that was all we could read. (I also did not want to have a midair with a box and have to explain that one, so I kept my distance)
I just want to know how the heck a cardboard box got all the way up there.

 

[310]

nearly hit a coyote recently in a 310 at GAI. Just after touchdown he ran onto runway and stopped in front of rt main, rt prop area but no noise and no marks- I think i missed him

dodged a buzzard at SAV on final- very close -Jan 2001

hugh buck crossed runway in front of 152 at W17 a few years ago

lucky so far-no contact yet

Close only counts in horseshoes and thermonuclear war.

 

[501261]

"Now THAT's FUNNY!! I can just envision what that scene must've been. Did you have any bigwigs standing by during the Road Runner Removal procedure??

No, no bigwigs. We were just sitting around when the copilot goes "did you see that? I think a roadrunner just hopped in the plane!" I didn't believe him, but we walked out the plane anyway. And sure enough that d@mn thing scared the hell out of me! For about 10 minutes all it did was run circles from the back of the airplane to the cockpit. We got a broom from the FBO to "push him out" and that SOB ATTACKED the broom! Think I'm kidding, there's beak marks on an FBO broom in DUG!

The bigwigs did ask about the feathers though!

 

[chperplt]

I've been delayed about 30 minutes on two occasions when HUGH A@@ Turkeys decided they wanted the taxi way in WV. No amount of engine noise, changing prop rpm, or blasts with radar got them to move.

 

[jsoceanlord]

an acquaintance hit a horse while making a night landing in a Ce 421 ambulance in chinle, arizona (dirt runway).

san juan ground control is always (or about once a month) sending trucks to chase iguanas off taxiways.

i found a tarantula in my hotel room a few weeks ago

i had an orientation ride in a T 37 at columbus AFB about 100 years ago; the piliot briefed that if he was knocked out by a bird, i was to eject and not try to save the plane. the guy was intense. he must've thought i might lose it and spin in into bse housing, etc.

 

[HappyFlying]

I guess it's Halloween. My captain had a little fun with me today. He sent me out in the rain to preflight the King Air. When I reached to check the oil I felt something weird. I had a look and it was a very realistic rubber snake. Of course I went and got the chief mechanic and told him I was having trouble checking the oil. He screamed and jumped back about 5 yards. I only yelped a little but he was terrified. I laughed until I cried.
Happy Halloween Folks and Fly Happy

 

[Typhoon1244]

One of our R.J.'s recently had the opportunity to report to MLB tower a large alligator on the active runway. The presence of the alligator wasn't that funny. ATC's reply was:

"That's funny. He's usually midfield somewhere..."

 

[Typhoon1244]

While flying the CAP Ready Alert 5 bird - (cessna 182 RG) - I was once forced down by a Grass Hopper at - about 20 feet AGL-- I was glad I had my depends on under my flight suit - it kept my tennies from being stained - - now that was something to talk about at the weekly CAP pilot meetings- ----XOXO

Heeeeeeeeeee's baaaaaaaaaaaaack...

 

[4fanman]

Tagged a bald eagle climbing out of DLH one day. We were about 8000' when I saw what at first looked like traffic. We quickly realized it was a BIG bird and I started to level off.

As it streaked past my side I could see it was an eagle. I couldn't see it hit but we felt the whole airplane shudder. Back in MSP the only damage that could be found was a cracked nav lense with some blood on it.

I felt really bad that I had killed an eagle.

I have always wondered how the conversation went between the DNR officer and the guy in northern MN who, unknowingly, had a dead bald eagle in the back of his pickup...

 

[Caleb V]

This is not a joke...I have a witness. In a CRJ, I hit a grasshopper at 15,000. My understanding is that they can ride thermals and drafts...or that they get sucked up by storm cells.

It was almost depressing. Here's this poor grasshopper in the middle of an Olympic-class hop...and I smashed him with my Canadair!

I was flying with the webmaster a few years back and this is no joke we had a grasshopper jump onto our right aileron on a Cherokee 180 during run up and it stayed there for a 1/2 hour flight and proceeded to jump off upon landing. We even tried to shake him off before takeoff to no avail.

 

[navigator72]

Seagull, deer

While on a short final int Portland, ME as a studet pilot I heard a loud bang. When I got the plane safely on the ground I noticed blood and feathers and a small dent on the leading edge of the wing. Poor little seagull.....
While flying skydivers in a C182, I had a deer run out in front of me while on the takeoff roll. I had just reached the rotation point when the deer ran out in front of me. I lifted off and must have missed him by inches.
Maybe I'll get him next time!