Bird bombs

elvisAteMySandwich

elvisAteMySandwich

Pre-takeoff checklist
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elvisAteMySandwich
The local birds are conducting military training bombing runs over my tied down aircraft on the ramp. Any suggestions to give the feathered ones more gastrointestinal fortitude or encouragement to do their exercises someplace else?

Also, how quick do you need to get the bird poop off your paint before it starts damaging it?
 
The white in bird poop is ammonium urate and magnesium ammonium phosphate. In the past it was assumed the white in bird poop was uric acid. It is not.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190924175704.htm

Generally ammonium urate will break down at lower pH, so when extruded it is likely mixed in an acidic paste (I do not have a reference, but it seems logical). Being acidic it should be removed as soon as possible. Lots of water and physical agitation--wear gloves.
 
I saw a fake owl on top of a prop at an airport recently. I have my doubts that it would work. It did not look natural at all.
 
Are the birds sitting on the airplane? Where? Overhead wires? Are they nesting in the airplane?
Old CDs strung on fishing line are a popular bird deterrent, but it would take some ingenuity to make it easy to set up / remove every time you go for a ride.

FWIW bird poop on my car remains on the paint until the rain washes it off with no apparent detrimental effect. But, then, that's car paint. Not "aircraft quality" paint...
 
I usually lick my thumb and wipe it off. The Ph level in the spit counteracts the acid in dropping and protects the paint. No different than wiping off excess car wax.
 
5DC35AC1-D145-44E8-A6D3-ECE096BBE884.jpeg

They got me on the run... CCIP I’d imagine. Impressive.

Domenick, how is it you know THAT much about feathered friend guano? Enquiring minds... hehe
 
LesGawlik said:
Some of us miss AOL for this reason. But only this reason...
Click to expand...
I even forgot they were sending CDs out those days. I remember using a piece of tape to make those 760kb 3.5" floppies writable.
 
Domenick said:
The white in bird poop is ammonium urate and magnesium ammonium phosphate. In the past it was assumed the white in bird poop was uric acid. It is not.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190924175704.htm

Generally ammonium urate will break down at lower pH, so when extruded it is likely mixed in an acidic paste (I do not have a reference, but it seems logical). Being acidic it should be removed as soon as possible. Lots of water and physical agitation--wear gloves.
Click to expand...

I did not expect a masters-level education on birdsh*t today, so thanks for that :D
 
Is your airplane painted red by chance? One of our vehicles is red and when parked near non-red it always seems to get hit more than the others. Easy target? Don’t tell me birds are color blind, it’s just a simple theory with absolutely no scientific research.

Regarding the fake owl idea, I can just picture the owl not being removed during preflight. As the prop spins the poor owl gets launched like a rocket into the neighbor’s fuselage.
 
Salty said:
I saw a fake owl on top of a prop at an airport recently. I have my doubts that it would work. It did not look natural at all.
Click to expand...

A tie down neighbor has an owl. When asked, he says it doesn’t do anything for the birds.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Are the birds sitting on the airplane? Where? Overhead wires? Are they nesting in the airplane?
Old CDs strung on fishing line are a popular bird deterrent, but it would take some ingenuity to make it easy to set up / remove every time you go for a ride.

FWIW bird poop on my car remains on the paint until the rain washes it off with no apparent detrimental effect. But, then, that's car paint. Not "aircraft quality" paint...
Click to expand...

I’ve tried to plug up all the openings to keep them outside and believe that’s working. My main concern at the moment are strafing runs. I’m able to get out to the airport once every week or two but wondering if I need to visit more often to clean.

edit: the cd idea sounds interesting. Do they get freaked out by AOL dialup offers or do I have to find music cd’s they despise? Seriously though, is it the light bouncing off on the cd’s that spooks them?
 
Yep them birds be talkin!

#1 Bird: "Did you see that elvisAteMySandwich has his plane tied down on the ramp these days?'

#2 Bird: "Yep ... I spotted it several times yesterday!"
 
Salty said:
I saw a fake owl on top of a prop at an airport recently. I have my doubts that it would work. It did not look natural at all.
Click to expand...
My neighbor has had a large, plastic owl on his fence for over a decade. It never worked. The fence is still a damned gray squirrel highway (cute rats), and occasionally, a local bird will perch on its besplattered head.
 
Actually a fake owl will work for pigeons ... for a very short time. Soon they learn that it's not real so that's where they go to defecate and show their love! :eek:
 
I used to tie up outside. The Sundowner has a small rectangular opening in the end of the tailcone to allow the trim actuating rod to exit.

One day I walked up to the plane and saw a little baby bird head poking out of that opening. Uh, oh. What a mess to clean up.

There are also triangular openings in the tailcone to allow for stab movement. These can be covered by a fuselage cover, but I didn't have one.

I bought some plastic car wash sponges, the brighter colored the better, and left them in the plastic wrapper. I stuffed those in the openings. They were bright enough that they were hard to miss on preflight, and soft enough they would hinder but not block control movement.
 
Velocity173 said:
I usually lick my thumb and wipe it off. The Ph level in the spit counteracts the acid in dropping and protects the paint. No different than wiping off excess car wax.
Click to expand...

This method may cause repetitive microtrauma unless fingers are added to the tool armamentarium. Believe those are USN enlisted aircrew wings. Is the device used by the USMC also? Is this a NATOPS approved proc? Are you a jarhead aircrew? (Some of my best friends are USMC enlisted aircrew).:cornut:
 
Around here birds love to nest in planes, be sure to plug every opening when tied down outside. They will get into your plane in minutes some times of the year I guess in the spring when they looking to nest?

Sooner you get it off the better, especially if the bird had taco bell the night before.

We have a red convertible mustang at home and it seems to get hit more than our other cars. We keep it covered with a red car cover mainly to keep the bird poop off the paint.
One of my more experienced flight instructors suggested years ago to me to keep the prop vertical when parked out on the ramp to make it harder for the birds to land/perch on it.
One year during a grill out at our airport I watched what seemed like a dozen birds come and go from inside a plane parked out on the ramp near where we were grilling. I was amazed at the birds in and out of that plane. The AP from the field was there and he commented how much damage they can do. Beware.
 
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Cover your plane as best you can. Try to keep a film of wax on your plane..I use Turtle Wax and Dry. Spray it on a damp cloth and apply to as much of the exposed surfaces as possible.

old joke...what is the white stuff in bird poop ?

that is bird poop too !
 
n2230b said:
This method may cause repetitive microtrauma unless fingers are added to the tool armamentarium. Believe those are USN enlisted aircrew wings. Is the device used by the USMC also? Is this a NATOPS approved proc? Are you a jarhead aircrew? (Some of my best friends are USMC enlisted aircrew).:cornut:
Click to expand...

Although I came close to going the USMC C-130 enlisted navigator route, that’s the branch symbol for Army Aviation.

04DA3B5F-0A61-4822-9DC0-F93A1B3D4D52.jpeg
 
Ah, thanks.
Bro in law ret as an 04 ranger.
Dad was air force pilot, Fa in law navy, my 3 sons Marines & I ret navy.
Bird poop vs mashed bugs,,,don’t know which is worse.
In SOFLA you can bet we get our share of both.
 
Salty said:
I saw a fake owl on top of a prop at an airport recently. I have my doubts that it would work. It did not look natural at all.
Click to expand...

Nah, the birds would probably poop on the fake owl too.

I was in Monterey a few years ago. In one parking lot, there was a beautiful black Audi. Unfortunately, it was under a streetlight, and a number of gulls were roosting on the streetlight and making a mess of the car. The sounds they made sure sounded like they were laughing.

I think those birds know what they're doing. Bird brains, indeed.
 
When I was parked outside at VKX up to 9/11, I had lots of problems with birds. The one thing that did seem to work is one of these "Scare Eyes" beach balls. I hung it with a loop of safety wire on my rotating beacon and usually there was enough breeze to move it around from time to time.

I've been in hangars for 8 years now. Though they parked me outside when I was up for annual so I ended up having to scrub bird poop off the plane afterward. Sucks not having the mechanic on the same field so it can go from hangar to hangar.
 
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