Birds

[fudd 0]

A student at the dz once asked me if it was dangerous to hit a bird in freefall. I guess it would hurt, but the odds of hitting one must be incredible small. Has anyone heard about any bird collisions or near misses???
Just wondering....

There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[PLFXpert 0]

I've had one fly right by me under canopy, but I don't think there are too many birds flying at 2500 feet and above. At least, not here in the state that's on sea level.

[Marz 0]

I think the birds would see and hear us long before we could....

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Did I just kill another thread?

[cbain 0]

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A student at the dz once asked me if it was dangerous to hit a bird in freefall. I guess it would hurt, but the odds of hitting one must be incredible small. Has anyone heard about any bird collisions or near misses???

Just wondering....

I asked something similiar once at my dz and was told that the birds can hear you coming and they stay the f%*& out of your way. Never found out for sure if it was true though or not.

Christina

[freeflir29 0]

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Never found out for sure if it was true though or not.

I have seen a flock of geese scatter at the sound of a jumper in Free Fall. The air is a bird's natural environment. It's not like he is going to fail to notice some bumbling human screaming towards the earth...

[Newbie 0]

this has been brought up before - and yes it has happened, check the link for the story and pics (about half way down the page)

http://www.skyxtreme.com/archive/july2000/safety.html

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[nacmacfeegle 0]

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Has anyone heard about any bird collisions or near misses???

There was a pic passing round the web a couple of years back.
It was a bird strike on a full face visor, made a couple of the magazines too....I'll try and find it.

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He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson

[fudd 0]

So it has happened. Oh, that had to hurt! glad he made it...

[freeflir29 0]

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So it has happened

I wouldn't be so sure. I have repaired many bird strikes on aircraft and have never found one sticking through the leading edge of a wing like that. Usually just a smear or a pile of remnants left inside the hole.

[hobbes4star 0]

lucky the guy was wearing a shield. damn though what a cool story to have.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[PhreeZone 20]

I'd bet there was some doctoring of that too... ever see how bad a bird explodes when hit by a car at 50 mph? At 120 mph it would be way worse..

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>>So it has happened
>>
>I wouldn't be so sure. I have repaired many bird strikes on aircraft
>and have never found one sticking through the leading edge(...)

I'm not buying it either. I'd think that a bird hitting the visor of a full-face at 120 mph would go "splat", or just bounce off...

Erno

[phastasphuk 0]

Seen seagulls several times above 1000m at my dz...highest around 1300m, so i guess it could happen, never heard of it though. Its quite scary seeing them that high, and they are big nasty stupid ugly disgusting birds (never liked them..at all), so i guess taking one of 'em in freefall would hurt..lot's.

That visor pic gotta be a montage. Several freinds of mine have clipped birds while bikeriding, and there is nothing left of them except the usual gore and blood on the leathers. Bruised for several weeks they have been after hitting something like that, and thats with bikeleathers....imagine thin jumpsuit instead....not pretty...

chris

[Scratch 0]

I have taken a bird (Pigeon) strike on the helmet while bike riding. I was doing about 120-130 kph at the time.
It shattered the visor (Thank god for sunglasses) and I had a really sore neck for weeks. How I did not fall off I will never know.
From that experience I would say a bird strike in tha face at terminal has very good odds in killing you.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

The main thing IMO is that birds _will_ hear you in freefall. Hell, we can hear people in freefall on the ground! And thats half a mile away!

Then again, if you were to hit a deaf bird...

Erno

[phastasphuk 0]

Yup, they will hear you, but will that make them move? Bikes doing high speed makes this sound that very much resembles someone in freefall, like slow thunder rolling in, and bikers (and cars) constantly hit birds. Granted, there are LOTS more vehicles than skydivers and far less birds up there than down here, but assuming birds will take the correct evasive manouvers i find somewhat unlikely.

Doubt skydivers have been around long enough for birds to develop a "skydiver evasive action" gene.... haha, if they cant dodge something coming a lots slower than terminal from the side, how can the dodge skydivers at terminal from above...

chris

[Scratch 0]

Have you seen a falcon hunt?
I would say the the birdies keep a wary eye out for what is above them.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>Bikes doing high speed makes this sound that very much
>resembles someone in freefall, like slow thunder rolling in

>Doubt skydivers have been around long enough for birds
> to develop a "skydiver evasive action" gene....

I think the main difference is that it's quiet up there. Near the ground(and roads of course) there is a continuous stream of cars and bikes, and the birds just can't react to all the sounds or they'd die of stress.

On the other hand, a bird flying up there, in a nice, quiet environment, would literally be scared shitless when that telltale hum of a skydiver in freefall start to approach...

And as I said before, I'm inclined to believe that a freefall collision with a bird would leave very little left of the bird. As far as I'm concerned, no one has yet collided with a bird in FF.

Erno

[phastasphuk 0]

Yep. seen falcons hunt...they swoop put of the sky, poor little birdie never knew what happened

Seriosly, just rememberd that birdies have poor sense of hearing but very good vision, ie flashing your headlights instead of sounding your horn have better effect of scaring birds away.

Havent happened yet, hope it never will cuz it WILL be a mess, and im not talking about the bird.

chris

[bivar 0]

We had a crash between a seagull and a c-185 at jumprun at 4000' a few years ago.. It scared the h*** out of us. Bird everywere, impossible to see anything through the windshield, so the pilot had to land the airplane wearing googles sticking his head halfway out the open left side window.
Incidents with birds are not uncommon at this airport, but birds as high up as 4000' is something wi don't like too much.

BI

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