With birdstrike initially suspected, it's only a matter of time before CNN's Lou Dobbs starts calling for a 30-thousand-foot fence along our northern border to prevent illegal alien Canadian geese from downing U.S. airliners.
I have a bit of experience with birdstrike. Working on jets for the Navy - in the 1970s - we had an A-4 Skyhawk bingo from a carrier off the coast after hitting a bird.
Serious damage to the wingroot. I think many people don't grasp the massive force in foot-pounds involved in hitting a bird at high speed. And sucked into engines? Forget it. Sheesh, did that A-4 ever STINK. Nobody wanted to go near it. Dried bird guts splattered all over, even after a trip to the washrack.
Finally several of us wrapped wet towels loaded with aftershave around our faces and made rudimentary repairs. Enough to send the plane back to the carrier, where THOSE guys could deal with it.
Very glad the Hudson River incident turned out as well as it did.
I have a bit of experience with birdstrike. Working on jets for the Navy - in the 1970s - we had an A-4 Skyhawk bingo from a carrier off the coast after hitting a bird.
Serious damage to the wingroot. I think many people don't grasp the massive force in foot-pounds involved in hitting a bird at high speed. And sucked into engines? Forget it. Sheesh, did that A-4 ever STINK. Nobody wanted to go near it. Dried bird guts splattered all over, even after a trip to the washrack.
Finally several of us wrapped wet towels loaded with aftershave around our faces and made rudimentary repairs. Enough to send the plane back to the carrier, where THOSE guys could deal with it.
Very glad the Hudson River incident turned out as well as it did.