Chicken gun (Read 598 times)

The true story of the Chicken Gun. So funny must be shared!


( I worked on F-111E Simulator at RAF Upper Heyford for 6 years starting in April 1973. While there we lost 5 F-111, 4 of them to bird strikes entering forward cockpit and exiting through side window into engine. The chicken gun was used to test new windshields.  Lorin)

Sometimes it does take a rocket scientist!


Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch standard 4 pound

Dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space

Shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the

Frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of

The windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the

Windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and

A gun was sent to the British engineers.

WHEN THE GUN WAS FIRED, THE ENGINEERS STOOD SHOCKED AS THE CHICKEN HURLED OUT OF THE BARREL, CRASHED INTO THE SHATTERPROOF SHIELD, SMASHED IT to SMITHEREENS, BLASTED THROUGH THE CONTROL CONSOLE, SNAPPED THE ENGINEER'S BACK-REST IN TWO, AND EMBEDDED ITSELF IN THE BACK WALL OF THE CABIN, LIKE AN ARROW SHOT FROM A BOW.

THE HORRIFIED BRITS SENT NASA THE DISASTROUS RESULTS OF THE

EXPERIMENT, ALONG WITH THE DESIGNS OF THE WINDSHIELD AND BEGGED THE U.S. SCIENTISTS FOR SUGGESTIONS.

NASA RESPONDED WITH A 1 LINE MEMO :


"DEFROST THE CHICKEN."