Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2011 @ 10:39 AM  

I have been busy fixing up my RF4D for the last year more or less, recovering the fuselage, because the wings were in great shape still.

And I also bought a hanger, that I am in the process of assembling to keep the RF4D in, to further help protect it from the elements.

Right now my RF4D sits outside tied down with covers and wing covers.

I noticed that there are some ground squirrels around that live in burrows and of course like to use the cover of my wing for shade
and protection from the many winged predators around.

The burrow entrances always end up under my wing and I also noticed that the squirrel like sitting on top of my wing from time to time
while overlooking his domain.

Well I guess one day his luck ran out, as while he was overseeing his domain from my wing a Red Tailed Hawk came in for lunch and
dived on him while sitting on my wing.

Well my squirrel problem is gone and I was very amused and elated that a hawk took care of that problem until I noticed that it cost me two talon holes in my wing fabric!...arghhhhh!

I guess there is a price to pay for everything.

I better hurry up and get my hanger built.

Apparently wildlife IN the hanger can also be a problem as my neighbor who also recently erected a hanger found out that
Black Widow spiders like the hanger as well and he got bit by one as it crawled up his shorts and he felt the tickle, smacked it
and then got bit.

He felt sick for several days and his leg went numb. He still has numbness in his leg 7 weeks later.
There is nothing can be done about it as the body just has to naturally dissipate the poison from the bite.

Unwelcome critters have always been on my Preflight inspections, check for Black widow spiders and rattle snakes.

The snakes tend to take care of the mice, but guess where the mice hide when a snake is around. in the RF4D of course, so
guess where the snake will be going as well.

I pray I never find myself in the air with a panicked rattle snake looking for a way out of the plane.

I heard of a contest in the 70's, Marfa TX I think, where a glider pilot elected to bail out when a rattle snake was discovered.

Apparently the glider flew on quite nicely on its own level for 30 miles before landing/crashing in the desert.

I think a calm pilot could just fly on and land at the nearest airport.

[Edit by jb92563 on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 @ 03:28 PM]

Posted Thursday, August 25, 2011 @ 10:24 AM  

Are you elevating the tail because mice can get in the rudder cable openings? I think the only other opening is under the elevator.

If I get rid of the game the predators will not hang out so that is half the problem solved.

And if I ever do find a snake or black widow on me in flight I know enough to just leave it be since they don't usually bite
until you threaten them, and although I would be nervous and distracted I don't panic over critters.

I spent my first 40 years in Canada in Ontario and know all too well about mice building nests with our seat cushions.

I left that climate since the 6 months of cold weather stunted my life style and hobbies. I like being out doors a lot and being active, but found the long cold periods too unpleasant.

I also noticed that a mouse had taken to a terry cloth seat cover and started into the seat belt next to it.

Fortunately he took only a very slight gnawing to the seat belt and did not compromise its integrity in any significant way.

I also found a dried up dead mouse under the seat at annual time so perhaps he got trapped in the plane and starved to death
with only seat cushions and belts for food, which apparently is not a sustainable diet for a mouse.

While I was reassembling the RF4D under the wheel well and trying to secure the stick casting to the torque tube for the ailerons, a mouse came out the end of that tube and took a look for a split second and bolted....I met my intruder face to face and he did not seem to approve of my disturbing his home.

I think I'll try a mouse trap if I see any further evidence of his presence. Once the hanger is built I'll use lots of Warfarin.

[Edit by jb92563 on Thursday, August 25, 2011 @ 10:27 AM]