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Last June I parked overnight at KMLE (Millard) southwest of Omaha. On preflight the next morning I found bird droppings on the prop and inside the cooling intake. I pulled the cowl and found a nest being constructed over N0. 1 cylinder. The airplane was only stationary for about 16 hours and on an active ramp. When I got home I constructed a pair of cowl plugs and have not had a repeat yet.
David Standish M.D.
N32CL
Jeffrey Liegner, MD wrote:
After a trip to the midwest, I noticed much higher cylinder temps
for the rear cylinders during climb and cruise. I pulled the
cowling and found a bunch of Nebraska weeds and vegetation stuck
and stuffed on top of the rear cylinders (#2 and #1), which
certainly would have impaired cooling back there.
I almost think of it as a birds nest (blown to smithereens), but
the airplane was hangered (not exclusively protective of birds),
but was pointed towards the outside while the hanger was open
during the two days.
I'm reminded that birds only need a half hour of unattended time to stuff a bunch of nesting material inside the cowling.
This is the season for birds nests. Look more carefully than I apparently did.
Lucky there was not a small fire under the cowling.
Jeff L
LIVP
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