Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Slowest "bullet"

Reading the fastest bullet question reminded me of a project I was involved with in the USAF. Bird strikes on airplanes are always a problem (especially if they fly into a jet's intake) but there was a bigger problem at Dover AFB in Delaware. It seems Canada Geese where staying in the area for long periods of time rather than continuing south as they had in the past. The combination of C-141s and C-5s in the same pattern with 14-16 pound geese was causing concerns and problems so someone came up with the idea of testing what sort of things would happen when a goose hit certain areas of the aircraft.
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<br>Tests were done using chickens "shot" from a pneumatic cannon at various parts of the airframes..and yes the chickens were dead before they were used. I don't remember all the specifics, but I do know a partially frozen chicken did more damage than a thawed one and that they had to strap the wings to get the speed they needed.

If I can find it again, I'll post the old newspaper clipping about the live cat that pranksters shot out of a cannon, that went through a woman and an outhouse, killing the woman but not the cat.

Sounds like some of my redneck relatives playing with the spud gun. Hey! y'all watch this.