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overnight outside... busy birds...

schristo@mac.com

[email protected]

Well Known Member
Parked overnight outside on the ramp in Denver a busy bird made countless trips hovering in the close space between prop and cowl inlet to begin to make a new home in my engine... overnight! No sign of the mess from outside.

img1504t.jpg
 
That's nothing

I parked a Baron in Iowa for about four hours, maybe five. I happened to notice a bird flying out of one of the engines as I walked back to the plane. So I opened up the cowling and there was a nearly complete nest built between two of the rear cylinders. I cleaned out what I could by hand, and then towed the plane over to a maintenance shop so I could use the air hose to blow out the rest. It was not easy, that bird had jammed stuff in there very tightly, took me at least 45 minutes to get it all out!
 
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Once upon a time, a long time ago.....

I went for a morning flight in my C-170 after cleaning out a bird's nest. Put the airplane back into the open "T" hangar. Went home, ate lunch, picked up the wife and kids, went back to the airport and found a new completed nest in the same place just a few hours later.
Once they find a place they like, They WILL be back!
 
Me Too

I had that happen after overnighting in Quantico, VA except it looked like the birds used the inside of the cowl as a porta-potty instead of a nesting location. I ordered my Vans cowl inlet covers the next day. I take them along anytime the plane will be parked outside for more than a few hours. Great for keeping SNF dirt out and for trips to the wash rack.
 
[email protected] said:
Parked overnight outside on the ramp in Denver a busy bird made countless trips hovering in the close space between prop and cowl inlet to begin to make a new home in my engine... overnight! No sign of the mess from outside.

img1504t.jpg
Click to expand...

Hi Stephen, so how did you know to look inside the back of the cowl ?
Did you see it, or someone told you about it ?

Im glad I have the vans cowl plugs to stop this sort of thing.
 
Mel said:
I went for a morning flight in my C-170 after cleaning out a bird's nest. Put the airplane back into the open "T" hangar. Went home, ate lunch, picked up the wife and kids, went back to the airport and found a new completed nest in the same place just a few hours later.
Once they find a place they like, They WILL be back!
Click to expand...

My experience exactly with my 170 in Tennessee. I guess birds can build more quickly on a Continental without all those pesky pushrod tubes in the way.:p A rubber snake draped over the inlets worked wonders.
 
bsacks05 said:
I had that happen after overnighting in Quantico, VA except it looked like the birds used the inside of the cowl as a porta-potty instead of a nesting location. I ordered my Vans cowl inlet covers the next day. I take them along anytime the plane will be parked outside for more than a few hours.
Click to expand...

Not just outside. I keep the cowl plugs on the plane when it's in the hangar too. Justified after seeing students canceling lessons in the rental 172 in the same hangar due to bird nests.

- mark
 
cowl plugs only work if you use them...

Jamie Aust said:
Hi Stephen, so how did you know to look inside the back of the cowl ?
Did you see it, or someone told you about it ?

Im glad I have the vans cowl plugs to stop this sort of thing.
Click to expand...

Hi Jamie, I have a set of the cowl plugs but was not using them... I did not look inside until after flying home. There was no evidence from the outside; the space is very small and you can not see or reach in past the top of the first cylinder. I did not see anything unusual in engine temperatures but we ended up flying the whole day at 16.5.
 
Potential Fire

You were fortunate Stephen. Flying with all that flammable stuff draped over the cylinders is not a good thing. I have seen the result of a bird nest catching fire. Fortunately it was on the ground, but the rewiring alone would have cost a fortune.

Hangars not only have bird problems, mice and rats can make a very smelly sloppy and control fouling mess of many parts of you average aircraft. I know of a 172 that had a family of rats make a nice home in the rear seats....NASTY!!

Jim
 
A common convenience in these stories

Think of the situation with a dedicated smaller volume plenum.

Bob Axsom
 
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