Maxwell wrote:
I was out hopping some of the local airports last Saturday night and had a
very near miss with a very large bird. It appeared to be a large owl, or
something similar. I was at about 50 to 100 feet on take-off, about 75
knots, and seriously out of runway.

The whole situation just got me to thinking about bird strikes and light GA
aircraft. I have seen and heard a lot of first and second hand stories about
deer strikes on quiet runways, and usually do a low pass to check,
especially the quiet places. But I guess I had never heard or seriously
considered a bird strike with such a large bird.

Any first had experiences out there? Any speculation on what could have
happened if he struck the wing tip, or better yet the propeller arc? I was
flying a Cessna 172SP. His flight path was exactly the opposite direction.

Not first hand, but about a month ago an
instructor and student in a 150 hit a
hawk a couple miles away. The hawk broke
the windscreen causing so much drag that
the instructor had to land in a tomato
field. Everyone except the hawk and 150
escaped with minor injuries.