Another idiot helping to ruin our hobby....

[Franks my Dog]

I spent most of my adult life in aviation, and the question of whether a UAV the size of a Mavic could bring down an aircraft, the answer is most certainly yes, it could.
Over the years I spent a fair amount of time at the FAA centre in Oklahoma City, watching structural impact testing between birds & airframe components. You'd be shocked at how much damage a 2 pound bird will do to an aircraft if it hits in the wrong place. I agree this story is 90% fear mongoring and inaccurate information, but the core issue of impact damage to a full size aircraft is genuinely a real deal. I've seen aircraft written off from bird strikes, and several legit emergencies because of them. Rotor downwash from the helicopter isn't a factor; it's behind the aircraft at speed. Armoring is only a factor in some spots on the heli; intakes, transmission shafts, windscreens, etc. aren't armored ans a 2 pound object striking any of those areas can be catastrophic

 

[tcope]

. I've seen aircraft written off from bird strikes, and several legit emergencies because of them.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Q: How often do wildlife strikes occur?
A: There have been about 142,000 wildlife strikes with civil aircraft in USA between 1990 and 2013 (about 11,000 strikes at 650 airports in 2013).

Q: How many aircraft have been destroyed due to wildlife strikes?
A: From 1990 to 2013, there were 62 civil aircraft in USA either destroyed or damaged beyond repair due to wildlife strikes.

So.. over a period of 23 years there were 142,000 wildlife strikes. Of those 142,000, 62 resulted in any type of damage. I don't have the number but how many flights between 1990 and 2013? About 24,000 per day and 8.7 million in 2015. Let's just call it 50 million between 1990 and 2013. If it's 50 million... 62 of that 50 million resulted in damage from wildlife impact. 62 out 50,000,000.

This information appears to conflict with other FAA info. Another report is that the FAA claims 500 planes damages between 2000 - 2009. That is 500 over a period of 9 years. That is around 55 per year. 55 out of around 8.7 million per year.

 

[VinceJM]

I spent most of my adult life in aviation, and the question of whether a UAV the size of a Mavic could bring down an aircraft, the answer is most certainly yes, it could.
Over the years I spent a fair amount of time at the FAA centre in Oklahoma City, watching structural impact testing between birds & airframe components. You'd be shocked at how much damage a 2 pound bird will do to an aircraft if it hits in the wrong place. I agree this story is 90% fear mongoring and inaccurate information, but the core issue of impact damage to a full size aircraft is genuinely a real deal. I've seen aircraft written off from bird strikes, and several legit emergencies because of them. Rotor downwash from the helicopter isn't a factor; it's behind the aircraft at speed. Armoring is only a factor in some spots on the heli; intakes, transmission shafts, windscreens, etc. aren't armored ans a 2 pound object striking any of those areas can be catastrophic

To the owner of Frank: Thanks for backing me up. I am also a pilot with nearly 50 years in aviation including 2 years on a Navy LPH (Landing Platform for Helicopters). Having seen the internal workings of a jet turbine engine certainly showed me that a bird strike or anything like a small drone could bring one of these aircraft down. The CH47s we had on board could never be maneuverable enough to avoid a strike. And you are right on indicating that the down wash would be behind the aircraft and would have no effect on a oncoming drone. Thanks for your input "Owner of Frank".

 

[Rabid Machina]

To the owner of Frank: Thanks for backing me up. I am also a pilot with nearly 50 years in aviation including 2 years on a Navy LPH (Landing Platform for Helicopters). Having seen the internal workings of a jet turbine engine certainly showed me that a bird strike or anything like a small drone could bring one of these aircraft down. The CH47s we had on board could never be maneuverable enough to avoid a strike. And you are right on indicating that the down wash would be behind the aircraft and would have no effect on a oncoming drone. Thanks for your input "Owner of Frank".

Rate? Shipmate.
Yes I did that.

 

[MavPro75]

It's amazing how little most people understand about what a risk to an aircraft is. It's pretty obvious by the postings here. We had an incident here where a Video cassette tape cartridge (hmm... Just about Mavic size only SMALLER) got dropped into an idling F-16 engine on the tarmac. It trashed the engine. Well, the Chinook has a jet turbine engine(s) too. A Mavick getting sucked into the compressor of that turbine could MOST CERTAINLY destroy that engine instantly.
Don't dismiss the threat of our little baby Mavics to an aircraft! Small, soft bodied birds have ruined engines mid-air.

You are absolutely correct! Many years ago when I was stationed at a B1 base, a crew chief was removing a landing gear pin with lanyard when it was sucked into the intake. Brand new engine was toast!