Ok, not a job I had – but my dad had a very cool job during university. He was doing a course in aeronautical engineering so wanted to work around planes if possible.
At the height the planes fly it is very cold outside, and sometimes birds that were freezing cold would fly into the windows and nearly break them.
So they had to test that the windows on new planes were strong enough, my dad used to have to go to the shops, buy the biggest frozen chickens and turkeys he could find. He then loaded them into a special cannon and fired at a few hundred miles an hour at these stationary airplanes.
Fortunately he didn’t have the job of cleaning the planes afterwards.
(At the height the planes fly it is very cold outside, and sometimes birds that were freezing cold would fly into the windows and nearly break them.
So they had to test that the windows on new planes were strong enough, my dad used to have to go to the shops, buy the biggest frozen chickens and turkeys he could find. He then loaded them into a special cannon and fired at a few hundred miles an hour at these stationary airplanes.
Fortunately he didn’t have the job of cleaning the planes afterwards.
rosey,
Tue 11 Nov 2003, 12:09,
archived)
2 bad jobsI was always interested in working in the medical field so got sent to the hospital disinfection unit for my work experience at 16, the nicest part? Working in what they called the 'kitchen' which is where dirty instrument trays come back down from theatre and you wash off all the debris prior to them going into the cleaning machines. You have to count all the instruments to ensure they haven't left any in the patient, and wash all the blood, faeces, and general vile stuff off them. Once I cleaned a piece off appendix off! That was lovely :)
My friend was signed on at a temping agency and sent to work in the incinerator at the local hospital. He managed half a day. Can you imagine what goes down there in those 'yellow bags'.
(,
Tue 11 Nov 2003, 12:16,
archived)
My friend was signed on at a temping agency and sent to work in the incinerator at the local hospital. He managed half a day. Can you imagine what goes down there in those 'yellow bags'.
HmmmHis bosses must have been taking the piss then, cos birds flying high tend to be the same temperature as birds anywhere else .... kind of warm and alive. Frozen birds would be a little dead, and find it tricky to maintain the altitude necessary to crash into aeroplane windows ;)
(
the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side,
Tue 11 Nov 2003, 15:30,
archived)
we got told......they do that test the strength of the windscreen on take-off.
They use frozen birds as a sort of overkill type just-in-case thing.
This was at Liverpool Uni when I was on a day visit
(They use frozen birds as a sort of overkill type just-in-case thing.
This was at Liverpool Uni when I was on a day visit
beefandcheese,
Wed 12 Nov 2003, 17:17,
archived)
Frozen Birds - Yeah.He's winding you up. Frozen birds don't flap. There is a requirements that aircraft engines can cope with being hit by a bird (I know!) and probably something similar for the aircraft.
Nice photos at
community.webshots.com/album/7715991EBaTmHolTI/1
In the industry, there's an urban legend about British Rail borrowing the UK engine company's bird gun to test their new train design, and some jerk using a frozen bird (with hilarious consequences.) Sound slike your dad's quoting a variant of this story.
Maybe I'll post about my job as a Roustabout...
(Nice photos at
community.webshots.com/album/7715991EBaTmHolTI/1
In the industry, there's an urban legend about British Rail borrowing the UK engine company's bird gun to test their new train design, and some jerk using a frozen bird (with hilarious consequences.) Sound slike your dad's quoting a variant of this story.
Maybe I'll post about my job as a Roustabout...
Tepid_Halibut felt like a cold, empty shell of a human...until,
Tue 11 Nov 2003, 16:14,
archived)
Maybe they defrosted the turkey first.Would have made for a more realistic simulation. Would also be more humane than collecting live birds and hurling them at the plane...?
Maybe? I don't know...
(Maybe? I don't know...
monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?,
Tue 11 Nov 2003, 16:28,
archived)
I get imagesof them using parrots
and the parrots letting out a last squawk
and now I'm laughing... Hull for me
(and the parrots letting out a last squawk
and now I'm laughing... Hull for me
beefandcheese,
Wed 12 Nov 2003, 17:18,
archived)
NahMy mate, an aero engineer, has told me a similar story, they test their planes by chucking birds at them. Probably defrost them. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't, cos a safety margin is an engineers best friend.
He's told me some scary stories about planes.
(,
Tue 11 Nov 2003, 20:26,
archived)
He's told me some scary stories about planes.
Alas this is trueAs an aircraft deisgn engineer you get to see some terrifying things, but I have actually seen a military aircraft (no names but seeing as I work in Britain you can probably work it out) tested with a frozen chicken and the resultant mess. This was in 1997 during the certification tests, suffice to say the authorities were not shown the results instead a new aircraft was obtained and a non-frozen chicken used..
( Dr. trouser,
Wed 12 Nov 2003, 8:37,
archived)
Aside to the Planes / Frozen chickens thing.Could be Urban myth, go here and make up your own mind.
www.snopes.com/science/cannon.htm
(Useful Urban myths cross checker)
(www.snopes.com/science/cannon.htm
(Useful Urban myths cross checker)
A Lurker jacked up on B3ta on,
Wed 12 Nov 2003, 0:28,
archived)