From:	Duke Diener <DukeDragon@***.COM>
Subject:	Re: Banshee Bird Strikes
Date:	Wed, 7 Jun 1995 10:14:45 -0400

William Frierson wrote:

>And Vectored thrust vehicles don't generate lift by forward airspeed. They
>generate lift by vectoring thrust down towards the ground in excess of their
>weight. I imagine that the intakes are armored and multiple, as those of
>a tank should be. It's a fighting vehicle, not an airplane.

(Snip, Snip)

>>The U.S. Air Force has lost several combat aircraft due to mid-air
>>collisions with birds.

>Yes, they have. But when has a bird strike crippled or destroyed an
>armored fighting vehicle? I know the bird wouldn't scratch the paint
>on an APC. Unless you shot it out of a cannon at close range. And it
>still wouldn't affect the operation of the vehicle.

William you are both right and wrong. A vectored thrust aircraft does fly
aerodynamically at higher airspeeds. They have to since all of their thrust
is being vectored aft to drive the plane, but you are correct at lower
airspeeds the nozzles are aimed more downward to allow the thrust to carry
the weight of the airplane. So when the computers sensed the new airspeed
after the barrier they would merely readjust the nozzles to keep the plane
flying, but the poor pilot(s) may have suffered a bit by the unexpected
change in flight profile.

Bird strikes are an all to common occurance in (military) aviation. I've had
several and have not lost an airplane yet. BUT I've never taken a bird
directly on the windscreen or down an intake. So you are quite right, a
heavily armored (for an airplane) aircraft would not be affected by even a
large bird. Unless the bird hit squarely on the front windscreen with the
plane moving at hight speed (even "bullet proof" glass shatters and the
support frames give way under that stress), or the bird goes down the engine
intake. I'm sure the engines in 205X are better than todays and could
probably continue to produce thrust, but that bird would certainly reduce the
amount of thrust that engine could produce. And take it from me pilots do
not hang around with a bad engine!

Duke (Rogue Dragon)