Narrative:

I was practicing takeoffs and lndgs on a clear evening with only 1 other plane in the pattern. The evening before, I had delayed a takeoff due to several flocks of geese I noticed flying over the airport, so was especially vigilant for them this evening. There were no planes or birds in sight as I started my takeoff roll, but after I climbed above some trees that are to the left of the runway, I saw hundreds of geese at my 11 O'clock position. These geese had been blocked from view by the trees, and the geese were flying just slightly above and ahead of me, directly across the departure path (from my left to my right). I immediately lowered the nose to avoid climbing into the formations of them, reduced power, and flew a low departure and crosswind leg of the landing pattern. I heard the other aircraft (which was also practicing lndgs) announce his departure, and I radioed to him to stay on the ground, telling him I'd explain why later. He did stay on the ground. I was at about 300-400 ft AGL until turning downwind, at which point I had cleared most of the geese and could climb up to pattern altitude. My overriding concern was to avoid colliding with 1 or more of these geese, while maintaining control of the aircraft and avoiding the ground and ground structures. I couldn't continue my departure straight out because the geese were more dense ahead of me than to my left, and I knew some geese had crossed my flight path, so I didn't want to turn right, and therefore I went to the left where there were the fewest geese. I'm sure I flew the crosswind leg lower than was proper, but felt it was safer to stay below the majority of these animals than increase my risk of a collision. By the time I had landed, they had passed and the sky was clear of them. I talked with the other pilot, and while appreciating my call, he told me he never saw the geese. The airport attendant heard my call and saw the flocks, telling me that they often fly over the airport on their way to a nearby lake where they remain overnight. There were probably about 30 flocks of anywhere from 10-30 geese each, in a long, meandering line at altitudes I'd estimate from about 100-700 ft AGL. The whole crisis arose and was over in about 1 min, but it was a very long min indeed! I'm very concerned with how I can avoid this happening again, but other than maintain a sharp eye for the geese and use proper scan technique, I can't seem to come up with any great ideas. I was already scanning for aircraft and birds in the pattern, but I couldn't see the birds behind the trees from my takeoff position on the runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT ON A SOLO TRAINING FLT ENCOUNTERED FLOCKS OF GEESE FLYING OVER ARPT AFTER TKOF CAUSING HIM TO STAY AT LOW PATTERN ALT UNTIL CLR OF THE BIRDS. ARPT ATTENDANT STATES THAT THE GEESE FLY OVER THE ARPT TO A NEARBY LAKE JUST BEFORE DARK.

Narrative: I WAS PRACTICING TKOFS AND LNDGS ON A CLR EVENING WITH ONLY 1 OTHER PLANE IN THE PATTERN. THE EVENING BEFORE, I HAD DELAYED A TKOF DUE TO SEVERAL FLOCKS OF GEESE I NOTICED FLYING OVER THE ARPT, SO WAS ESPECIALLY VIGILANT FOR THEM THIS EVENING. THERE WERE NO PLANES OR BIRDS IN SIGHT AS I STARTED MY TKOF ROLL, BUT AFTER I CLBED ABOVE SOME TREES THAT ARE TO THE L OF THE RWY, I SAW HUNDREDS OF GEESE AT MY 11 O'CLOCK POS. THESE GEESE HAD BEEN BLOCKED FROM VIEW BY THE TREES, AND THE GEESE WERE FLYING JUST SLIGHTLY ABOVE AND AHEAD OF ME, DIRECTLY ACROSS THE DEP PATH (FROM MY L TO MY R). I IMMEDIATELY LOWERED THE NOSE TO AVOID CLBING INTO THE FORMATIONS OF THEM, REDUCED PWR, AND FLEW A LOW DEP AND XWIND LEG OF THE LNDG PATTERN. I HEARD THE OTHER ACFT (WHICH WAS ALSO PRACTICING LNDGS) ANNOUNCE HIS DEP, AND I RADIOED TO HIM TO STAY ON THE GND, TELLING HIM I'D EXPLAIN WHY LATER. HE DID STAY ON THE GND. I WAS AT ABOUT 300-400 FT AGL UNTIL TURNING DOWNWIND, AT WHICH POINT I HAD CLRED MOST OF THE GEESE AND COULD CLB UP TO PATTERN ALT. MY OVERRIDING CONCERN WAS TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH 1 OR MORE OF THESE GEESE, WHILE MAINTAINING CTL OF THE ACFT AND AVOIDING THE GND AND GND STRUCTURES. I COULDN'T CONTINUE MY DEP STRAIGHT OUT BECAUSE THE GEESE WERE MORE DENSE AHEAD OF ME THAN TO MY L, AND I KNEW SOME GEESE HAD CROSSED MY FLT PATH, SO I DIDN'T WANT TO TURN R, AND THEREFORE I WENT TO THE L WHERE THERE WERE THE FEWEST GEESE. I'M SURE I FLEW THE XWIND LEG LOWER THAN WAS PROPER, BUT FELT IT WAS SAFER TO STAY BELOW THE MAJORITY OF THESE ANIMALS THAN INCREASE MY RISK OF A COLLISION. BY THE TIME I HAD LANDED, THEY HAD PASSED AND THE SKY WAS CLR OF THEM. I TALKED WITH THE OTHER PLT, AND WHILE APPRECIATING MY CALL, HE TOLD ME HE NEVER SAW THE GEESE. THE ARPT ATTENDANT HEARD MY CALL AND SAW THE FLOCKS, TELLING ME THAT THEY OFTEN FLY OVER THE ARPT ON THEIR WAY TO A NEARBY LAKE WHERE THEY REMAIN OVERNIGHT. THERE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT 30 FLOCKS OF ANYWHERE FROM 10-30 GEESE EACH, IN A LONG, MEANDERING LINE AT ALTS I'D ESTIMATE FROM ABOUT 100-700 FT AGL. THE WHOLE CRISIS AROSE AND WAS OVER IN ABOUT 1 MIN, BUT IT WAS A VERY LONG MIN INDEED! I'M VERY CONCERNED WITH HOW I CAN AVOID THIS HAPPENING AGAIN, BUT OTHER THAN MAINTAIN A SHARP EYE FOR THE GEESE AND USE PROPER SCAN TECHNIQUE, I CAN'T SEEM TO COME UP WITH ANY GREAT IDEAS. I WAS ALREADY SCANNING FOR ACFT AND BIRDS IN THE PATTERN, BUT I COULDN'T SEE THE BIRDS BEHIND THE TREES FROM MY TKOF POS ON THE RWY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.