Wasp/Hornet in Skymaster

Timcote1960 · #1 11-11-21, 05:46 PM

Today I had a beautiful flight from KLCI Laconia NH to KVKX Friendly MD, about 2.7hrs, mostly up at 6500'. However, about 2.1hrs in after having descended to 2500', I suddenly noticed that up on the windshield was a huge wasp. When I said "Oh sh**", my passenger wife was terrified. The wasp buzzed around a bit, alit here and there on the top of the dash, and then with a crush beneath the checklist I was able to dispatch it to wasp heaven.

I have no idea where this thing came from---did I carry it with me or bring it in from the air outside? I am so grateful there wasn't a whole nest of 'em.

One never knows what kind of little emergency one will encounter.....

wslade2 · #2 11-14-21, 02:18 AM

Check for wasp nest in fresh air intake tubes. My plane was outside, and in a week that was all it took for a nest to be built. It was far enough back to not see it. But I saw some buzzing around the front of my wing which led to finding it

Rick Erwin · #3 11-14-21, 12:07 PM

Just last week I found a dead bird in the Alternate Air induction box next to the magnetically held swing open door. It had to have come in through the open tube at the right front, just inside the cowl.

If that door had opened with the bird there, it would have been sucked right into the compressor section of the turbocharger, been ground up and sent on to the induction air tubes, intake valves, and then the cylinders, and since pressurized air for the cabin is bled off the compressor, that could have been a mess in that system also.

Even though my airplane has always been in a hangar, I think I'll get some cowl plugs, and look in both the Normal Air and Alternate Air tubes periodically with a borescope.

For the potential wasp problem, I need to produce something to plug up the fresh air inlets at the wing roots also. Does anybody have anything that has worked well for that?

Rick

Learjetter · #4 12-23-23, 08:29 AM

Rick,
Ray at affordable aviation.com has some good inlet plugs if you’re still in the market for a bug prevention solution.

-LJ

n86121 · #5 12-23-23, 10:35 AM

I regularly have an Episcopalian in my airplane.

Even worse, she has her pilot's license.

After 35 years, I just let her enjoy the flight.

Rick Erwin · #6 12-23-23, 12:39 PM

LJ, Thank you for the heads-up on the new solution, I'll take a look at it.

I found a solution I was able to do some carving on to make work.

https://www.mechanicsurplus.com/prod...20group%20%231

I put "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" flags on them.

Rick