3 ms·
Why are birds a hazard then?
by TimTheTinker 4y ago
Why are birds a hazard then?
- ceejayoz 4y agoBecause they are more substantial, and because you tend to hit them on takeoff/landing, which is the dangerous part of flight. You hit a bird at 30k feet and you've got plenty of options - including the second engine.
- tempestn 4y agoAlso usually when bird strikes cause real problems it's a flock of birds, not a single one.
- kortex 4y agoA bird is usually not an issue (unless it's huge like a condor or something). The problem is ingesting a whole flock. Turbofans are designed to fling debris (rain, hail, gravel, birds) out to the bypass via centrifugal force. However, too much material (or insufficient thrust) causes the impeller to bog down, so more junk gets sucked into the burn chamber, which can cause a flameout.