09/01/2026
A bird crossed my flight path at CYHU in Montreal, and my passengers never even noticed.
I was flying my Cirrus SR22T G3 when this bird suddenly appeared in front of me.
I had always heard the common rule of thumb to climb when avoiding a bird. But I looked at its actual trajectory. Climbing would have taken me closer to its path. So I brought the nose down, kept control of the airplane, and created separation.
Fortunately, the bird continued happily on its way. And so did we.
I honestly feel blessed and highly favored. But this is also part of being a pilot. Unexpected things can happen in a matter of seconds. You have to stay alert, react quickly, and make a calm decision based on what is actually happening in front of you.
And you cannot let fear or emotion take control of the cockpit.
When something like this happens, you still have a duty to fly the airplane. You react. You stabilize. You check that the airplane and your passengers are okay. Then you continue only when it is safe.
My passengers did not even realize what had happened. And to me, that is part of doing the job. My responsibility was to protect them, remain calm, and keep flying the airplane.
Pilots, have you ever had a close encounter with a bird? What happened?
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