A canopy break for any reason has had me thinking about how to prepare for that - helmet, safety glasses, what??
Great story and some great lessons. Most important..."do not go gently into that good night...". Next most important..."carry an extra pair of glasses".
Or alternatively, wait a couple of years and get lens replacement surgery to resolve a developing cataract problem. No more glasses for me (and no more glare from lights at night). I can see great - amazingly well, really. Two birds, one stone.
Or alternatively, wait a couple of years and get lens replacement surgery to resolve a developing cataract problem. No more glasses for me (and no more glare from lights at night). I can see great - amazingly well, really. Two birds, one stone.
Pay close attention to the last minute of that video. It IS the most important part.
Any idea what that last minute means? I don't have enough local knowledge to translate the words to actionable guidance.
Don't fly low? Don't fly near birds? Don't fly over lakes? Don't fly over that specific area?
Thanks for the clarifications, Greg - I'm happy you are around to tell the tale. My airport is right smack in the middle of a beautiful nature area that birds seem to love, and along a canal that was recently restored to a wildlife and bird nesting area. I can't recall a takeoff or landing without seeing some of our flying friends in close proximity. Many are the black crows that seem to have enough intelligence to avoid aircraft, but some are much slower moving pelicans, herons, ducks, and geese. These are the ones I can easily identify - there are dozens more "birds" around that to my untrained eyes, look like "birds". Some unfortunately live in my hangar, and our hangar cat is too lazy and well-fed to scare them off.It's not just a local thing. The local area and time characteristics increased the complexity and risk, but really it's more about making choices and thinking ahead to manage and limit risk.
- Didn't have to fly direct, over the mountains. Could have flown closer to highways and other airports to the north, and not over such inhospitable terrain, which would have added less than an hour to the route.
- Didn't have to be there when it was getting dark, which significantly complicated dealing with an emergency because visualizing anything outside the airplane quickly became difficult. An emergency at night is a lot more difficult to manage than the same thing during daylight, in general.
- The location and timing made for a combination that resulted in severely limited options and higher risk if anything at all was to go wrong (which it did). If you make choices to limit your risks and maximize your options by "not going there" you increase your odds when something does go wrong.
Thanks Greg for telling your story from which we can all learn. Did you consider pushing the level button on the AP at anytime to assist in lowering your work load?
I'm very interested in any ideas about how to avoid a birdstrike, and of course how to survive one should it happen. Your story was very interesting and helpful!
So u get the plane landed, halfway cross the country. What is the fixit, recovery story ??? Repair in Colorado? Truck it back to Oregon??? Fly it back with goggles? Details please. Has to be a separate story.
Or alternatively, wait a couple of years and get lens replacement surgery to resolve a developing cataract problem. No more glasses for me (and no more glare from lights at night). I can see great - amazingly well, really. Two birds, one stone.
Could the canopy have cracked on its own and then broken apart due to air loads?
Scott,
So did a donor canopy fit well enough to get it home??
So u get the plane landed, halfway cross the country. What is the fixit, recovery story ??? Repair in Colorado? Truck it back to Oregon??? Fly it back with goggles? Details please. Has to be a separate story.
Yes it did, but in the interest of minimizing the amount of work time at a remote location, a temporary blem canopy was installed in a few hrs to get it home and then a full install of a new one was done afterwards.
Or alternatively, wait a couple of years and get lens replacement surgery to resolve a developing cataract problem. No more glasses for me (and no more glare from lights at night). I can see great - amazingly well, really. Two birds, one stone.
Oh, An extra set of glasses within reach, would be a great redundancy
Yes for sure. I had my extra set in my backpack. Was not readily available in the overwhelming situation. And, I determined for glasses the best thing would have been a sports strap to hold then on mynoggin probably. Or my helmet! Helmet would have prevented both the visual and comms problems for certain.
Thanks for responding Greg. The startle factor is real, even for experienced pilots, reinforcing the need to continue practicing for emergencies. I’m glad it turned out okay for you.