Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch standard 4 pound dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity.

The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl to test the strength of the windshields.

British engineers heard about the gun and were eager to test it on the windshields of their new high speed trains. Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers.

When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken hurled out of the barrel, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's back-rest in two, and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.

The horrified Brits sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield and begged the US scientists for suggestions.

You're gonna love this . .. ..

NASA responded with a one-line memo --

"Defrost the chicken."

That's great! Lol. Embarrasing if true!

Commonly referred to as the Farnborough Chicken Gun it was actually first developed in the U.K.

Bird-strikes are a huge issue, I always get a little tinge when I see all the birds at Suvarnabhumi (maybe more at Don Meaung?) or Changi or TPE on taxi to take-off.

A UA flight suffered a bird-strike departing Don Meaung in 2004 right before rotation, aborted the take-off, brakes overheated and caught fire, pax were evacuated on the chutes with 20 injuries.

I have seen hail the size of golf balls, I assume they test with frozen objects. I'd hate to fly through a hail-storm, although I assume with weather radar now they would avoid a potential encounter?

It is a great joke that has stood the test of time.