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Bugs at 8500 feet?

N112B

N112B

Active Member
Last week I was flying my RV-7A, "Lucky 7", west to Arkansas at 8500 feet about 15 miles due south of the Memphis Airport. It was a clear day and I could see the Memphis airport clearly out my right side glass. I looked forward out the wind screen and about that time a black spec I could see coming at me for maybe a second, slammed my wind screen leaving a large trail of yellowish juice flowing up my wind screen.

I thought it had to be a bug because there were no intrails, or blood, or feathers as might be produced from a bird. It was yellow, like bug juice. And to see it coming for maybe a second at 200mph, it had to be fairly large. What kind of insect would be flying around at 8500 feet?? (No damage, just juice).

Regards. Bob
 
All kinds. Thermals can take insects to altitude quite easily. When I was flying model sailplanes, one of the signs of a thermal crossing the field was the sudden flurry of small birds swooping across the grass, catching insects being lifted up.
 
A couple of weeks ago Kahuna (-8) and I were flying back in a two-ship from Tuscaloosa, AL to Atlanta. We were at 9500ft and both whacked several LARGE bugs.
 
Corn Stalks????

Cruising along at 6500' in a Comanche, we were quite surprised and amazed to see an occasional corn stalk whiz by during the course of a few minutes.
 
Bob, you beat me to this post. I had this happen a couple weeks ago in central Alabama at 9500?.

I looked up, saw this bird sized bug and did the spastic reflex duck thing. The bug hit right in front of my face. My wife and I both heard the impact even with the engine noise and headsets on. The goo trailed across the entire canopy, on to the rear window and went as far as the beginning of the turtle deck.

Like Bob, I assume I hit a bug because there was no blood, but Holy Cow. It seemed like it was as big as a sparrow. What the heck was it??
 
no chance

The first rule in hanger flying..."The first liar never has a chance".... :D
 
N112B said:
What kind of insect would be flying around at 8500 feet?? (No damage, just juice).

Regards. Bob
Click to expand...

Bob....this time of year there are lots of bees (big fat juicy ones) flying around and polinating flowers......I have hit quite a few inthe past while also (they make a loud smack when they collide with plexiglass)....Air currents get them up there where we are. the ones that go by the canopy look like 50 cal rounds......dodge and evade tactics apply ;)
 
If I remember correctly, spiders are the highest flying animals.

I have also hit bugs at 7000 to 9000 feet here in the S.E., but I can assure you that almost always in the S.E. that is way about the tops of thermals. As a glider pilot I know. For those that don't rely on thermals for lift, a good rule of thumb is that cloudbase is the top of thermal lift.

I have never quite figured out how bugs can be several thousand feet above thermals.
 
Think of this a little differently.
You're a bug. You're at 8500 ft.
You're VFR. You're thinking " no bird gonna find me here."
Splat!!!
Kinda not fair.
 
I've hiked many a trail above 10k and there were plenty of bugs.

Re: tubbleweeds
Living in NM, I've had them pass me in my car driving down the interstate.
 
gnuse said:
I have also hit bugs at 7000 to 9000 feet here in the S.E., but I can assure you that almost always in the S.E. that is way about the tops of thermals. As a glider pilot I know.
Click to expand...

Don't tell that to the altitude record-setting glider pilots. The thermal extends through cloud-base. Just because you have to stay VFR doesn't mean the rising air does. The convective activity that creates a thunderstorm carries air up thousands of feet in minutes. I refer anyone interested to Meteorology fo Glider Pilots by C. E. Wallington, chapters 13 and 14 regarding convective patterns. Interestingly, the last paragraphs of chapter 14 mentions radar returns of birds as a marker of thermal activity, as the birds converge on insects borne aloft by rising air.
 
We got splatted at 11,500 feet in just about the same general area - central Alabama and northwestern Georgia on June 16 on our way through. Three good hits on the windscreen and a couple on the leading edges. You could hear the hits and they left a nice large green "marker". I remember there was a lot of convection around with tops maybe going to 20k. Locusts?

Barb and I have taken this route six times or so from Louisiana to Delaware with RON at Clemson, SC (CEU) but encountering this flak is the first time.

Slightly OT, Clemson will be closed sometime in July through August for a new runway.
 
Let's see... While flying my 2000+ hours... I've had close mid-airs with ducks in Arkansas at 6500 feet, Whopping Cranes over Florida at 1700 feet, and hang-gliders directly underneath clouds at 3500 feet. Numerous close calls with other flying aircraft, even during flight following no less. I hit a cow bird on takeoff once. I've seen the space shuttle on the back of a 747... twice. But this is my first bug at 8500 feet. I was thinking maybe it fell off of a Fedex jet coming out of Memphis!
 
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I hit a bird once smack in the middle of the windshield.

Altitude... 15,000 feet and 35 miles off shore, vicinity of Honduras.


Bob
 
I know a guy in my squadron who hit a bird at night at 6500' AGL here in Lower Alabama/FL panhandle...
 
Dragonflies

Several years ago I flew through a huge swarm of dragonflies in North Dakota while at a similar altitude. Some dragonfly species are migratory, and they are strong fliers, moving > 200 miles a day. There have been recent studies on their migratory behavior using miniature transmitters. They form huge swarms (> 1,000,000) of migrants in the fall. Do a google search on "dragonfly migration", they are amazing animals.

-Andy
 
Years ago I hit a Wonderbread sack at 8500ft over Kentucky. It stuck to the leading edge of the wing and remain there until touchdown.
 
Cornstalks and Wonderbread

I have been visiting this forum for a while now and I have got to say that the information I have received about building AND flying RV's has been outstanding. I visit other forums for similar information and yet others for information on stuff other than flying and building planes

BUT, there is no other forum that has me rolling in the floor as much as this one does. I have to stop reading to wipe the tears from my eyes. I mean - here's a thread about bugs, bags, birds and bushes at altitude!
 
Years ago, I was trying out my brand new Factory Diver skydiver full face coverage helmet. At about 5,000 AGL over Lodi, Ca...SPLAT! Some kind of bug would have hit me right in the face had it not been for that brand new helmet. It left a yellow mess across the clear face shield. I think it would have been painful.
 
On the way to Lake Havasu at 9,500 our windscreen caught a couple of those bugs that make big yellow marks and hit with a thud. It was a surprise when that happened.

Last year while flying across Tennessee at 7,500' a helium balloon appeared to pass off of our right wing as we sped past it. A few minutes later my wife called out "Balloon" and before I could react we hit the string about a foot inboard from the right wing tip. The balloon seperated, but the string was wrapped around the leading edge and stayed there until we were in the pattern at Crossville. It was kind of neat to see the airflow over the wing with the string staying about 1/2" above the top skin but following the contour of the wing. You can see the string in this picture if you look closely.
turkstrip074it7.jpg
 
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Ironman, the movie

....."bogie is on your belly, uhhhhhhh it looks like a man, shake him off..."

....."you know you owe me a plane.." "well, technically, he hit me.".......


now that would be a shocker! :eek:
 
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