True Story

In a recent issue of Meat and Poultry magazine, editors quoted a true story from Feathers, published by the California Poultry Industry Federation....

The US Federal Aviation Administration has a unique gun for testing airplane windshields. The launches a dead chicken at the windshield of a stationary plane; the bird's impact velocity approximates the top speed of the plane in flight. The theory is that if the windshield of a stationary plane withstands the launched carcass, then the windshield of that plane in flight should withstand a live bird collision.

The British borrowed the FAA's gun to test the windshield of a speedy new locomotive under development. Their ballistic chicken shattered the windshield, blew through the engineer's chair, smashed an instrument panel and embedded itself in the back wall of the engine cab. The stunned Brits asked the FAA to review the test --- had anything had been done incorrectly?

After careful review the FAA did propose one change:

"Use a thawed chicken."