Recalcitrant young passenger slaps sticker on outer fuselage while boarding
Jun 22, 2001, 9:09 am
#31
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The reason they shoot frozen birds into the engines is 2 fold. 1. to see the survivability of the engines and 2. when the vanes do break loose to make sure they stay within the engine cowlings.
Jun 22, 2001, 9:32 am
#33
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by bdschobel:
I saw that show, but I don't remember the birds being FROZEN! Seems to me that's asking too much of an engine.
Bruce</font>
I saw that show, but I don't remember the birds being FROZEN! Seems to me that's asking too much of an engine.
Bruce</font>
Jun 22, 2001, 9:36 am
#34
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 685
I saw the show on the 777, and I'm pretty sure:
1) that they shot thawed chickens (after all, they want to mimic what might happen in real world and I have never seen a rock-solid frozen bird flying around an airport)
2) The test to ensure that the cowling holds a broken fan blade was conducted by setting small explosive charges at the base of the fan blade and detonating them. After all, that's the only way to be sure you are getting that particular failure mode.
I believe that shooting frozen chickens into airplane engines is a misappropriation of the funny urban legend involving COCKPIT GLASS.
1) that they shot thawed chickens (after all, they want to mimic what might happen in real world and I have never seen a rock-solid frozen bird flying around an airport)
2) The test to ensure that the cowling holds a broken fan blade was conducted by setting small explosive charges at the base of the fan blade and detonating them. After all, that's the only way to be sure you are getting that particular failure mode.
I believe that shooting frozen chickens into airplane engines is a misappropriation of the funny urban legend involving COCKPIT GLASS.
Jun 22, 2001, 9:40 am
#35
Join Date: Aug 2000
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by Butcher Bird:
I can certainly see thawed birds. But, you are sure that you saw frozen birds being shot into the engines. I still cannot see that. </font>
I can certainly see thawed birds. But, you are sure that you saw frozen birds being shot into the engines. I still cannot see that. </font>
Jun 22, 2001, 9:45 am
#36
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 2,098
After collecting enough debris to fill the back of a pickup truck, the two-hour “Foreign Object Damage Walk” at SFO was considered a success. One hundred airport volunteers combed the main departure runways on Thursday (6/21/2001) and surrounding acreage in search of bits of metal and other trash that could get sucked into jet engines and cause a catastrophe. Bolts, screws, tags, tire scraps, two dead birds, a foot-long grease gun nozzle and one dead mouse were found. Although there were no major finds like the one two years ago, when a bowling ball was found on the runway, the objects found this year are potentially no less lethal in bringing down a jetliner.
“An airplane is basically a giant vacuum cleaner,” said an SFO airport spokesman. “A tiny bit of debris has the potential to cause an enormous amount of damage.” At SFO, the primary runway dangers are the birds.
Foreign objects damage accounts for millions of dollars worth of aircraft damage each year, as noted by the scrap of trash metal on a Paris runway last July, which is the suspected cause of the crash that killed 114 passengers aboard the Air France Concorde.
“A two cent screw can wipe out a million-dollar engine,” according to an SFO mechanic. “I’ve had engines come in all ripped apart from a piece of metal as small as the tip of a finger.”
Source: SF Chronicle 6/21/2001
“An airplane is basically a giant vacuum cleaner,” said an SFO airport spokesman. “A tiny bit of debris has the potential to cause an enormous amount of damage.” At SFO, the primary runway dangers are the birds.
Foreign objects damage accounts for millions of dollars worth of aircraft damage each year, as noted by the scrap of trash metal on a Paris runway last July, which is the suspected cause of the crash that killed 114 passengers aboard the Air France Concorde.
“A two cent screw can wipe out a million-dollar engine,” according to an SFO mechanic. “I’ve had engines come in all ripped apart from a piece of metal as small as the tip of a finger.”
Source: SF Chronicle 6/21/2001
Jun 22, 2001, 10:05 am
#37
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While I don't doubt that frozen turkeys were launched into the engines...The show (maybe Dicovery, maybe TLC, dunno for sure) I saw on engines specifically mentioned that they use birds that died of natural causes...Don't know if they found pigeons in the park or what...
No turkeys were harmed in the posting of this message.
No turkeys were harmed in the posting of this message.
Jun 22, 2001, 10:33 am
#38
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Damage can be as costly as complete obliteration. If a compressor or fan blade was damaged enough to warrant replacement you would still need to take the aircraft out of service while you replaced the engine. The engine would then need to go to the next level of maintenance to have the compressor rebuilt, inspected and tested, which I’m sure isn’t inexpensive.
Certain cracks, chips and dings are acceptable with monitoring, while others can be reworked without engine deconstruction or removal.
IMO re: snake’s friend, the stickerboy; I would have likely just thought to myself “what a loser” and left if at that. Now, I think I would do what someone else mentioned, tell stickerboy to pull the sticker or have to face the wrath of the mean old FAs.
Certain cracks, chips and dings are acceptable with monitoring, while others can be reworked without engine deconstruction or removal.
IMO re: snake’s friend, the stickerboy; I would have likely just thought to myself “what a loser” and left if at that. Now, I think I would do what someone else mentioned, tell stickerboy to pull the sticker or have to face the wrath of the mean old FAs.