Geese on the runway

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

May the force be with you
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I have done go arounds for an ugly final but this was the first time I had the actual scenario the DPE gives you on the checkride.

Ya know how they will scare you in the flare "OMG, There is a pack of wild animals on the runway!!!"

Well, I got put to the test yesterday. Soft field no less.

Saw them at the very last second. Full Throttle. Airspeed 60 and not increasing as fast as I wanted. slowly tapping the flaps to get speed w/o losing alt and closely watching the trees. 2nd time around I did another type of go around where you lust go around the geese. Landed on the taxi portion of the field.

 
How ... uh ... exciting!:yikes: Glad it all worked out, and thanks for sharing.
 
Our airport is built on a wetland, so it attracts a LARGE number of birds. This week I've been dodging Cranes, Geese, and Hawks. Normally I'll just land past them depending on their location. The only problem is departing behind another aircraft. The birds get scared, by the first guy, and start flying in packs over the runway.

Cranes are the ones I watch out for because they don't move out the way very fast. The geese just look at you and slowly walk away. :rolleyes2:

A few weeks ago a pilot of a G5 commented to his boss, "What bird invested ****hole did you bring us too!" :rofl:
 
ARFlyer said:
Our airport is built on a wetland, so it attracts a LARGE number of birds. This week I've been dodging Cranes, Geese, and Hawks. Normally I'll just land past them depending on their location. The only problem is departing behind another aircraft. The birds get scared, by the first guy, and start flying in packs over the runway.

Cranes are the ones I watch out for because they don't move out the way very fast. The geese just look at you and slowly walk away. :rolleyes2:

A few weeks ago a pilot of a G5 commented to his boss, "What bird invested ****hole did you bring us too!" :rofl:
Click to expand...

Has the airport been notam'd for cranes in the vicinity?
 
I really hate Canada geese. You can pull up right behind one, firewall the throttle (on the brakes of course, tempting as it might be to "miss" that detail) and they will look at you as if you're on THEIR airport.

We get a lot of birds at PAO. Not only is it next to a tidal marsh, but some birdbrain decided that would also be a good place for the city dump. Not surprisingly, that attracts hordes of flying rats (seagulls).

The most important thing to remember is never to fly under a bird in flight. They gain speed the fastest just like we do -- nose down into a dive.
 
Clark1961 said:
Has the airport been notam'd for cranes in the vicinity?
Click to expand...

Nope, I did not know you could NOTAM for cranes. Would it be different then a normal "Birds in the Vicinity" NOTAM?

They might be Great Egrets. I'll need to look closer when I'm back to work Monday.
 
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MAKG1 said:
I really hate Canada geese. You can pull up right behind one, firewall the throttle (on the brakes of course, tempting as it might be to "miss" that detail) and they will look at you as if you're on THEIR airport.
Click to expand...
And they leave little green calling cards all over the runways and taxiways. By the time I taxi back to the hangar the tires are coated with it. :rolleyes2:

This blue heron is so debilitated by PTSD from being terrorized by light airplanes that all he does is hang around the runup area watching airplanes take off and land. (That's dried goose guano on the taxiway pavement, by the way.)

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Shoulda grabbed one and used it for crosswind practice.
 
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