Bird strikes Snowbird plane at Moose Jaw air show: Plane landed safely with minor damage that should be repaired by Friday

 

Snowbirds- plane 7 - minor damage from bird strike on wing

Photo Credit:  CHAB- Moose Jaw- May 16 2012

Reported by CHAB

First Posted: May 17, 2012 6:48am 

The Snowbirds took off for the first show of the season at 15 Wing Moose Jaw on Wednesday but the pilots had to deal with one minor problem.

The show was going well until a bird hit a wing on one of the Tutor jets about three-quarters of the way through the show.

"We stopped the show, we dropped him for landing and once he was safely on the ground we re-started the show," explained Team Lead Major Wayne Mott.

Mott says the minor damage to the plane should be fixed by Friday when the team leaves for a Winnipeg show this weekend.

US Brigadier General Jack Briggs, the Deputy Commander for the NORAD Region, watched it happen. He said it was a great opportunity to see the pilots' precision maneouvers in the air but he also appreciated their leadership skills.

"We had a very, very minor issue out there today but they made a very safe call," Briggs said. "To just air on the side of the conservative, that makes me very happy because I see leadership out there."

The Snowbirds will perform at 39 air shows across North America in the 2012 season.

Source:  http://www.newstalk650.com