John.com

Moving frame by frame through the Starling Strike, it is only 9 frames from initial sighting to hit. That's 0.36 seconds!These things can happen very suddenly. Touch wood , I haven't had a bird strike yet, but I did have a close encounter with two birds that I reckon flew at me, from I don't know where, and then climbed to pass about a metre over the top of my wing. As with the starling video, it all happened in less than a second. I don't know the bird type, but they were extremely aerobatic, like swallows, but with a wider wingspan.

 

I've had to take evasive action from Pelicans too. Being near water we get flocks of them on occasion, although often just flying in twos and threes. They usually see you coming and get out of the way, but not always. The bigger slow moving birds aren't so bad as you can usually see them far enough away to ensure you aren't on a convergent path. Eagles and hawks will attack, so best to stay well clear, and if possible above them.

 

Some months back I had a Cockatoo take out the laminated windscreen on my car. Ok, the windscreen protected me, but it suffered several large cracks that necessitated replacement. The bang when it hit was enough to make you jump. I don't think a trike windscreen would impede its progress very much.

Yes, I literally saw a blur and then felt a pat on my left side below my arm . . . . THAT WAS IT!

How it didn't go through the prop and ended up on the exhaust is fascinating to say the least! And to then simply "drop off" whilst I was on the ground with the motor at idle speed . . . . AMAZING!!!!

Anyway, it all makes for interesting flying!!

Safe Skies!

John

Wow..Nice bit of footage.. (love the colours of the trike)Check this one out from flying wild alaska.

 

Nice Alaska video! Thanks for sharing that!! Makes my "starling-strike" seem a little pedestrian, but I am still completely fascinated as to how the bird made its way ONTO my exhaust system RIGHT in front of the propellor, and then waited for me to land before dropping off!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nquG3vov24

Safe Skies!

John

Greetings All!

This trailer has taken 10 years of development and really is fantastic!

Features include:

1. Winch for loading
    
    
   
2. Detachable ramps which bolt in the middle of the trailer when transporting
    
    
   
3. Detachable wing rack supports
    
    
   

Most pictures are self explanatory but let me know if you have any questions.

Ciao, John

[ATTACH=full]16253[/ATTACH]And don't forget the rotor craft version!

Hi again John,regarding the animals on the runway, I would be a bit worried about the car at the end???

Alan.

The car is not the challenge . . . . look at the high voltage cables with the balls on it above the level of the car! Although these are never really a challenge with the type of aircraft (light/microlight) we fly out of Aeroden (850m)!

Have an awesome day!

Welcome to the site... What is flying like in general in Seth Efreca, airports going well without worrying about developers? (developers seem to be attracted to airports like bugs to a bug zapper here in Aus...)

Gidday John, and, as other forumites have said - "Welcome to the site" . You will find many fellow trikers here with a wealth of experience . I spent some time in your country about 8 years ago and was blown away by it's beauty. Lived in a secure apartment complex in Johannesburg and managed to spend some time in Kruger N.P.. Flew down to Cape Town then drove to Port Elizabeth via the coast, then back to Cape Town via the Uniondale road and Oudtshoorn . An extremely pretty part of the world and we often talk about going back . Good luck with your flying and we look forward to hearing about your first solo soon.Bob

It really is great to interact on a "foreign forum"! The different perspectives are great.

Good to hear that you spent some quality time in South Africa. If ever you make a turn this way again be sure to look me up!

Safe Flying!

Just in case you thought I was kidding . . . . this was the airstrip just prior to takeoff today!

And then, to top it off . . . . this is what was there to greet me at the pub after we had landed!

Who said flying in Africa wasn't fun!

Greetings from a sunny South Africa!

As a new member I had to share one of my favorite pictures, which relates to this very relevant topic!

Wingtip vortices! Often spoken about, but seldom seen . . . . . this visualisation courtesy of a US military cargo aircraft having deployed missile countermeasure flares.

What wingtip vortices are and how they form is relatively simple to understand:

• The air on top of the wings of an aircraft in flight is at a lower pressure than the surrounding air. This is one of the basics of aerodynamics - Bernoulli's Principle
   
   
  
• The air underneath the wings of an aircraft in flight has a higher pressure than the air above the wings
   
   
  
• This differential air pressure causes the air below to want to take up the area where the reduced air pressure is located above the wings
   
   
  
• The wing tips are really the only place along the wings where this can occur. So, the air below circles around the tip of the wing to meet the air above
   
   
  
• This circling action creates horizontal 'tornadoes' that trail behind the aircraft as the aircraft moves forward
   
   
  
• The air being pushed to the side of the aircraft's fuselage also contributes to the movement of the vortices. They tend to move away from the aircraft and then they follow the wind direction
   
   
  

Operational Tips For Light Aircraft – How to Avoid Vortex Wake:

1. Lift Off Short of Large Aircraft Rotation Point.

2. Land Well Beyond Large Aircraft Touchdown Point.

3. Pass Over Flight Path of Large Aircraft, or At Least 1000' Under.

4. Stay to Windward of Large Aircraft Flight Paths.

5. Keep Alert, Especially on Calm Days When Vortices Persist Longest.

(http://www.komanetskyaviation.com/Education/WingTipVortices/index.htm)

Safe Flying!

Cheers Alley!

When I looked at your profile pic, at first glance I thought you were sitting in a somewhat flimsily constructed aircraft with your right hand on the controls!

Thanks for the welcome Alan!

Having flown hang gliders for 7 years a while ago, I am now busy with my trike license. I should be solo in two weeks.

I fly (well, own and training in) an Aquilla 2 582 Rotax (I will upload a pic) from Aeroden (FAARDN on http://nav3000.free.fr/) in the Magaliesburg Mountains in South Africa.

In true African fashion, one of the precautions on takeoff and landing is buck on the airstrip!

Greetings Fellow Pilots!

I have spent many hours on the tutorial section of this great forum!

Blue Skies!