BIRD STRIKE ON TKOF.

Narrative

AS WE TOOK POS FOR TKOF AT OSU; WE OBSERVED A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS MIDWAY DOWN THE RWY. THE GULLS BEGAN TO SCATTER AS WE BEGAN THE TKOF ROLL AND IT APPEARED THAT WE COULD SAFELY CONTINUE. HOWEVER; SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO V1 IT BECAME APPARENT THAT A FEW OF THE BIRDS WOULD BE SLOW TO CLR OUR FLT PATH. THE PF 'SNATCHED' THE ACFT OFF THE RWY (BY NOW VR) TO AVOID IMPACTING THE BIRDS. HOWEVER; 1 GULL STRUCK THE R WING LEADING EDGE CREATING A SIZEABLE DENT AND CRACKED SKIN (CRACKS NOT VISIBLE FROM COCKPIT). AS PER 'COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT' PROCS; WE MADE A QUICK CHK TO ENSURE NO MAJOR DAMAGE; THEN CONTINUED TO CLB OUT OF 'SAFETY WINDOW' BEFORE DISCUSSING THE PROB AND DECIDING WHAT TO DO. SINCE THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF MAJOR DAMAGE; AND NO CTLABILITY PROBS; WE ELECTED TO PROCEED TO TOLEDO; ONLY A SHORT FLT AWAY; WHERE THERE IS AN SMT SVC CTR. POST-FLT EXAMINATION CONFIRMED OUR ASSESSMENT OF THE DAMAGE. IN RETROSPECT; PERHAPS WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A VEHICLE TO CHASE THE BIRDS AWAY. THE PROB WITH THIS IS THAT THEY SIMPLY RETURN TO THE RWY AFTER THE VEHICLE IS GONE. (AN SMT HAD JUST LANDED PRIOR TO OUR DEP.) AS A RESULT OF A PASSING COLD FRONT; THE AIR WAS CHILLY (50 DEGS F); BUT THE RWYS WERE WARM FROM THERMAL HEATING. I BELIEVE THIS WAS ATTRACTING THE BIRDS. I'M ALSO CONSIDERING AN AGREED-UPON TKOF 'BIRD DECISION SPD' OF; SAY; 70 KTS (WELL BELOW V1). THIS WOULD BE DISCUSSED ON THE PRE-TKOF BRIEFING. IF THERE IS STILL A QUESTION UPON REACHING THIS SPD; THE TKOF WOULD BE ABORTED. BY THE TIME THE 'WILL THEY?'/'WON'T THEY?' QUESTION BECAME 'ONE WON'T;' WE WERE PAST V1 AND NEITHER OF US BELIEVED ABORTING WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE THAT NO BIRDS WERE INGESTED BY THE ENGS. FINALLY; I'M EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THE SMOOTH AND ORDERLY FLOW OF CREW INTERACTION -- A RESULT OF RECENT COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT TRAINING. OUR IMMEDIATE CONCERN WAS TO LEAVE THE 'SAFETY WINDOW.' FOLLOWING THAT; I ASSIGNED (AS SENIOR PLT) INDIVIDUAL TASKS RELEVANT TO THE PROB. TOGETHER; WE AGREED UPON A WORKABLE PLAN (TOLEDO); AND BRIEFED THE PAX. PROPERLY ADMINISTERED; COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT IS VERY EFFECTIVE -- PROVED HERE. IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED IN EVERY COCKPIT.