Insect phobia
Joe Polvino
I am a student pilot and just got my solo endorsement for touch and goes at
my local airport (Rochester-Monroe County Int'l) and while climbing to 1400'
a wasp attacked me. I managed to stay in the pattern while viciously swatting
and mashing the flying stinger. My instructor was a victim in the same plane
a few hours before: he got stung on the thigh.
According to Stephen King, there are a number of fatal car accidents which
cannot be explained. Bees or wasps may be at fault, so I'm just curious if
this has happened in the aviation world. Any stories or experiences...post
them here.
--
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Joseph S. Polvino | INTERNET: | "Klingons do not allow them-
Eastman Kodak Company | pol...@ssd.kodak.com | selves to be ... PROBED."
Phone: 716-588-0659 | "I don't char anymore" | - Lt. Worf, "Violations"
Skip Guild
>Has anyone ever had any potentially dangerous experiences occur while piloting?
>According to Stephen King, there are a number of fatal car accidents which
>cannot be explained. Bees or wasps may be at fault, so I'm just curious if
>this has happened in the aviation world. Any stories or experiences...post
>them here.
Had a wasp join my flight instructor and me for my Hawk XP checkout. Most
of the time he simply sat on the glare shield and watched where we were
going. When he (the wasp) started getting nervous after a less-than-
perfect crash and go (I mean touch and go), the instructor trapped him
gently in the corner of the windshield with the sectional until after we
finished that last T&G. After taxiing off the runway we opened the door
and "invited" our non-paying guest to depart the plane which he did. No
sweat.
unknown
Joe> Has anyone ever had any potentially dangerous experiences occur
Joe> while piloting? I am a student pilot and just got my solo
Joe> endorsement for touch and goes at my local airport
Joe> (Rochester-Monroe County Int'l) and while climbing to 1400' a
Joe> wasp attacked me.
Well, on my third lesson ever I was flying the approach and we were
attacked by a Bonanza. Does that count?
--berry
(Short version: We were cleared to land, had right of way, Bonanza
wasn't paying attention, made straight in, missed us by 30 feet)
--
Berry Kercheval :: Protocol Engines Inc :: be...@pei.com
Jez Wain
> >Has anyone ever had any potentially dangerous experiences occur while piloting?
>
> of the time he simply sat on the glare shield and watched where we were
> going. When he (the wasp) started getting nervous after a less-than-
> perfect crash and go (I mean touch and go), the instructor trapped him
> gently in the corner of the windshield with the sectional until after we
> finished that last T&G. After taxiing off the runway we opened the door
> and "invited" our non-paying guest to depart the plane which he did. No
> sweat.
Question: When the 'plane is airborne, does it (the 'plane) weigh more when the
wasp is flying, than when it (the wasp) is sitting on the glare shield?
Steve Popovich
>>>>>> On 12 May 92 19:33:42 GMT, pol...@ssd.kodak.com (Joe Polvino) said:
>Joe> Has anyone ever had any potentially dangerous experiences occur
>Joe> while piloting? I am a student pilot and just got my solo
>Joe> endorsement for touch and goes at my local airport
>Joe> (Rochester-Monroe County Int'l) and while climbing to 1400' a
>Joe> wasp attacked me.
>Well, on my third lesson ever I was flying the approach and we were
>attacked by a Bonanza. Does that count?
Oooff. Sorry, WASPs don't qualify as insects, no matter how
idiotically they may fly their Fork-Tailed Doctor-Killers.
Jim Schinnerer
> cannot be explained. Bees or wasps may be at fault, so I'm just curious if
> this has happened in the aviation world. Any stories or experiences...post
> them here.
Interesting. The other day, my SO got *very* excited about a carpenter ant
(BIG black ant that eats your house). We were in level cruise at the time,
and ants don't bother me, but in the process of trying to find and kill
the blasted thing, I gained 200 feet.
It crawled under her seat - couldn't find it - haven't seen it since.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jim Schinnerer - PP-ASEL-IA | Hewlett Packard
Mooney - 350X - "Buster" | Vancouver, WA
email - schi...@vcd.hp.com | (206) 944-3324
---------------------------------------------------------
Jim Burke
|> Question: When the 'plane is airborne, does it (the 'plane) weigh more when the
|> wasp is flying, than when it (the wasp) is sitting on the glare shield?
If the wasp is in straight and level flight, the airplane weighs the same
as when the wasp sits on the glare shield. By flying, the wasp only
displaces air molecules. The air molecules support the wasp and the
structure of the plane supports the weight of the air molecules, slight
though it is.
--
Jim Burke
Teknekron Software Systems ... bu...@tss.com
phone:(415) 617-2432 ... uunet!tekbspa!burke
Charlie Gibbs
writes:
>Question: When the 'plane is airborne, does it (the 'plane) weigh more when
>the
> wasp is flying, than when it (the wasp) is sitting on the glare
>shield?
And if you panic and release the controls, can the wasp log PIC?
:-)
Charli...@mindlink.bc.ca
"I'm cursed with hair from HELL!" -- Night Court
Jim Hutchison
my daughter noticed a hornet (!) hanging from an overhead vent - apparently
the propwash had blown him in from his previous position in the tube. I shut
down and we evacuated in a rush of adrenalin, got him out and stomped him.
I'd really freak out if he came blasting out of the vent on upwind, mad as
#### and ready to do something about it.
As someone said here several months ago (with reference to snakes, I believe)
one of the items on your preflight should be Check for Vermin. This means
a good visual check before belting in, as well as All Vents Open during runup.
Cheers.
Jim Hutchison
hu...@acuson.com
an original Network Illiterate
Michael Peters
>Has anyone ever had any potentially dangerous experiences occur while piloting
>I am a student pilot and just got my solo endorsement for touch and goes at
>my local airport (Rochester-Monroe County Int'l) and while climbing to 1400'
>a wasp attacked me. I managed to stay in the pattern while viciously swatting
>and mashing the flying stinger. My instructor was a victim in the same plane
>a few hours before: he got stung on the thigh.
I heard of a case locally, where the pilot had been bitten by a Black Widow.
I guess some people's sensitivity to the poison is different, but it affects
your nervous system, I think. Anyway the the pilot lost control and the
accident was fatal. This was all 3rd hand info, but I think it occurred at
Moraine AirPark many moons ago.
--
Mike Peters
Mike....@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM
...!uunet!ncrcom!wtcp!mpeters
Rex Root
>If the wasp is in straight and level flight, the airplane weighs the same
>as when the wasp sits on the glare shield. By flying, the wasp only
>displaces air molecules. The air molecules support the wasp and the
>structure of the plane supports the weight of the air molecules, slight
>though it is.
>
So I suppose if the wasp insisted on flying from the front of your cabin,
to the rear, and to the front again you would need to retrim accordingly ..
... So very little, of course.
*******************************************************
Rex L. Root Jr. PP-ASEL-G "I only fly inverted on purpose."
Electrical Engineering Dept.
University of Maryland () ()
College Park, Maryland 20742 _______\___/_______
e-mail: r...@eng.umd.edu | ( ) |
voice: (301) 405-3688 ---------------------
FAX: (301) 314-9281 T
Andrew Greenshields
During my first glider lesson, my instructor was going over the
preflight checks with me. He showed me the intake for the air vent
(on a 2-33) and said that I should check for obstructions,
especially wasps nests. It seems that the previous season he was
the first one to fly that particular ship and when he was airborne,
he opened the vent to get some air and was blasted with some
particularly pissed off wasps.
--
Andrew J. Greenshields N3IGS | Some people can tell what time it is by
dxa...@cs.widener.edu | looking at the Sun, but I have never been
dxa...@cyber.widener.edu | able to make out the numbers.
-----------------------***STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY***------------------------
David Lesher
hornet nest inside a pullopen vent.
As allergic as I am to insect stings, I quivered while reading
the story.
--
A host is a host from coast to coast..wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
Ron Gaynier
"|" During my first glider lesson, my instructor was going over the
"|"preflight checks with me. He showed me the intake for the air vent
"|"(on a 2-33) and said that I should check for obstructions,
"|"especially wasps nests. It seems that the previous season he was
"|"the first one to fly that particular ship and when he was airborne,
"|"he opened the vent to get some air and was blasted with some
"|"particularly pissed off wasps.
I didn't want to start a "can you top this" war but....
At my gliding club you have to be careful of the red-back spiders
(aka black widows) which populate the hangar by the hundreds. Also
mind yourself in the tall grass, brown snakes and black snakes are common.
Must be the abundance of prey, trapped 80 (yes 80) mice one night in
the club house.
The things we put up with to fly.
Ron Gaynier, University of Queensland Australia
michael.a.pilla
>Had a wasp join my flight instructor and me for my Hawk XP checkout. Most
>of the time he simply sat on the glare shield and watched where we were
>going.
I was checking out a new glider our club had purchased, and had just
started the takeoff roll, under aero tow, when a zillion baby spiders
dropped all around me with their tiny webs. I have no idea where Momma
was, or how I missed the nest or whatever they use. Fortunately, I
remembered the aviate, navigate, ... rule and just flew, but it was one
of my shortest flights! :-)
On a related story, while stopping off for fuel on the way to Oshkosh one
year, I noticed a nice "Flying Milkstool". Chatting with the guy, he
explained how during each pre-flight except the one on the way to Oshkosh
that morning, he had to clear out some mice. Well, these guys found out fast
why there were no mice. Just after takeoff, at about 50 feet, a snake
appears out of the wing root and proceeded to investigate the noise, ...
Obviously, they handled it well, since they were on their third leg, ...
As any CFI will tell you, if anything appears out of the ordinary (in this
case, the *absence* of mice during the pre-flight), stop and figure out
why. I don't think I could have handled the appearance of a snake
staring at me just after breaking ground. :-)
Mike Pilla
Scott Turner
>my local airport (Rochester-Monroe County Int'l) and while climbing to 1400'
>a wasp attacked me. I managed to stay in the pattern while viciously swatting
>and mashing the flying stinger. My instructor was a victim in the same plane
>a few hours before: he got stung on the thigh.
A while back I posted about a similar incident. On takeoff, just as the
plane lifted off the runway an Unidentified Large Ugly Thing With
Stinger (ULUTWS - pls add to FAQ Geoff :-) flew into my face. I handled
the whole thing quite well if I do say so myself, but ever since have
added a preflight and runup item to the checklist, to wit:
Make sure all uninvited guests are DEAD, DEAD, DEAD before departure.
Vicious sort, ain't I?
Scott Turner sc...@hpisla.LVLD.HP.COM
HP VXI Systems Division
Turbo Arrow N2134N "Baby"
Jim Burke
|> A while back I posted about a similar incident. On takeoff, just as the
|> plane lifted off the runway an Unidentified Large Ugly Thing With
|> Stinger (ULUTWS - pls add to FAQ Geoff :-) flew into my face. I handled
|> the whole thing quite well if I do say so myself, but ever since have
|> added a preflight and runup item to the checklist, to wit:
|>
|> Make sure all uninvited guests are DEAD, DEAD, DEAD before departure.
This reminds me of when I used to have a motorcycle. One day we were
riding up a fairly steep hill, not too fast, when my wife starts flailing
and screaming "There's a bee in my helmet!!!". She was jumping and screaming
with a bad case of St. Vidas dance so I slowed down and tried to get to the
side of the road as quickly as I could. Before I came to a stop, she lifted
up on one peg and jumped off the bike which toppled the bike, me, and her
into a heap on the side of the road. The only damage was a sprained ankle
to yours truly. She yanks off the helmet and starts flailing a little more.
I asked her "where did it sting you?". "Well, it didn't sting me". Hmmm.
"Well, where is it?". "I'm not sure". What we finally figured out was
that there was never a ULUTWS or even a ULUTWOS (WithOut Stinger) in her
helmet. The problem was that the strap to her helmet got into a position
where the wind was buzzing it against the side of the helmet which sounded
exactly like a bug _inside_ the helmet. Of course if you think there's a
bug in the helmet, it must necessarily be a bee or a wasp.
People can freak out unexpectedly over the wierdest things at the worst
possible moment.
Dick Dowell
A friend got a job driving a large truck. On his first trip a wasp
moved into the cab with him. I admit my friend has incredible self
control, but he decided that this could be very dangerous, and actually
ignored the wasp. It even walked on his arms and body (100 degree shirt
off day).
I would think that one should have a "wasp plan", just like other
emergency plans so a predictable (hopefully) reaction can be programmed.
My friend never got stung. I guess I'll try to pretend it isn't there too.
Dick "nerves of spaghetti"Dowell
Gary Gross
>gently in the corner of the windshield with the sectional until after we
>finished that last T&G. After taxiing off the runway we opened the door
>and "invited" our non-paying guest to depart the plane which he did. No
>sweat.
STATISTIC (fatality):
The brown recluse on my window didn't get off so easy (crashed and burned)!
He's scattered over a diagonal area about 2 inches wide and 2 feet long...
STATISTIC (fatality):
Yesterday's snake on PAO's runway is now... two snakes.
TOWER: Bonanza 19... cleared for takeoff, caution for snake on
runway.
A/C on upwind: Did I hit him?
It's you or them, just make sure it's them...
Bill Coleman
> wasp is flying, than when it (the wasp) is sitting on the glare shield?
Pressurized or unpressurized cabin?
<grin>
--
Bill Coleman, AA4LR ! CIS: 76067,2327 AppleLink: D1958
Principal Software Engineer ! Packet Radio: AA4LR @ W4QO
Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. ! UUCP: uunet!hayes!bcoleman
POB 105203 Atlanta, GA 30348 USA ! Internet: bcoleman%ha...@uunet.uu.net
Disclaimer: "My employer doesn't pay me to have opinions."
Quote: "The same light shines on vineyards that makes deserts." -Steve Hackett.
Julian E. Gomez
" a wasp attacked me. I managed to stay in the pattern while viciously swatting
Aviation Safety's Flying Circus has a good story about someone who had
such a critter in the cockpit. He got really concerned when it flew up
his pants, so he landed immediately, pulled off into the grass, hopped
out, removed his pants, and shook them vigorously to get the bug out.
Then he noticed the nearby group of Girl Scouts on an airport tour,
every single one staring at him.
--
"Common sense isn't"
Julian "a tribble took it" Gomez
j...@netcom.com
dsn...@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil
>>>>>> On 12 May 92 19:33:42 GMT, pol...@ssd.kodak.com (Joe Polvino) said:
>> Has anyone ever had any potentially dangerous experiences occur
>
Well I've never been attacked by an insect during flight although I've had
quite a few along for rides at times. I was attacked by a Ohio State Highway
Patrol Cessna 182 once though. I was flying up to Bellefontaine, Ohio for
fuel one day. The visibility was really crappy so I was following the
highway. I totally missed him in my traffic scan till he was right on top of
me. I pulled up and right and I could see him looking down at the highway
when I passed him. He didn't even have a clue I was around. He must have
been too engrossed in timing those speeders down on the highway. The funny
thing was that my instructor always taught me to fly on the right hand side of
the Highway/Airway to avoid anyone else coming the other way doing the same
thing. This trooper was left on center in my airway/highway. I wonder if I
could make a citizen's arrest :) . Since then I always fly a little further
away from the centerline. David--
---------------------------------------------------------------------
David B. Snyder Logicon Technical Services Inc.
dsn...@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
513-255-7557 Dayton, Ohio USA
---------------------------------------------------------------------
It is said that GOD doesn't subtract from ones' time on earth, those
hours spent flying.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1946 Cessna 140 N76234 "The lady in waiting" Owner/Operator
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinions expressed are my own and not those of Logicon or the USAF.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Tweedie
>quite a few along for rides at times. I was attacked by a Ohio State Highway
>Patrol Cessna 182 once though. I was flying up to Bellefontaine, Ohio for
>fuel one day. The visibility was really crappy so I was following the
>highway. I totally missed him in my traffic scan till he was right on top of
>me. I pulled up and right and I could see him looking down at the highway
>when I passed him. He didn't even have a clue I was around. He must have
>been too engrossed in timing those speeders down on the highway. The funny
>thing was that my instructor always taught me to fly on the right hand side of
>the Highway/Airway to avoid anyone else coming the other way doing the same
>thing. This trooper was left on center in my airway/highway. I wonder if I
>could make a citizen's arrest :) . Since then I always fly a little further
>away from the centerline. David--
>
There was a similar incident years ago in the San Jauquin valley near
Fresno. The California Highway Patrol (CHP tm) regularly flew right
through airport traffic patterns **going the wrong way** at **pattern**
altitude, along highway 99. THere are a number of airports right
alongside the highway. One day the CHP plane flew head on into a
plane in the landing pattern at Madera--all hands lost. I believe
that there was a change in policy requiring pilot **and** observer
after that. Keep a look out--Twice I have had near head ons at
Control tower airports (Fresno and Reid Hillview) while in the
standard pattern and in conact with the tower.
Rich Tweedie
SUper Stinson N-175C