Bad Birds!!!

[Kaye]

A couple of weeks before the plane went into annual there was a terrible ruckas in the wing during preflight. At first I thought (hoping) it might be the pitot cover flag smaacking the wing, but it wasn't. I shook the wing, and the noise stopped. Shook it again, the ruckas started and eventually a starling flew out from the wheel well. Got under the wing and there's a 3" hole right behind the strut into the wing. Didn't see any nesting materials then, but these are a couple of pictures back from the shop.



Yikes!

 

[KennyFlys]

I don't know what kind of plane you have. I gather the three-inch hole shouldn't be there. Had you gone flying with them in the wing?

 

[Kaye]

I don't know what kind of plane you have. I gather the three-inch hole shouldn't be there. Had you gone flying with them in the wing?

No, the hole belongs there. I'm probably not describing it very well. It's in both wheel wells...not sure what it's for. We haven't had this problem before, and I'm not sure at this point what we'll do in the future to prevent it. I guess some kind of "plug" that will become part of the preflight to remove.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

birds = "flying rats"

Its a love-hate relationship for me.

 

[Kaye]

So when I asked the owner what the proposed plan to avoid this in the future was, he said this was the personal note he got from Socata:

"a "shotgun" is the only know effective treatment for birds nest... they further added, "just be sure to aim away from the airplane when you shoot.... holes from shot is more difficult to repair than hail damage"."

Yikes!

 

[TMetzinger]

Ya know, the plastic "brillo" might work in those holes. I believe Cessna uses it on some of their models where air circulation and visual inspection is desired but birds are not.

Of course, it will be aviation "brillo", so it will cost 100 times as much and require a form 337.

 

[etsisk]

Bad birds, bad birds, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad birds, bad birds ...

 

[KennyFlys]

Bad birds, bad birds, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad birds, bad birds ...

Tom... stick to the spin zone. The entertainment industry isn't ready for ya.

 

[etsisk]

it's the price I pay for being a cutting-edge trend-setter. Alas.

 

[Dwight B. Van Zanen]

No, the hole belongs there. I'm probably not describing it very well. It's in both wheel wells...not sure what it's for. We haven't had this problem before, and I'm not sure at this point what we'll do in the future to prevent it. I guess some kind of "plug" that will become part of the preflight to remove.

Kind of like the engine air duct plug. You could cut a round piece of 2" foam to fit, stick it up there, and pull it out as part of each pre-flight. Tape those cool red flags on and everything!