In April, Honeywell announced the development of Surface Alert (SURF-A), a software technology that will help pilots avoid these types of events. Now the company is testing the product using its specially equipped Boeing 757.

On Friday FLYING and other media were offered a seat on a demonstration flight. In the left seat a Honeywell pilot took the role of PIC while pilot evaluators from potential customer airlines occupied the right seat and jumpseat on the flight deck.

The idea is that SURF-A will be integrated with Honeywell’s already existing Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Smart X, the company’s software designed to enhance runway situational awareness that has been aboard many business aircraft for more than 10 years.

Demonstration Flight

The demonstration flight was staged out of King County International Airport/Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle destined for Yakima Air Terminal/McAllister Field (KYKM). The flight to Yakima takes about 20 minutes in a 757. The tower operators at KYKM were briefed on the plan and ready. 

Also partaking in the test was a Falcon 900, which was designated the intruder aircraft by Honeywell. Its job was to “get in the way” of the 757 on the ground.

The test scenarios were drawn from real-world events—such as the runway incursion at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (KAUS) in Texas in February 2023 when air traffic control cleared a FedEx 767-300 freighter to land on Runway 18L occupied by a Southwest Airlines 737. The investigation revealed that when the 737 requested takeoff clearance, it was still taxing toward the runway. The controller, presuming the 737 was at the runway threshold, issued the clearance. At the time the 767 was on a less than a mile final. The 737 crew then paused on the runway for 19 seconds to run up the engines per deicing procedures before beginning its takeoff roll.

The crew of the 767 saw the airliner below in time to execute a go around, offsetting to avoid the jet passing beneath them.

The other incursion resulting in a scenario took place in January 2023 at JFK International Airport (KJFK) in New York when an American Airlines Boeing 777 was cleared to taxi to Runway 4L via bravo and kilo, then to cross Runway 31L. It missed the turn, however, and taxied across 4L instead of 31L at the same time a Delta Air Lines B737 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 4L. The 737’s takeoff clearance was canceled, and the aircraft came to a stop approximately 1,000 feet from the other one.

Finally, a wrong-surface event (lining up on a taxiway instead of the runway) and runway excursion, where the pilot gets behind the airplane flying an unstable approach and the aircraft is too fast and improperly configured to land on the first third of the runway.

About the Aircraft

The Honeywell 757 was equipped with cameras in the cockpit and computer monitors in the observer seats (formerly known as first class) to show the pilot’s view. Headsets allowed reporters on the flight to listen to cockpit communications. Mid-cabin on the 757, Honeywell engineers evaluated data during the flight at a series of computer workstations.

The pilot of the 757 contacted Yakima Tower and requested permission to perform each scenario. The tower had been briefed prior to the flight, and each request was approved with the final words “at your own risk” as these are not normal maneuvers for a 757.

How SURF-A Works

According to Thea Feyereisen, a senior technical fellow at Honeywell who specializes in human factors, there is a lot that can go wrong when you mix people and machines, especially when something unexpected happens.

SURF-A uses GPS data, ADS-B equipment, and advanced analytics to pinpoint the exact location of traffic hazards, such as an aircraft ahead  crossing the runway.

The software algorithm, combined with GPS position, alerts the pilot of an aircraft equipped with SURF-A as soon as the throttles are advanced. There is an aural alert and auditory warning followed by a textual display on the pilot’s primary flight display.

Company officials said that the technology, once certified by the FAA, can be installed in aircraft already flying as well as in new production aircraft. It was noted that the Honeywell 757 is a 42-year-old airframe and does quite well with the retrofit.

Demos Begin

The weather the day of the demonstration flight was severe clear, so the Falcon was visible on the runway at KYKM during the approach. The 757 was cleared for landing with the usual altitude callouts. When the aircraft was about a mile out, an urgent aural warning sounded, and a female voice urgently announced: “Traffic on runway! Traffic on runway!” The same message appeared in a text message on the pilot’s display. The first warning came about 30 seconds before “landing,” and the second one approximately 15 seconds ahead of touchdown—and a potential collision.

The next two demonstrations involved the 757 lining up to land on a taxiway, and another with the 757 preparing for takeoff with the Falcon crossing well down the 7,604-foot runway ahead—so far down that in the flat morning light of the high desert, the smaller jet could not be easily seen from the cockpit.

In the excursion demonstration, the 757 pilot came in too fast and improperly configured, forgetting to slow down or apply the appropriate flaps. When this happens in the real world, some pilots, although behind the airplane, do their best to make the landing, resulting in an unstable approach where they run out of runway—but not inertia—and go off the end of the pavement. SURF-A supplies callouts of distance remaining, letting the pilot know exactly how much room they have left to work with.

Honeywell estimated that FAA certification of SURF-A is 12 to 18 months away, joining its portfolio of other runway safety products, which include a Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) and the SmartRunway and SmartLanding software introduced 15 years ago.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on FLYING. 

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June 6 marks the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, in 1944. Code-named Operation Overlord, it was a massive logistical effort involving nearly 156,000 American, British, Canadian, free French, and Polish troops landing on five beaches along the coast of France.

The invasion required advances in engineering and logistical planning as well as coordination of thousands of troops, ships, and aircraft to make it work.

To mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which many historians see as the beginning of the end of World War II (although some of the fiercest fighting in Europe would continue for another 11 months), the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and other groups have flown vintage WWII aircraft to Europe to participate in the event.

The invasion was executed in five phases, beginning with the midnight drop of 23,400 Allied paratroopers into Normandy. Their mission was to secure access from the beaches inland.

The post The 80th Anniversary of D-Day appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

ASA has been helping pilots achieve certification for decades. The Instrument Pilot Oral Exam Guide, now in its 11th edition, is arranged by topic, and provides a question-and-answer format very similar to the way the oral portion of the checkride is presented.

• READ MORE: ASA Launches 11th Edition of Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide

Blair aligns the guide with the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) that went into effect on May 31, 2024. 

This edition has new and expanded content for the pilot to apply during the preflight, and discussion of the departure, en route, and arrival phases of instrument flight. There is an increase in application of scenario-based training, along with additional study material for Instrument Instructor (CFII) candidates. There’s also guidance for instrument proficiency checks (IPC) which to be effective, should be much more than shooting approaches.

The Instrument PilotOral Exam Guide can be found at pilot supply shops, online retailers, or at ASA2fly.com.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on flyingmag.com. 

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They make a mess when they hit the windscreen. They are distracting when they swarm you as you are trying to do a preflight inspection of the airplane. And sometimes, they can get into the equipment and make it fail.

Over the weekend the crew of a Challenger 350 at John C. Tune Airport (KJWN) in Nashville, Tennessee, was having difficulty starting its engines. The aircraft was hooked up to an auxiliary power unit (APU), which is designed to assist with engine start. But, according to Blake Love, co-founder of Mansa Aero, although the APU was operating, it was not able to start the aircraft.

Love and Mansa co-founder Andrew Warwick both checked to see what the problem was.

“We put a borescope down the APU and found it full of cicadas. They blocked the airflow,” Love said. “We have never seen anything like it. We have 20 years of experience between the two of us and this was a first.”

Cicadas are flying insects that spend most of their life underground. They emerge every 13 or 17 years (depending on their particular cycle) looking for a mate. They swarm in such great numbers that they produce a deafening hum, so loud that outdoor events like weddings are relocated. The louder the bugs—which are about an inch long and have wings—the better they are for increasing the species.

Cicadas are not terribly selective, and they were apparently attracted to the noise and heat of the APU and piled into the inlet, blocking the airflow.

When the technicians evaluated the problem, they were attacked by the swarm. They are not poisonous, but if you are frightened of bugs, you are not going to have a good day as thousands of inch-long flying insects zip around and land on you.

Love and Warwick said they were being dive bombed by the cicadas as they put the APU back together, and the noise of the engines stirred them up even more.

“It was quite a swarm, almost biblical,” said Warwick, noting that great numbers of the insects flew into the operating APU, where they promptly met their demise.

• Mysteries of Flight: Drone Swarms In 2019-2020

Love and Warwick offered advice for aircraft owners as we wait for this cicada manifestation to run its course: Don’t let your airplane sit outside with the APU running for an extended amount of time.

There are two swarms of cicadas making an appearance this year—those on the 13-year cycle and another on the 17-year cycle. They are emerging from the ground by the trillions when the temperature of the soil reaches 64 degrees. Once they come out, they molt, leaving behind exoskeletons. When their wings become dry, they head into the treetops to find a mate. Cicadas do not destroy crops, but they just make a lot of noise and in great enough numbers can block drains and air intakes.

According to insect experts, the cicadas will be emerging through June as far north as Wisconsin and as far south as Alabama.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on flyingmag.com.

The post Flying in the Time of Cicadas appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

• READ MORE: Tecnam Brings the P-Mentor to North America

About the P-Mentor

The post Tecnam Earns Part 23 Cert for P-Mentor appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

EDMO Distributors. can help you do the job more safely with Sprague Instruments’ wireless “Gripper” digital cable tensiometer. An easy-to-read digital screen enhances the process.

According to the manufacturer, “the tension measurement head is a low-profile, streamlined separate unit from the hand-held display that features a highly visible, backlit, flat-faced LCD screen.” 

The display and the tension head connect through a Bluetooth link. Both are powered by LiPo rechargeable batteries and can be recharged together using the supplied dual charger. As you make adjustments, the metrics appear on the screen.

The company provides an online video tutorial to show you how it is done.

Three separate kits are available:

• A bridal cable kit (P/N CTRBCWL30) covering three cable sizes (1/16, 3/32, 1/8) with a tension range of 10-30 pounds.
• A control cable kit (P/N CTRGAWL150) covering five cable sizes (1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16) and a tension range of 10-150 pounds.
• And a third (P/N CTRDHWL150) that includes both tension heads with a single display to give the user full capability in one kit.

The kit is housed in a molded case with custom-cut foam for long-life protection.

The post EDMO Offering Autopilot Cable Adjustment Tools appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

A stalking horse bid is defined as an initial offer on the assets of a bankrupt company. It establishes the baseline price for assets of the company.

SG Investment America Inc. has been designated to set the floor price for the sale of ICON’s assets. According to the company, this step is aimed at maximizing the value for its stakeholders and facilitating a smooth transition through the bankruptcy process.

• READ MORE: ICON Announces Bankruptcy Filing

“The decision to designate a stalking horse bidder underscores our commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of our business,” said Jerry Meyer, CEO of ICON Aircraft. “We believe that this proactive approach will help employees, partners, and customers have confidence in our ongoing operations, enabling the company to achieve the best possible outcome.”

It was noted that during this process that ICON continues to build, sell, and service its amphibious aircraft, as well as work with the FAA to achieve type certification of the ICON A5.

• READ MORE: The Icon A5: An LSA Amphib That Handles Like A Dream

The company noted the bankruptcy sale process is expected to continue through late May.

The post ICON Aviation Bankruptcy Moves Forward appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

It is not uncommon for air traffic control to pose this question to pilots on IFR flight plans approaching certain airports when the weather is VFR. In daylight, when the visibility is good, the winds calm, and the pilot familiar with the airport—and the approach is a straight in—the visual is no big deal.

But throw in weather, fatigue, low light, pilot unfamiliarity, and a circle to land, and it’s a different event.

Honeywell Aerospace is trying to mitigate these risks, expanding its navigation database to offer flight management system (FMS) guided visual procedures as a stand-alone option.

According to Jim Johnson, senior manager of flight technical services at Honeywell, the visual approaches are created in collaboration with Jeppesen. The instructions for the guided visuals look like Jeppesen approach plates but carry the caveat “advisory guidance only” and “visual approach only.” In addition, the symbology on the approaches differs in a handful of ways.

“The FMS-guided visual provides a lateral and vertical path from a fix fairly close to the airport all the way down to the runway,” says Johnson. “You can hand fly them or couple them to the autopilot.”

Visual into KTEB

One of the first guided visual approaches was created for the descent to Runway 1 at Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey.

The airport sits in a very industrialized area with the runway blending into warehouses and business parks. Honeywell provides a video of the visual approach on its website that illustrates the value of having that helping hand. Having the extra vertical and lateral guidance from a mathematically created visual procedure allows pilots to better manage their approach, configuring the aircraft in an expedient manner to avoid “coming in high and hot” in an improperly configured aircraft.

• READ MORE: Garmin GFC 500 Autopilot Receives FAA STC for Beechcraft A35 and B35 Aircraft

This is quite helpful when the aircraft needs to circle to land, says Carey Miller, pilot and senior manager of technical sales at Honeywell.

“Going into Runway 1 at Teterboro on the visual, you are not aligned with the VASI,” Miller says. “There is no vertical guidance, which can lead to a dive to the runway. Add a moonless night or gusty winds, and it can be quite challenging. Not being able to see the airport is a detriment to your energy management. The visual approaches, when coupled to the autopilot, eliminate the guesswork and the overbanking tendency that can lead to stalls.”

Adds Johnson: “The aircraft will fly constant radius turns, [and] you will be on the same ground track every time because the computer knows how to manage the vertical and lateral path. It gets rid of the pilot drifting down or turning early because of the winds.”

Airspace Guidance

The guided visual procedures created thus far have come from suggestions from Honeywell customers, including a visual approach to Chicago Executive/Prospect Heights Airport in Wheeling, Illinois (KPWK). KPWK is in Class D airspace, 8 nm from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD). The Class B airspace for KORD sits above KPWK. There is a V-shaped cutout with various altitudes over KPWK.

The guided visual can help the pilot avoid clipping the Class B airspace during the circle to land—and the dreaded phone call with ATC that results.

The Creative Process

Each approach is created using software tools that take into account the airspace and terrain at the airport, then test flown in simulators to check for flyability.

According to Johnson, the suggestions for where to offer the guided visual approaches come from their customers.

“There are a lot of secondary and regional airports in the U.S. that have both terrain and airspace considerations that make visual approaches very challenging,” says Johnson. “For example, Van Nuys, California (KVNY), has both airspace challenges and a ridge nearby.”

• READ MORE: How To Manage Deadstick Approaches

In some cases, the team may opt to create a visual approach as an overlay to improve safety at airports where closely spaced simultaneous approaches are in use. As this issue was going to press, Honeywell was working on an approach to Runway 28R/L at San Francisco International Airport (KSFO). The visual approach has a briefing sheet with textual guidance, and Honeywell has literally drawn a picture of it.

During development each procedure is flown in a simulator, using a specific briefing sheet that is checked and double-checked for accuracy and usability. Each approach has the ability to be coupled with the autopilot.

Miller cautions it is important to recognize that the visual procedures are not considered instrument approaches in the traditional sense.

“Do not request it as an approach, because ATC will not be aware of it,” Miller says. This information is emphasized on the procedure briefing sheet that accompanies each guided visual approach.

The guided visual approach is loaded in the FMS just like an instrument approach. The pilots can access them with a few pushes of a button, just as they do Jeppesen approaches.

“To use the visual approaches, the customer needs to have a Honeywell-equipped aircraft, and in addition to the FMS database, for an additional $2,000 per year they receive the visual approaches,” says Miller.

To request an approach, contact Honeywell at FTS@honeywell.com. It takes approximately four weeks to put one together.

Coming Full Circle

In many ways, the visual approach procedures represent a modern treatment to the first approaches created by Elrey Jeppesen—yes, that Jeppesen—who became a pilot in 1925 at the age of 18. At the time, there was no such thing as maps purpose-built for aviation. Pilots relied on road maps—which often weren’t terribly accurate, following railroad tracks from town to town or by pilotage and dead reckoning.

In 1925, Jeppesen went to work as a survey pilot and by 1930 was working for Boeing Air Transport, the precursor to United Airlines. This was decades before air traffic control and electronic navigation systems were created. Jeppesen bought a small notebook and filled it with information about the routes he flew. In it there were drawings of runways and airports and information that pilots needed to know, like the elevation of water towers, telephone numbers of farmers who would provide weather reports, and dimensions of the runway and its distance from the nearest city.

In 1934, this evolved into the Jeppesen Company and the notebook into the en route charts and terminal area procedures we know today. Much of Jeppesen’s flying was done in the Pacific Northwest. The Museum of Flight in Seattle is the keeper of the Elrey B. Jeppesen Collection, and for many years there was a replica of his first notebook on display in the Red Barn.

We think Captain Jepp would appreciate how far the approaches he inspired have come.

This column first appeared in the January-February 2024/Issue 945 of FLYING’s print edition.

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In 1939, Franklin Roosevelt was the first sitting president to recognize GA, according to AOPA president Mark Baker. This year also marks the 85th anniversary of AOPA, an organization created to support GA.

The National Celebration of GA Flyover will be broadcast live on AOPA’s YouTube channel.

with commentary from longtime “AOPA Live This Week” host Tom Haines and journalist Miles O’Brien. The pair will be on a rooftop providing commentary as aircraft fly overhead.

Haines noted that he’s spent a good bit of time researching the participant airplanes and was impressed to learn of their rich history.

Logistics

Mike Ginter, AOPA vice president of airports and state advocacy, will serve as the air boss for the event. Ginter said that all the aircraft will be strategically launched from Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK) in Maryland—the home of AOPA—beginning at 11:30 a.m. EST on May 11.

The aircraft will be expected to fly at 90 knots at an altitude of 1,000 feet, ensuring they are visible from the ground and online.

“The goal is to get aviation outside of the airport fence lines,” Ginter said.

For those who won’t be in D.C., pilots are encouraged to organize watch parties at their airports.

Sixty aircraft, representing 20 different chapters of GA, are scheduled to participate. The aircraft and pilots, most of whom are the aircraft owners, were selected months ago.

Baker will be leading the parade, flying his Beechcraft Staggerwing 17, an aircraft synonymous with the golden age of aviation. The round-engine Staggerwing biplane was one of the first to feature an enclosed cockpit. In the 1930s, it was the choice for executive transport and air racers.

“It’s going to be a special time for AOPA and for general aviation,” Baker said. “What a sight it will be to see the history of general aviation flying over the National Mall, as GA has given this nation so much over the past many decades. AOPA is uniquely positioned to plan this complex event and execute it safely and professionally.”

Among the aircraft planned to appear are a WACO UPF-7, Douglas DC-3, a Grumman Albatross, one of the only two Beechcraft Starships still flying, a Robinson R44, and a Piper M700 Fury certified this year.

The flyover will also feature an appearance by the Titan Aerobatic Team.

Parade Route

Washington has some of the most restricted airspace in the country. More than 11 agencies, including the FAA, air traffic control, TSA, and U.S. Secret Service are coordinating for the event, which will include flight in Prohibited Area P-56. The restricted airspace was created after 9/11.

The route takes the aircraft past the Lincoln Memorial, down Independence Avenue, and past the Washington Monument.

GA, By the Numbers

Parade aircraft were selected to showcase technological advancements in aviation and demonstrate the ways GA has improved its safety records over the years.

According to AOPA, the GA industry enjoys the safest record ever due to better aircraft, navigation systems, flight training, and better, more engaging ways to stay proficient. General aviation aircraft fly more than 26 million flight hours each year, including about 30 million takeoffs and landings.

AOPA officials said they hope the event will help spread the word that general aviation often comes from small towns with small aircraft manufacturing facilities, such as Yakima, Washington; Vacaville, California; and Vero Beach, Florida.

More information on the event, route, and planned aircraft can be found on AOPA’s GA Flyover campaign website.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on flyingmag.com.

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Ahead of us some 1,000 feet down the runway there was a bald eagle standing on the centerline, scarfing down the carcass of what looked like a large white rabbit. We brought the aircraft to a stop as the bird stopped its feeding frenzy and hopped toward us, spreading its wings and obviously saying, “Come at me, bro!” in eagle.  

We had three choices: We could try to scare the bird away by heading toward it and run over the carcass in the process, go off the runway to the side and take our chances in the grass area that needed mowing, or we could do a 180-degree turn and taxi back. I chose door number three and in taking the aircraft demonstrated the pivot turn to the learner.   

As he taxied us back to the ramp, I got on the unicom and reported that there was an eagle parked on the runway. That brought out the airport manager with his truck and big shovel. He scared off the bird by waving the tool, then picked up the remains of the white rabbit and flung it into the woods on the east side of the airport. The eagle flew after the carcass. Within 10 minutes there was a warning on the one-minute weather about wildlife in the vicinity of the airport.   

The airport manager later told me that as it was May and the carcass was that of a white domesticated rabbit and figured it was a pet Easter bunny that had been dumped. Sadly, this happens a lot and pretty much condemns the animal to death. He also noted that there is no such thing as one rabbit, suggesting the abandoned pet was pregnant when it was left and likely mixed with the wild population, resulting in more rabbits. Their presence attracts the higher predators such as coyotes and eagles—two animals you definitely don’t want to hit with an aircraft. He was right. In the following weeks, there was an uptick in coyote and eagle encounters at the airport.  

One of the most frequently asked questions is how much trouble would a pilot be in if they accidentally hit a bald eagle—or any animal for that matter. The answer is none. However, the FAA has provided us with guidance with Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5200-32B.   

According to the AC, pilots are asked to report encounters with all birds, bats, and terrestrial mammals larger than 2.2 pounds. That means if you hit a rabbit, muskrat, armadillo, fox, coyote, domestic animal, deer or something else with hooves, the FAA wants to know about it because it helps the agency create wildlife management plans to make airports safer.   

Additionally, biologists want to know about these things because it can help them track migratory patterns.  

An increase in animal activity at an airport can also be a clue that there is something else happening on the property.  

For example, when deer and elk started appearing en masse on the north end of the airport, the manager realized there was likely a hole in the fence against the tree line. There were thick trees on both sides of the fence, so getting to it involved making your way through a lot of slash and uneven terrain. But someone did it and had cut the chain-link fence intentionally.  

Based on the tire tracks that appeared to be from ATVs—and the number of hangars that were broken into—it was suggested that someone was accessing the airport to steal tools and anything else they could sell for scrap metal. 

If You Hit an Animal

The AC has instructions on how to file a report and with whom. Pilots are asked to do this when “bird or other wildlife remains, whether in whole or in part, are found: (1) Within 250 feet of a runway centerline or within 1,000 feet of a runway end unless another reason for the animal’s death is identified or suspected.”  

In addition, the FAA wants to know about it if “the presence of birds or other wildlife on or off the airport had a significant negative effect on a flight,” such as forcing the pilot to abort takeoff or the aircraft leaving the pavement to avoid a collision.   

You can report the event online at the Airport Wildlife Hazard Mitigation website or via mobile devices.

The Worst Thing to Hit

According to the AC, the animal encounters that are likely to result in the most damage are  white-tailed deer, snow goose, turkey vultures and Canada geese.   

I have encountered all of these, fortunately from a distance. Mostly we have geese in the Pacific Northwest, and airports invest a lot of time and money into methods to deter the birds from roosting there. This includes noise cannons, using an airport dog to chase them away, or having someone drive around in a golf cart to chase them away.  

There are some airports that disguise ponds on their property by filling them with black or gray plastic balls (think the ball pit at a kid’s amusement center). From the air the birds see the black and gray and assume that it is cement, not water, so they do not land.  

If you see a gaggle of geese near the runway, notify airport personnel before you take off or land. The staff will likely chase them off before you take the runway. Bonus note: If you land at an airport and see plywood dogs mounted on revolving poles in the airport grass infield, that’s a good indication they have bird issues. Birds see the faux dogs moving in the wind and avoid the area.  

Avoiding Birds

You can decrease your chances of having a bird strike by avoiding places they congregate, such as bird sanctuaries. Pay attention to the altitude restrictions noted on the VFR sectional and terminal charts, especially along coastlines.   

Most birds fly at 2,500 feet or less, so flying higher than that can mitigate your risk. Be careful with flocks of starlings and seagulls as their numbers can create serious issues if you fly through them. If you see them on the ground, don’t buzz them. They will likely launch in a panic with disastrous results.  

Unfortunately, most of our knowledge about bird strike avoidance is theoretical and anecdotal. Some pilots believe that turning on the landing light will deter birds because they will see and avoid the aircraft.  

If you see a bird approaching head-on, pull up, being careful not to stall the aircraft. The birds often dive to avoid aircraft—so do bats. But sometimes you just don’t have the time to react. I speak from experience.  

I was flying with a learner on downwind at an altitude of 1,000 feet agl when we saw a red-tailed hawk heading right for us. It had descended into the pattern, and it was going the opposite direction. It had its belly toward us, and it was flapping wildly. There was a thump, followed by a shudder in the airframe, and we felt and heard something roll over the top of the aircraft. I took the controls and gingerly tested the rudder and elevator while my learner looked outside for damage. We didn’t see any, and the landing was normal. After landing we discovered a small dent, and some blood and feathers stuck to the top wing next to the air vent.  

We had noted where the strike took place, including the altitude and our airspeed at the time of impact. This information was used to fill out the FAA Bird/Wildlife Strike Report.   

We were lucky because we were not going too fast, and the bird did not hit the windscreen. The higher the speed, the greater risk of structural damage. GA aircraft windscreens are definitely not designed to withstand bird strikes.  

The most important thing to remember if you encounter a bird strike is to fly the airplane. Pilots who have experienced bird strikes that resulted in significant damage tell stories of the aircraft “flying a little wonky” because of a big dent in the wing or tail and having trouble maintaining altitude if the windscreen is compromised.  

But they lived to tell the story. That’s what’s important.

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