We have already talked about the fact that the airspace is not so boundless as it seems at first. Not only man-made devices fly in it, but also living beings, and it is not known which of these objects has more rights to use the air, live birds or iron birds.
At least living beings vla share this right, one might say, from the creation of the world. And man declared his desire to possess the sky quite recently, and almost from the very beginning he considered himself a complete master in it. However, as always and everywhere. Such is his nature, the man :-).
Collisions aircraft with birds(in English there is a term for this bird strike) began almost at the same time when these same aircraft appeared. Or rather, it will still say aircraft. Because the participants in bird accidents can be any objects that have risen at least somewhat above the earth's surface, and sometimes even above it and not risen, for example, cars. Sometimes it happens:-).
One of the eloquent photos on this topic: Mercedes-Benz 300SL during the Carrera Panamericana rally back in 1952, when, at a gentle turn in the road, the car crashed with a windshield into a neck rising from the side of the road, disturbed by the noise of an approaching car. The navigator was then wounded, but nothing happened.
The first documented aircraft bird strike, took place in 1905 and happened just with one of the first aircraft in history, which, as you know, was an aircraft.
In their diary, in which they recorded the results of the flights, Orville Wright then wrote that while flying over a cornfield, he got into a flock of birds that hit the structural elements. One of them, crashing into the upper console, died and fell from it during a turn.
In 1911, the French pilot Eugene Gilbert in his Bleriot XI, during a flight along the newly opened Paris-Madrid route over the Pyrenees, was attacked by a large eagle defending its nest with chicks, and managed to drive it away only with pistol shots. It was fun for him, probably, because the cabin was absolutely open there :-).
Aircraft Bleriot XI, 1910 (replica).
And the first tragic incident occurred in 1912 on April 3 over the city of Long Beach in California. American pilot Calbraith Perry Rodgers, making a demonstration flight, crashed into a flock of birds. The plane jammed control, and he fell into the water near the coast. The pilot died almost immediately.
The first disaster in the history of aviation due to a collision of an aircraft with birds.
However, the largest number of victims in the history of aviation associated with an aircraft crash due to a bird strike took place October 4, 1960. The Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft of the American company Eastern Air Lines flew into a flock of starlings during takeoff from Boston airport.
As a result, three of its four turboprop engines were damaged. The plane crashed right there in Boston harbor. Of the 72 people on board, 62 were killed.
Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft (analogue of the crashed one).
Compared to a problem in an aircraft engine, the "bird" problem is broader and more specific. It can be relevant for almost any aircraft, from a large passenger aircraft to a light piston aircraft or a small helicopter.
After all, if a stone from a concrete block is dangerous, mainly only for the engine, and then if it is a turbojet, then the bird can create trouble for almost the entire aircraft. If it hits a turbojet engine (or its variants), then the consequences (of course depending on the conditions of the collision) are obvious and can be very serious.
Damage to turbojet compressor blades due to bird ingestion.
Damage to turbojet compressor blades as a result of bird ingestion into the engine
Damage to the JT8D engine (Boeing-727 (737)). The reason is the same :-).
But, bird strikes (bird strike) other parts of the aircraft also sometimes become no less dangerous. Even a slight dent in the skin, due to prolonged exposure to velocity pressure during flight, can lead to its destruction and further damage to the aircraft systems underneath. What can we say about such cases when a bird breaks through the skin.
In addition, damage to the cockpit glazing is possible, with unpredictable consequences for the pilot and control systems. The landing gear turns out to be quite unprotected, with various communications of pneumatic and hydraulic systems, which are often located on them.
Bird hit in landing gear communications.
An example is the incident with the KLM Boeing-737-400 aircraft on November 28, 2004. During takeoff from the runway of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, a bird collided with the front landing gear. Chassis cleaning went well.
After landing at Barcelona airport, the plane began to pull strongly to the left. The crew could not cope with this, despite all the means used. The plane was blown off the runway at a speed of about 185 km/h.
Boeing-737-400 crash of KLM.
According to experts at bird strike the line in the A-pillar turn control system was interrupted, which fixed it in the turned position and hampered the crew's actions.
It is not for nothing that the impact of a bird weighing 1.5-2 kg on the structural elements of an aircraft flying at a speed of about 700 km / h is compared with a cannon shot with a caliber of about 50 mm. In this case, the gun does not win at all :-). A small and very soft creature turns into a real projectile of considerable destructive power.
The energy released upon impact and so lightning-fast breaking seemingly super-strong structural elements of the aircraft is kinetic energy the movement of the bird in relation to the aircraft. It reaches large values, and the main reason for this is the speed of approach.
If the plane were stationary (and with idle engines), then a bird, especially of a small size, with all diligence, would not be able to cause any serious damage to it.
If she and the aircraft are, so to speak, on a collision course, then their speeds add up, and even though the bird itself (that is, relative to the ground) does not fly so fast at all (an average of 60-70 km / h, a black swift - up to 180 km / h, and only the peregrine falcon at its peak up to 300 km / h), its speed relative to the aircraft reaches impressive values.
And, based on the formula for kinetic energy, it is also squared. From this formula, K \u003d mV 2 / 2, it can be seen that although the mass of the bird also, of course, affects the force of impact, the speed has the primary influence. This is the speed at which a small and, in general, slow-moving bird turns into a destructive projectile.
The same can be said if this bird enters the engine inlet and encounters compressor blades rotating at a tremendous speed. Or, if it falls into the plane of rotation of the main rotor of the helicopter and there "successfully" meets with. The peripheral speed of the blade is not as high as that of the compressor impeller, but it will be enough to get fatal damage :-).
Although, of course, such recommendations are difficult to implement on takeoff. In this regard, they are most vulnerable with their large air intakes. And, if an accident occurs precisely with them and precisely on takeoff, then the crew simply may not have time to return to the departure airfield.
A fairly well-known case with the Airbus A320-214 aircraft of the airline is typical in this regard. US Airways (Flight 1549) departed on January 15, 2009 from La Guardia Airport (New York). This incident was called the "Miracle on the Hudson".
Miracle on the Hudson. US Airways Flight 1549.
Flight 1459, rescue stage.
At the third minute after the start of takeoff, the plane collided with a flock of Canada geese. Both engines were damaged and stopped. The climbed altitude was about 930 meters, and it was not enough to turn around and land on the take-off airfield or nearby runways of other airfields (in particular, Teterboro Airport).
Canadian goose.
The crew decided to land on the Hudson River. To do this, using the remaining height, they turned the plane, taking off to the north, to the south and, flying over the George Washington Bridge at an altitude of less than 270 meters, made a safe landing on the water.
Flight pattern of US Airways Flight 1549.
Flight 1459 just after splashdown.
The plane remained afloat. All 155 people (passengers and crew) on board were rescued.
However, if only one engine had been damaged, then the emergency landing would have occurred in more comfortable conditions on a concrete runway. A two- and multi-engine aircraft can feel quite confident in the air when half of the engines are stopped. Video about it below. The moment the bird hits the engine is shown at the very end of the video on repeat. The bird is marked with a square.
Birds, unfortunately, very often lodging (or just usefully spend time :-)) near the airfields. There are many reasons for this. The airfield usually always has a good grass cover, which is an uninterrupted source of food for birds (seeds and insects). In summer, birds catch flying insects over the heated concrete runway.
Sometimes the appearance of birds near airports is promoted by the person himself. Such airfields are usually located on the outskirts of the city and are often adjacent to regular or spontaneous garbage dumps (Sheremetyevo Airport is an example of this). Birds often feed on such landfills, and quite large ones, such as crows, pigeons and gulls. And the predators follow them. And all these flights "closer to food" are carried out through the airfield.
Birds and planes. One of the eloquent examples.
One more example. The collision of birds with the fuselage is clearly visible.
In the airfield area, bird migration routes may well pass. They can be both seasonal and diurnal (for example, to feeding places).
Seasonal migrations are also associated with the appearance of the younger generation, which does not differ in the experience of "communication" with iron birds. It is noteworthy that such a fact really exists. Old and experienced individuals sometimes behave more cautiously (including in the area of airfields and runways) than those who have recently been born and do not have, so to speak, life experience.
For example, in the area of Domodedovo Airport according to State Research Institute of Civil Aviation there is a route of seasonal (autumn and spring) bird migrations. And that is why in the area of \u200b\u200bthis airport bird strikes at a fairly high altitude (up to 2.5 km) and even at night.
In practice, about 70% of all collisions occur at low altitude (up to 100 meters), respectively, during descent and landing and takeoff and climb.
In general, the heights of main flights (levels) of civil aviation aircraft are not available for birds. At least it is considered so 🙂 and this is the main trend. But it is worth saying that in the history of aviation there are cases bird strikes(though single) at altitudes of 6000 m and 9000 m.
Geese have been seen flying at over 10,175 meters. And once, over the territory of the African state of Côte d'Ivoire, an aircraft collided with a vulture at an altitude of 11,300 meters. So far, this is known as the absolute record for the height of a bird's flight.
And yet, 90% of all bird accidents (according to ICAO) occur during flights in the vicinity of airfields and in areas at altitudes up to 1000 meters. The latter largely applies to military aviation, especially fighter aviation, in which, by the way, engines suffer more from birds (apparently due to the small relative frontal size of the airframe).
Directly in the airfield area, according to the FAA (for the USA, the Federal Aviation Administration), less than 8% of all accidents occur at altitudes of more than 900 meters and more than 61% occur at altitudes of 30 meters or less.
Helicopter Sikorsky UH-60 after a collision with a common crane.
A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after a collision with a common crane.
Gray crane.
Problem bird strikes aircraft, thank God, is not among the first, as the cause of flight accidents, especially with the death of people. Accidents and catastrophes for this reason are quite rare.
Most collisions (about 65%) cause minor damage to the aircraft. In this case, the bird almost always dies. Sufficiently serious damage, including human casualties, is possible mainly when birds get into the cab glass and into the engine.
Percentage of the number of bird hits in collisions (material from the official website of the OGAO).
In terms of loss of life, it is estimated that there is one loss of life per one billion flight hours. The numbers are still encouraging, in a way. However, after all, there is a financial side. Modern aircraft are very expensive means of transportation, and their repair is no less expensive.
In addition, if a civil aircraft is on the ground (for forced repairs after bird collision), then the company that owns it, for the most part, suffers losses. The aircraft must fly in order to justify the money invested in it.
But if he met a bird in the deceptively endless 🙂 air spaces, then most often he cannot do without a forced stop. According to some estimates of international experts, the annual losses for the world civil aviation due to the bird strike are about $1.2 billion, with $400 million coming from the United States.
Sufficiently serious research in this area began in the world since the 60s. Since 1965, to study the behavior of birds in the area of airfields and develop measures to possibly prevent collisions with aircraft, there is a special science called "Aviation Ornithology".
Hazard reduction measures bird strikes are strictly regulated in aviation organizations in many countries of the world, including ICAO. In some countries, such as the USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, there are special national committees dealing with the problem bird strike.
There is such a committee on a global scale. It is called International Bird Strike Committee (IBSC).
In Russia (the former USSR), this kind of research and practical work began in 1967. Term "Ornithological Flight Safety" (OOBP) has been firmly established in aviation practice since Soviet times.
In fairness, it should be said that this applies more to civil aviation :-). At military airfields, such problems have never been in the first place. And in the country as a whole, aviation ornithologists had to make a lot of efforts so that the top management realized the urgency of the problem.
It was at first and now there is still a difficult recovery after the collapse of the Union. Suffice it to say that in 2003 at the State Research Institute of Aviation, ornithological subjects were generally laid off as an unnecessary industry.
We have not created a national committee, but now its functions are performed by Industry Group of Aviation Ornithology (OGAO). Since 2003, it has been part of the State Center for Flight Safety.
The specialists of this group carry out a great deal of theoretical and practical work. They make numerous specific recommendations for the flight and technical staff, go to airports for duty and bird scaring, train staff.
The percentage of damage from a collision with birds (animation from the official website of the OGAO).
In addition to analytical, methodological and standard-setting work, this group is engaged in the development and creation of means to prevent and protect against aircraft collisions with birds.
For example, back in Soviet times, a mobile bioacoustic installation "Berkut" was created, reproducing certain sounds that scare away birds. She then was equipped with 35 airports. The latest development in this area is the latest generation of electronic bioacoustic equipment. "Universal-Acoustic".
Installation "Universal-Acoustic" at the airport.
This system uses recordings of natural calls and "distress and alarm" signals from quite a few species of birds, as well as the sounds of gunshots, various synthesized signals. Sound information is selected so as to exclude the possibility of habituation of birds as much as possible. It has the ability to be constantly updated using Internet technologies.
Pyrotechnic means "Khalzan".
It is also known that specialized pyrotechnic means "Khalzan". Its launch is accompanied by a sound effect with an orange trail and something like a firework at the end of the trajectory. The noise level in this case is up to 160 dB. It has a strong effect on birds, however, like all pyrotechnics, it requires compliance with special rules for use (with which certain problems arose, especially at Russian airports).
In Soviet times, in the late 80s, together with the Riga Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers (RKIIGA), a special radio-controlled model was developed, shaped like a bird of prey. She, according to the authors, was supposed to scare away the birds of the living. The work turned out to be quite successful, but for various reasons they did not continue (with us).
Radio-controlled model for scaring away birds (RKIIGA, 80s).
However, natural raptors are widely used for this purpose at some airports. Their main task, of course, is not to catch all the living creatures above the airfield :-), but to frighten them with their presence. For example, until recently, Domodedovo kept for this purpose 12 goshawks.
They are also used with specially trained falcons of different breeds at other airports. For example, in America at the airport. John Kennedy or in Manchester, in Great Britain, in Antwerp, at the southern airports of the former Soviet Union (Tashkent, Bishkek, etc.), Pulkovo and some others.
Among the "animated means" 🙂 for bird scaring abroad, trained dogs are also widely used, in particular the border collie. For example, according to data for one of the US air bases (Dover, Delaware), after a two-year implementation of the program using these dogs, the annual cost of repairing aviation equipment after bird strikes (bird strike) fell from $600,000/year to $24,000/year.
In general, a considerable amount of technical means are used in the world for bird scaring from airfields. These are already mentioned acoustic (specific alarm cries, ultrasound) and pyrotechnics.
Special vehicle ornithological control at the airport.
A model of a falcon, a mechanical robot used at Amsterdam Airport.
Various passive and mechanical effigies are used (including those driven by the wind), mirror reflectors to create glare, ribbons, etc., various laser and ultrasonic emitters.
Gas gun.
In addition, special propane guns with a sound power of up to 150 dB are used. Kites, balloons and balloons with "unpleasant" 🙂 images for birds are launched into the air.
An example of a frightening coloring of balloons. A frightening drawing on a balloon.
Scary drawing on a hot air balloon.
Airports in New Zealand have found the use of a special electrified coating along the edge of the runway. This measure significantly reduces the number of earthworms in the upper layer of the earth, thereby reducing the number of birds that prey on them.
In the end, such a method as shooting birds and scattering carcasses across the field is also used (a barbaric method, but quite effective ...).
As you can see, measures bird scaring airfields abound. Their use, especially in combination and with the correct calculation, undoubtedly has a very tangible positive effect. However, absolutely radical measures of airfield ornithological support do not exist.
Somewhere they are not very effective, somewhere the birds get used to them, and somewhere they simply do not exist. Therefore, there are various technical and technological measures in relation to aviation technology.
Basically, these measures relate to the protection of engines, as the most vulnerable node. I already mentioned them earlier in, because the bird for the engine is just a specific, but foreign object :-).
This is hardening and a certain profiling of the blades and inlet path of the compressor (more applicable for), the use of special protective panels and grids, separator devices, jet air and water protection devices.
In addition, the engines and airframe of commercial civil aviation aircraft are subjected to special dynamic testing. It is quite convenient here such a somewhat artificial term as "bird resistance":-). The essence of these tests is that the plane or engine is simply fired at with carcasses of birds.
Shots are fired at the forward part of the fuselage (in particular, the canopy of the cabin, the front pressure bulkhead), the leading edges of the tail and the leading edges of the wing (slats).
In addition, of course, the glazing is checked. The glass itself has almost always been checked by the manufacturer, so more attention is paid to the places of joining and edging, as well as to the places where the windows are installed.
The power of the gun is chosen in such a way as to simulate the maximum speed of the collision, and an ordinary chicken is used as carcasses (it should be what is called “freshly killed” :-)). Damage received during this test by technical units must not be less than a certain level. Any newly created aircraft is currently undergoing this kind of check, without which its international operation is impossible.
As an example, a small test video of the nose of the AN-72 aircraft. Here, the weight of the chicken is 2 kg, and the speed of the shot is 540 km / h, which corresponds to one of the flight modes of this aircraft.
On average, a modern aircraft at close to cruising flight speed must withstand, without fatal damage to the structure and systems, a bird strike weighing 1.8 kg for the nose and cockpit glazing and 3.6 kg for the wing and tail.
As for the engine, it is not the task for it to necessarily remain in working condition after bird collision(although work is also underway in this direction). In this situation, it is more important to stop it without the risk of destruction with damage to the cabin with passengers and aircraft systems (especially if these systems are important for making an emergency landing of the aircraft).
Engines are also tested. Below are two short videos on this topic. The first shows, among other things, tests with the help of air guns. And the second is about the study of the result of a broken compressor blade.
Recently, in addition to physical "cannon" tests of aircraft structures, a calmer and less expensive computer simulation has also been carried out. bird strikes.
Here is such, in general terms, the situation in the arena of the struggle of iron birds against living birds :-). As for the arena and the struggle, this is still, perhaps, an exaggeration. But there is some opposition. People, thank God, realize that direct shooting and destruction is not a method. After all, it is not the birds who are to blame for the situation that has arisen, but man, although the crown of nature, is not her master at all :-).
A new specialized Korean development for scaring away birds.
Research and work to correct the situation is ongoing and it would be very interesting to catch the moment in our lives when all the "birds" in the sky will fly freely and without fear of each other :-) ...
P.S. In the end, I decided, however, to add a couple of entertaining examples. The article is devoted to birds, but it was not in vain that I used the words “living beings” at the beginning of it. There is another innumerable army of flying ones, which can sometimes become competitors to our iron birds. This flying insects.
It all started as always from the very beginning. Back in 1911, pilot Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold (who later became a US Air Force veteran) flying his Wright Model B (designed by the same Wright brothers) almost crashed along with his apparatus without glasses. All due to the fact that some kind of bug got into his eye during the flight, and from this he practically lost control over the plane. However, everything ended well.
Wright Model B airplane on display at Farnborough.
Nowadays, swarms of locusts can deliver a rather serious danger to aircraft crews. They can rise to heights up to more than 900 meters and contain more than 50 million individuals.
At the end of the summer of 1986, an American Air Force Boeing B-52G Stratofortress bomber, while performing a training mission in Montana, at an altitude of about 130 m, fell into a huge cloud of locusts. The windshields of the cab instantly became covered with a brown opaque mass, which the wipers could not cope with, and which, moreover, began to dry out quickly. Visibility through the windshield became zero.
Boeing B-52G Stratofortress.
All efforts aimed at correcting the problems that have arisen, including attempts to manually clean the glass through the window, have not been successful. Further flight and landing was carried out according to instruments and using the side windows of the cockpit glazing.
Everything ended well, but the engines could also suffer. Such a huge amount of organics (albeit relatively soft :-)) at a time they could not “recycle”. In addition, there is a considerable danger for air pressure receivers, whose working openings can easily become clogged.
Due to the possibility of such incidents CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority), the main governing body for civil aviation in Australia, that is, a country where locusts feel quite at ease, in special recommendations in 2010 warned its pilots against direct contact with swarms of locusts due to a direct threat to flight safety.
That's it. Something to think about :-)…
See you again. Thank you for reading the article to the end :-) ...
Photos are clickable.
A video of the incident was posted on social media. The footage shows fire under the wing near the engine of the aircraft. The airline "Russia" explained that the cause of the incident could be a bird that got into the engine, Interfax reports.
Airline representative: “During the landing approach of flight FV1007 from St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don on the A319 aircraft, one of the engines malfunctioned, previously due to a bird hit. The plane landed on two working engines. There was no risk to the safety of the passengers."
As a result of the incident, no one was injured. The Saudi Arabia national football team is currently on their way to a hotel.
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In bowling, a strike is the best shot you can make. In aviation jargon, however, a strike occurs when a bird suddenly crosses the path of an aircraft. Usually with a predictable outcome for the bird. It's not uncommon for birds and planes to collide. Not too long ago, a Japanese Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing in New York City because a bird hit the plane; the other plane was forced to return to Cardiff Airport in Wales after a bird hit the engine.
In 2016, there were 1,835 confirmed bird strikes in the UK alone - eight for every 10,000 flights. For airlines, this is a major development: Aircraft hit by birds need to be carefully examined for subtle damage that could be dangerous if not found.
Only about 5% of bird strikes result in aircraft damage. But as a precaution, all the hit planes return to the nearest airport, and the passengers are transferred to another flight with a different crew. All this affects airport operations. Determining indirect costs is also not easy. It is estimated that for North America this translates into 500 million dollars, writes The Conversation. 
Birds don't fly high. A 2006 study found that three-quarters of bird strikes occur below 150 meters when the plane is just taking off or landing. The speed of the aircraft at this moment is lower than at altitude, and quick evasive maneuvers are difficult to implement. The outcome largely depends on which part of the plane the bird hits. Airplanes are built to withstand powerful forces, so while engineers worry, there's nothing to worry about. 
Aircraft engines, for example, are built to be very reliable. Certification criteria include a rule that large engines must withstand a bird strike weighing more than 3.5 kg without the dangerous and rapid ejection of sharp fragments from the engines. In fact, most engines can swallow a bird and only slightly damage the blades. 
A double bird hit on an engine is extremely unlikely (although it has happened), but if one engine fails due to a bird hit, it will not be critical. All aircraft cope with the failure of one engine. Most of them can cross the ocean on one engine. 
However, it is not only engines that are at risk from bird strikes. The windows in the cockpit can also break. But they're made from three layers of laminated acrylic and glass, engineered to withstand hail in the heart of the storm, so the birds aren't a problem. The presence of multiple layers also ensures the tightness of the aircraft even in the event of damage to the outer layers. Also, pilots are trained to turn on the heating of the glass so that the ice does not freeze at altitude, before takeoff; so the glass becomes softer and more resistant to impact. 
To prevent the birds from suffering such a terrible fate, airports are also taking various measures to prevent them from even approaching aircraft. Recordings of birds of prey sounds, cartridges that make loud noise and flashes of light, mechanical falcons, trained falcons and drones are used. These measures work in the short term, but the birds are believed to get used to them quickly. Also, birds love airports. Large, green, empty areas surrounded by trees and bunkers are very attractive to wildlife.
Quite often there is an assumption that the engines should be protected by a grill, but this is not so easy to do. The problem is that in order to effectively block a bird at 800 kilometers per hour, the mesh must be very strong and thick, but this will interfere with the air flow to the engine. Engines are efficient because they are carefully designed to take advantage of the thinnest air at altitude, so the downsides of a protective grille outweigh the upsides.
As commercial drones become more common, the industry is calling for systems that will tell pilots how bad the impact is so they can keep flying if there is no damage. Researchers from Cardiff and Imperial Universities in the UK and around the world are working on a variety of sensors and materials that will be able to self-assess the health of an aircraft and eliminate the need to interrupt a flight. 
The idea is to develop a low-power, lightweight, wireless system that can determine the location and severity of damage. It may take more than a decade to certify such a system, but eventually pilots will be able to learn how to continue flying safely after an impact. If they need to land, technicians will know where to look and spare parts will be ready. 
Until then, warning, design and careful pilot training will remain our only defense against bird strikes.
17.08.2019 , 09:29 29189
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, every year there are 5,500 bird collisions with aircraft - poor kamikaze birds. Maybe they just don't like sharing the sky with the winged iron monsters and are testing their strength. But what is really happening? Can a bird cause a plane crash? How are aircraft protected from such cases? Ticket Aero will tell you about all this.
Some statistics. Most accidents happen during takeoff or landing. Logically, since birds stay away from outer space, they fly under the clouds. 75% of accidents in the air occur at an altitude of up to 300 m, 20% - at an altitude of 300 to 1500 and only 5% - above 1,500 kilometers. In addition, birds do not always collide with the cockpit, and this happens only in 12% of cases, in 45% of cases they hit the engine.
Of course, during the development of the engine, the designers took into account the possibility of a collision, but the fact is that even the best engines stop in this case.
The most famous feathered story happened in 2009 in North America. A US Airways plane took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport and collided with a flock of birds. As a result, both engines stalled. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger instantly made the only right decision and landed on the water of the Hudson River. The landing was brilliant - all 155 people on board survived. In such a situation, many would have panicked, but this man turned out to be a real hero.
Theoretically, the engines were supposed to withstand a collision with a bird weighing up to 2 kg, so it's time for a crow, a seagull or even a chicken - they did not pose a threat. But according to one version, the plane collided with a flock of wild geese, each of which weighs about 4 kg. Now, many of you are thinking, "why not just put a protective screen in front of the engines." The answer is that it is simply not possible. The screen does not allow air to enter the engines and it must be very strong because not only the animal, but also pieces of metal will get into it. The calculations are as follows: if the plane at a speed of 320 km / h collides with a seagull, then the impact force will be about 3,200 kg per square centimeter. And if the same bird and the plane collided 2 km higher at a speed of 690 km / h, the impact will be 3 times more powerful than a 30 mm projectile shot.
It is very dangerous when a bird hits the fairing. Such a case occurred in 2004, when a passenger jet made an emergency landing in Mumbai. When they got off the plane, the passengers saw a one and a half meter dent under the cockpit and cracks all over the “nose”.
Speaking of modern technology, here's what we have - if the bird gets into the engine, then your chances are 50/50. If the bird is small, then there is nothing to be afraid of, but if it is large, then the compressor may stall. It occurs when the flow of air through the engine is disrupted - this can result in the blades breaking away from the compressors, a fire or an engine explosion. The other, a turboprop, is strong enough to withstand a bird strike, but a small one. It's still possible for the engine to fail. Although the bird does not clog the engine, the blades can bend or come off due to it, and the engine will stop working.
Despite all the above, there is no need to panic and abandon the plane. The designers have provided everything possible, and if one engine stops working, the plane will be able to fly to the nearest landing site using the remaining engines. How far can an airplane fly if both engines fail. The probability of failure of all engines at once is almost zero. In addition, all airports use a system to scare away feathered guests: bioacoustic installations that reproduce the sounds that birds are afraid of, harmless but very noisy pyrotechnics, and the most “mods” release falcons and hawks. During takeoff and landing, the aircraft releases and turns on the headlights. What for? But just to scare away the birds, no matter how trite it may be.
We wish you safe flights and hope that the biggest trouble on the plane will be passengers with crying children, and not suicidal birds. But who knows which is worse?
Airplane vs bird? It would seem that the answer is obvious - the aircraft will definitely come out of this unequal battle as a winner, but unfortunately for the aircraft, the consequences of such a "meeting" can be very, very serious. Recall, for example, the case of an Airbus A320 forced landing on the Hudson River in New York in 2009, then immediately after takeoff, wild geese simultaneously hit both engines, which caused a complete loss of traction. The history of civil aviation knows many cases with a less happy outcome. In this article, we will explain why birds pose such a great danger to aviation.
A little physics.
Since airplanes and birds have to get along in the same sky, collisions (in English) are unfortunately inevitable. Why are their consequences so serious for aircraft? It's all about physics. The speed of most aircraft at an altitude below 1000 meters (this is where 90 percent of collisions occur) is 200 to 400 kilometers per hour. Now let's remember how kinetic energy is calculated. It is proportional to the square of the speed, this is the reason for the colossal destructive ability of birds, because the energy of an object of equal mass at the moment of collision at a speed of 100 and 400 km/h differs by 16 times! That is why seemingly harmless birds for aircraft turn out to be akin to live ammunition. By the way, damage to the aircraft depends not only on the size of the bird. No matter how cynical it may sound, from the point of view of aviation, the density of the bird carcass is primarily important, i.e. size to weight ratio. So, for example, a wild duck with a relatively smaller size does much more damage than a seagull.
Aircraft damage.
The greatest danger is the ingress of birds into the engine, this can lead to deformation of the blades at various stages of the compressor, after which their destruction and engine failure are possible, in some cases even an engine fire.
A bird entering the cockpit glass can cause it to crack, sometimes even break, in which case pilots can be seriously injured.
Birds entering other parts of the fuselage usually do not pose a serious threat to flight safety, but lead to significant structural damage.
Every year, civil aviation suffers multimillion-dollar losses as a result of such incidents.
About birds.
Most of those birds that we usually do not pay attention to (ravens, pigeons, etc.) fly no higher than 100 meters at speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour. You can rarely meet birds at altitudes up to 300 meters. Above 300 meters, as a rule, either birds of prey or migratory birds are found, the flight height of which can reach several kilometers. There are known cases of bird strikes at altitudes of 6000 and even 9000 meters, but this is rather an exception.
Despite their small size, the hearing and vision capabilities of birds are generally similar to those of humans. Studies have shown that birds see a flying aircraft sufficiently in advance, but do not perceive the aircraft as a threat and do not try to change the trajectory of movement in advance to avoid a collision. In addition, birds that have lived in the airport area for a long time and observe aircraft quite often become less cautious. The behavior of the birds immediately before the collision is unpredictable. There is an opinion that birds tend to make a sharp decline rather than a climb, but studies have not shown any patterns in their behavior.
How to fight?
Each major airport has its own ornithological service, which conducts observations and statistics, studies the migration routes of birds, and takes measures to scare them away.
The most widespread are acoustic installations that imitate the cry of birds emitted in danger. Propane cannons are also widely used, making a sound similar to a gunshot. Some airports allow themselves to keep birds of prey, such as falcons.
There are known cases of targeted extermination of certain populations in the areas of airports, for example, in 1990, gulls were shot in New York, about thirty thousand individuals were destroyed. This measure has led to a significant reduction in the number of bird-aircraft collisions.
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