RE: anyone ever hit a bird??
Yesterday was windy but I figured I would try it any way so I went down to the vestal fire dpt. Practice ground behind the Drovers Inn. Charged up the GWS zero and launched her, she took right off and seamed to have more power than ever before, I had to add in four clicks of down elevator. After two minutes of flight time I still had lots of power but was getting ready for the quick loss of power so I was staying close to the access road for a quick landing. I had just finished the down wind turn when I herd geese, and really close too. I did not pay any further attention because they always avoid our planes so I continued to fly in a straight up wind path parallel to the access road at a height that would allow me to make a 180degree turn onto the access road when my peripheral vision filled with Geese! I looked to see about 30 geese that must have been in the swamp below the access road climbing and trying to get into the vee formation. I looked back at my plane only to realize we were on a collision path!
I decided that with all the birds I had tried to hit unsuccessfully and the way they were so much more maneuverable than I the best tactic would be to not change direction in the hope that they will see my olive drab airplane and move out of the way. I remember watching my plane disappear into this furl of geese and thinking no way am I getting out of this unscathed just as the right wing hit one of the birds in the chest and foam bits began to rain down at my feet. Knowing that all the parts would be close gave me the opportunity to watch the dirty bird that had done in the zero. He initially dropped 3or 4ft then picked up the pace and rejoined the formation.
The zero is mostly back together and should be ready to fly this afternoon but now I have another story for midair number eleven. Also I wont need to worry about how it looks any more.
Joe Felice