Airport police briefly took away a man's kite after reports that it was hit by a United Airlines Boeing 737 on short final for Washington Reagan Airport on Saturday. He was apparently one of two kite flyers enjoying early spring weather at Gravelly Point, which is just off the end of Runway 1/19. When Runway 19 is the active, aircraft landing clear go over the popular recreation area at about 100 feet AGL. A witness said he saw the kite contact the plane on the leading edge of a wing inboard of the engine. The plane landed normally and there was no damage. Kite flying is prohibited in the park but no charges were laid in the incident.
During some engine certification testing they have thrown frozen chickens into an engine just to see what will happen. And a kite, for crying out loud, made the post??
Youād have to be pretty stupid or arrogant to fly a kite directly under short final to a major airportā¦ but considering all the other stuff coming out of America recently, no surprisesā¦
Many years ago, after some 15-20 minutes of aerobatics in a Super Decathalon I peeled off and dove to a lower altitude over farmland near Cockranville PA. As I leveled off I saw a white streak pass over my right wing. I had snagged some kidās kite. It was caught on my wing and swinging wildly behind the plane. When I landed, a dog followed the kite barking all the way to the hanger. It cut the fabric of the leading edge of the wing. It wrapped around the tail several times but I didnāt know that until I landed as I didnāt feel any effect on the control surfaces. I told the FBO that they might get a callā¦hoping that no one lost a finger. No one called.
I used to go by Gravelly Point everyday and, as much as I Iove watching planes take off and land, I was always amazed at peopleās willingness to repeatedly be deafened and doused with Jet-A exhaust. Never saw a kite.
I learned to fly at LGB (Long Beach) in Southern California in the late 70ās.
Flying a 150 and returning with a friend from a lunch run to Big Bear Lake in San Bernadino, I called LGB for a āStraight-Inā approach while over Anaheim. I got my approval but right after that a āMickeyā balloon flew by my starboard side! My friend yelled to āturn around and pop it!ā. I thought for a moment about a hard 180 and what itād be like to pop it, then logic took over figuring itās best to just continue my approach! I can still see that blue balloon goinā by and wish I could try that someday ā only over a not-so-populated area!
You are mixing up real testing and stupid stories. The real testing is unfrozen chickens. The stupid story is that NASA loaned their air gun to the stupid British who needed to be told to thaw the chicken. I worked at RAE Bedford, we had an indoor air gun, in 115 Building, for cockpit testing and an outdoor one for more damaging tests, over near āThe Domestic Siteā. The ARA in Bedford had one. Hunting Engineering had one (In The Bovril, if any Hunting alumni read this). Thatās all within ten miles of where I lived, and only the ones I know about. We did sometimes fire frozen chickens to break the canopies out of the rig when testing was complete, if they were still intact. So much easier than cutting them up to remove them. Nobody loans someone an air gun, they buy the few parts required and build their own. I could make one in a week, once the compressor, pipe, reservoir and fittings arrived.
To fly anything now days in any metro areas requires knowledge of airspace and man made objects and where the nearest airport runway is located. If the runway is visible, the ground operator of a kite or any other flying object must not be on the approach path of a runway. To fly anything on a runway approach path is unlawful. Heavier aircraft always have the right of way, as written in the FARs. And anyone flying a man made object is required to know this. Or, ignorance of any applicable law that causes a potential accident or has the capability to cause an accident is also unlawful. Ignorance of what should be common sense, is very unlawful.
I cannot believe that the only open areas anywhere near Washington D.C. is under an active runway path. I live in LA. I am a pilot. My children enjoy flying their kites at one of the many open municipal parks, schoolyards or beaches nearby our house that invite this activity. To fly anything near an active runway is simply irresponsible and possibly homicidal.
Iām with you, surely, the wind exist in other places besides the end of runways? Although, from my experience the gust at the end of the runways are always the worst and the cause of my bounced landings.
