Bruce Toback wrote:
>
> Jeff Kell quotes Yahoo Internet Life (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one):
>
> >>True story?
> >>
> >>Sometimes it DOES take a rocket scientist: Scientists at NASA built a
> >>gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of
> >>airliners, military jets, and the space shuttle, all traveling at
> >>maximum velocity. The idea was to simulate the frequent incidents of
> >>collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.
>
> I don't know about the part with the British engineers, but shooting
> chickens at jet engines is a routine part of certification (of the
> engines, not the chickens) and has been for many years. The engine has to
> be able to ingest the bird without breaking up and flying apart, which
> would obviously be dangerous (to the aircraft occupants as well as the
> bird).

There was an A-10 Warthog that had most of it's wing blown apart with
only two spars holding the outer half of the wing. All this junk went
into the engine. The pilot was preparing to bail. The engine spit all
this junk out it's back and then spooled back up to full power. This
allowed the pilot to fly the A-10 back to base. Not many engines can EAT
A WING and keep running at full power.