• Question: Are the chickens you use in the test alive? It just souds cool...

    Asked by jdaniels to Katy on 15 Mar 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Katy Milne

      Katy Milne answered on 15 Mar 2010:

      No. They do not use live chickens in the bird strike test. That would be animal cruelty. When the aircraft is flying live birds are sometimes sucked into the engine though. Not many birds fly at the same altitude as commercial aeroplanes (35,000 feet). The bar-headed goose migrates at a very high altitude. It flies over the top of Everest (28,000 feet).

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-headed_Goose

      Bird strike is therefore more likely to occur when the aeroplane is changing altitude – when it is taking off or landing. It is pretty grim. The engine should withstand the impact without any problem with the flight.

Comments

  • Photo: Louise

    Louise commented on :

    LOL – good question. I thought that too when I read Katy’s profile. I had to check out the video out on Youtube myself just to make sure!!!
    That would have been truly “fowl” science!