The Importance of Understanding the Test Procedure

In a recent issue of Meat & Poultry magazine, editors quoted from Feathers, the publication of the California Poultry Industry Federation, telling the following story....

The US Federal Aviation Administration has a unique device for testing the strength of airplane cockpit windscreens. The device is a gun that launches a dead chicken at the windscreen at approximately the speed the aircraft flies. The theory is that if the windshield doesn't crack from the carcass impact, it will survive a real collision with a bird during flight.

It seems a British company were very interested in this and wanted to test the windscreen on a brand new, high speed train they were developing. They borrowed the FAA's chicken launcher, loaded the chicken and fired. The ballistic chicken shattered the windscreen, broke the driver's chair and embedded itself in the back wall of the cab. The British were stunned and asked the FAA to recheck the test to see if everything was done correctly.

The FAA reviewed the test thoroughly and had one recommendation:
First, thaw the chicken....