The key seems to be if they see you. It doesn't matter how well lit up you are if you are closing on a flock at 300 kts. from behind them.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/wide-...ance-tech.html

 

Where can I read about this USAF study??

 

Telling someone they should try to avoid birds is usually dangerous advice. Most of the incidents occur on takeoff or landing, with little extra airspeed available for maneuvering to avoid. There was a T-38 a number of years back that took out a large section of the perimeter fence with its gear while trying to avoid a bird. It came within a few feet of a fireball due to an avoidance reaction -- no critique on the pilot, just something to think about. The best reaction I know is to duck below the glare shield (save yourself first), then take action if the bird actually hits you.
I've lost an engine twice due to birdstrikes, once entering the pattern in formation (we always briefed to take the bird rather than to maneuver with a jet a few feet away), and another on a touch and go. Avoidance was not an option in either case.
The only time I came close to hitting geese was at night. I still have visions of that V passing about 5 feet over the top of the canopy while we were at 300 knots on radar downwind. Not scary at the time, but scares the snot out of me every time I remember it. I wouldn't even have had the chance to duck.

 

Bingo.. this talk of "Sully should have just turned to avoid the birds" is couch chuck yeager talk.

How on earth did a thread about a guy that moved the flaps during a takeoff roll and didn't understand why he got a config warning turn into that? Come on, people....

 

It's official: Both pilots have been canned.

 

I heard that PSA management is more upset about the lack of "command authority" demonstrated by the captain after the accident rather than about the actual cause of the accident? Also that PSA is having captains take classes now on command authority.

PSA'ers, is this true?

 

[quote=The Juice;802735] Also that PSA is having captains take classes now on command authority.quote]
A class is being devleoped according to a memo sent to all crews from the VP of Flight Operations

 

Classes on Command Authority?
Not sure you can teach that stuff.
You can teach what is expected, but if someone is going to freeze, I imagine that they are just as likely to freeze after having another 2 hour class as they were before. The fact is - you just don't know how one is going to react until faced with the situation without having been put in that situation during training that is so realistic that it draws out those same emotions.
Now this is assuming that these Command Authority classes are in response to the company's opinion that the CA did not act accordingly after the mishap. Is there not already similar training during upgrade. Do airlines have any post-mishap training?

USMCFLYR

 

Yes, The course title is "Terminated."

The course feedback program is administered by the Unemployment Office.

 

The problem is you are thinking as a smart person, not as airline management. This reminds me of how Colgan now teaches a Threat Error Management class which is mandatory for all pilots. It is supposed to teach pilots to identify threats in behavior and situations and break the chain before it becomes something much worse. They teach the pilots this but crew schedulers are still allowed to run wild with extensions, JRM, and 9 leg days...where is the Threat Error Management in that way of thinking?