Bird strikes

[jumpnRN 0]

What are the instances of bird strikes while skydiving?

Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin all night

[wolfriverjoe 1,495]

I would think they are really rare. Most birds fly well below pull altitudes, so a freefall strike wouldn't happen.
And canopy speeds (even HP speeds) are low enough for them to see and avoid us.

What makes you ask??

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[NWFlyer 2]

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What are the instances of bird strikes while skydiving?

They happen.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[jumpnRN 0]

I am a Flight Nurse. Depending on pilot, we normally fly at 1800-2500. We hit them frequently and have close calls even more frequently.

I have seen some pics of a helicopter that ran into a flock of geese. It was not pretty. Could not imagine burning through a flock of geese at 120 plus!!!

Ran into a chum with a bottle of rum
And we wound up drinkin all night

[pchapman 278]

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They happen.

I recall that incident, and the link is useful.

Still, the point should be that bird strikes are very, very rare.

[MikeJD 0]

Clearly it's a possibility - but in the list of things that are likely to hurt or kill you in the sport, this must rank so low as to be not worth losing any sleep over.

Also, unlike many of the other more pressing dangers there's just about nothing you could do to foresee or avoid it - so I would say, try not to think about it!

[JohnRich 4]

Shouldn't the FAA & USPA require skydivers to wear some kind of electronic bird-alert system to keep us safe?

[Andy9o8 2]

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Shouldn't the FAA & USPA require skydivers to wear some kind of electronic bird-alert system to keep us safe?

Seems to me you could take this little gizmo, mount it on a velcro strap, and you're good to go.

http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/RealData/RBA_Pager.asp

[BrianM 1]

Two or three years ago I freefell past an eagle at around 4000 feet, missed it by about 20 feet.

"It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

[NovaTTT 2]

In the mid-90's there was a fatality in South America, Brazil, I believe, resulting from a FF birdstrike.

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[Jkralovec 0]

Clearly birds should be banned...

[mutumbo 0]

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Two or three years ago I freefell past an eagle at around 4000 feet, missed it by about 20 feet.

as dangerous and as badly as that could have turned out, i bet it was still pretty awsome

Thanatos340(on landing rounds)--
Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet.

[NWFlyer 2]

There was a hawk at Skydance who was very fond of canopies. It would lurk in the trees to the north side of the landing area, and attack (it was fond of red IIRC) jumpers on base or final legs when landings were to the south. I don't think anyone was ever hurt as a result, but it did manage to damage some canopies.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[BrianM 1]

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Two or three years ago I freefell past an eagle at around 4000 feet, missed it by about 20 feet.

as dangerous and as badly as that could have turned out, i bet it was still pretty awsome

It was pretty neat. I saw this speck that looked like it was moving fast, didn't figure out what it was until I was almost on level with it. I passed behind it and to its right, and as I went by it turned its head and looked over its shoulder at me.

"It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

[BrianM 1]

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There was a hawk at Skydance who was very fond of canopies. It would lurk in the trees to the north side of the landing area, and attack (it was fond of red IIRC) jumpers on base or final legs when landings were to the south. I don't think anyone was ever hurt as a result, but it did manage to damage some canopies.

There's a video on the internet somewhere of a hawk attacking Norman Kent's pilot chute.

While I've had hawks come fly beside me under canopy a couple times, I sure wouldn't want to be attacked by one!

"It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

[mutumbo 0]

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Two or three years ago I freefell past an eagle at around 4000 feet, missed it by about 20 feet.

as dangerous and as badly as that could have turned out, i bet it was still pretty awsome

It was pretty neat. I saw this speck that looked like it was moving fast, didn't figure out what it was until I was almost on level with it. I passed behind it and to its right, and as I went by it turned its head and looked over its shoulder at me.

should have waved hi

thats pretty sweet though!

Thanatos340(on landing rounds)--
Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet.

[bomber 0]

I've never been close to a bird while skydiving, but I once had a crow smash into my face while I was on a bicycle. I was only going 20-25mph, but I was surprisingly disoriented for several minutes afterward. I definitely wouldn't want to hit one in freefall.