Maybe even auto laser-turrets for more epic-ness?

Since we have such a shitshow of a US government, can someone tell the new FAA person to add turrets to planes? Ya know, 'Murica 2nd Amendment and all… 👀

Surely, nothing will ever go wrong with this? Right?

  • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    The bullets that don’t hit the birds would rain down on populated areas.
    Bird strikes happen at lower altitudes and airliners fly much higher than birds unless they’re taking off or landing, and they almost always takeoff or land near a populated area.
    More people would die on average from stay bullets then from airplane crates caused my bird strikes

    • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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      1 day ago

      What’s the terminal velocity of a bullet? My guess is that it’s similar to the terminal velocity of a penny.

      In other words, raining bullets are highly unlikely to directly kill anyone (although they could still sting if they hit you, or chip your windshield).

      They could use ice bullets and solve that problem though….

      • ThrowawayPermanente
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        10 hours ago

        That depends mostly on their size, as size is reduced mass decreases faster than drag. Smaller birdshot is no longer dangerous after a couple hundred yards while large rifle bullets can kill even after traveling several miles.

      • CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        You are incorrect. Many people have been killed by bullets falling back to earth. There is even a law in Arizona named after a little girl killed that way.

        Shooting guns in the air should result in prison and lifetime forfeiture of the privilege to own firearms. It’s irresponsible and extremely negligent.

        And I’m not anti-gun. I own 3 and enjoy target shooting. What I am, is anti-gun ownership by morons.

      • Phil_in_here@lemmy.ca
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        24 hours ago

        Terminal velocity is really only relevant for objects that go below terminal velocity and then start falling. Bullets famously come out of guns very fast, so fast they go into people.

        While air will slow the bullet down, tell that to the guy over over 2 miles away from Viacheslav Kovalskyi

        Now, bird shot ain’t sniper rounds, but the point stands.

        • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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          20 hours ago

          Bullets also famously come out of guns horizontally. As they travel, their horizontal speed decreases due to friction (slowly) and their horizontal speed accelerates until it hits terminal velocity.

          Now one point here is that the only place where you’d be shooting at birds is during takeoff and landing; this is near the ground, and in both cases, the aircraft is nose up — which means the bullet wouldn’t be traveling at height until it lost momentum and fell, but would instead follow an arc that would still likely preserve a lot of forward momentum as the bullet approached the surface of the earth.

          But it’s not falling bullets that are dangerous; it’s bullets moving forward with velocity that cause damage.