Christchurch and District Model Flying Club
Sloping Off - our newsletter

BIRDSTRIKE, BY ADRIAN SHARPE

Hello Mike and Trevor,

 For the first time ever my model had a head on collision with a bird this morning.  Unfortunately the bird was killed, it fell like a stone to the water.

 After the model landed back on the water and I returned it to the platform I could see that the bird had struck the forward float strut on the RH side.

No damage was done, so I guess the bird was a 'Martin or similar. I don't think it was a Swift, they are quite large - 50grams and my Fun Cub weighs circa 1200 grams.

My Fun Cub is mainly white and perhaps head on against a cloudy sky it is difficult to see. I think I'll paint my floats red or yellow. (Like this! - Ed)

Hello Adrian,

That’s astonishing! If we were ever going to hit a bird, I would have expected it to be a gull or wildfowl of some sort. The Martins are so agile, it’s hard to see how one could get caught out by, what to it at least, would be a slow, noisy, lumbering aircraft. Maybe it was a warbler or something barrelling along on small wings and less able to take evasive action?

If this can happen to a highly evolved bird, what hope is there for Tesla?!

Trevor