snake in plane - Johannesburg, South Africa

Peter Ha

Peter Ha

Pre-takeoff checklist
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Of all the things to go wrong midair in the cockpit of a plane, finding a venomous snake under the pilot's seat must surely be one of the worst scenarios.
So spare a thought for South African pilot Rudolf Erasmus.
"I felt this little cold sensation underneath my shirt where my hip is situated — but basically where you've got your little love handles," he tells NPR.
When he looked down, the pilot was surprised to see a highly venomous Cape cobra under his seat.
....
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/05/1168206000/snake-on-a-plane-cobra-cockpit-south-africa
 
I had a big wolf spider jump on my arm in a glider at 3000 feet once. I never found it. I never felt comfortable in that plane again.
 
9/11 caught me with my plane tied down outsider at an airport miles from home.
When I got my plane back it was infested with spiders!!
I put tarps over it and set off bug bombs. It was a LONG time before I was comfortable in that plane again.
 
Years ago a student asked me to ride in the back seat (Challenger II Long wing) on the way over to our monthly club meeting about an hour away. As he was pulling his plane out of the hangar a huge rat ran out of the open end of the wing above the rear seat. It dropped onto the seat before leaping out and running away.

I told him if that rat had dropped in my lap on climb-out he would have had to fly to the meeting solo after calling someone to pick up a heart attack victim ...
 
I and another pilot were detailed to pick up an aircraft that had been in storage and take it to Corpus Christi. Climbing through 1,500', yellow jackets streamed out of the fwd avionics compartment. We looked at each other for a second or two and we both came to the same idea. Climb to 10,000'. The colder OAT put them all to sleep within a few minutes. They were still snoring on arrival.
 
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Akiak, Alaska. I just loaded 5 folks into a 207 and closed the door. I went to the pilot door and got in my seat when 4 of the folks suddenly egressed the right side cargo door.


Because there was a bug bouncing on the outside of the window. Not a stinging or biting insect, just some kind of flying bug so out they go...
 
A little off topic. A few years ago, my elderly friend called me to remove a snake. She went to use her toilet and there was a snake coiled in the bowl. When I pulled it out, it was at least 10 feet long. I killed it outside. A week later, I got the same phone call from her. I had to pull another 10 foot snake out of her toilet bowl.
 
I had 200,000 bees in the airplane. Always a few riders. But there seemed to be more than their should have..

One of the cages had a 3" tear in the wire mesh and some were getting out.
 
lsaway said:
A little off topic. A few years ago, my elderly friend called me to remove a snake. She went to use her toilet and there was a snake coiled in the bowl. When I pulled it out, it was at least 10 feet long. I killed it outside. A week later, I got the same phone call from her. I had to pull another 10 foot snake out of her toilet bowl.
Click to expand...

I've LEFT a 10' snake in a toilet before.
 
IK04 said:
Man, I miss those days. I should have never left.
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Yeah, I miss the flying part, but I don't miss working for the A holes.

You did right by leaving. I wasn't ready to leave when I did, but it was time, otherwise I would still be there flying sleds and hauling dead moose...
 
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