Or just put some type of vented cone shielding about 10 meters in front of each engine. That way, it can breathe fairly well while offering protection from bigger objects. Really, we should be able to do better these days than what we have now. Just like they can make big trucks and busses have a pointier aerodynamic front instead of the crappy ineffecient box shape. I'm not an engineer and it seems that my ideas are better ideas when it comes to things like that than what they have out right now, and the stuff I mentioned in this post are just some common sense ideas that should have been practiced when they first invented commercial jets, busses and semi-trucks.
Edited to fix spelling.
More unnecessary weight reduces the ability of the aircraft to move cargo and/or people. Less transport capability means more dollars per kilo of something that is being transported. Also, the increased aerodynamic drag (because anything that is strong enough and narrow enough to protect the engine is going to slow airflow into the engine) will increase fuel costs and increase flight times.
In addition, most (commercial, and more and more private) aircraft have 2 or more engines making the entire concern of one engine failing for any reason that much less dangerous, and they don't just fail because of bird strikes. Not to mention the fact that most aircraft fly at an altitude greater than most birds can even fly, so the concern of bird strikes is only for around the airports.
As for the aerodynamics of buses and semi-trucks, those fancy pointy fronts are more expensive to build, add unnecessary weight that reduces the vehicle's transport capacity (yes even road vehicles have weight limits). The only reason that more aerodynamic shapes are being explored now is because of the cost of fuel to operate these vehicles.
You know, there is this fairly famous saying, about hindsight and foresight. It goes something like this, "if hindsight was foresight, we would all be rich and famous..." My point is, if we knew today what we would know a year from today, or if we knew what we know now 50-100 years ago the world would be a very different place, and maybe not any better! We could be sitting here right now saying (yes, I know it is a bit of a gimick),
Or just remove vented cone shielding in front of each engine. That way, it can breathe clearly while offering much better fuel economy, while adding a tiny amount a risk that something big enough will hit the engine causing it to fail. In the case the engine does fail the second engine is more than capable of getting the aircraft back to the ground safely. Really, we should be able to do better these days than what we have now. Just like they can make big trucks and buses have a boxier front instead of the crappy efficient pointy shape that wastes all of that space on the street. I'm not an engineer and it seems that my ideas are better ideas when it comes to things like that than what they have out right now, and the stuff I mentioned in this post are just some common sense ideas that should have been practiced when they first invented commercial jets, buses and semi-trucks.
As for the topic, I also find these comparisons interesting, especially the ones that show the size and profile differences of the different vessels in the universe.
