Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Mud!

[0TreeLemur]

After my flight instructor complained about getting cold sitting next to the door, we put a new door seal on yesterday.   The old, leaky HD door seal was installed a few years ago by that same instructor, but that is another matter...

In the process we took the door interior door liner off to avoid messing it up any more than it's 50+ year old self is already messed up.   Look what we discovered inside the door!   This huge mud-dobber nest (how did they get in there???) weighs about 1/3 of a pound.  Judging from its roundness, has been rolling around inside the door frame for years.   Taken together with the large one I found last annual behind the rat sock in the main wheel well, I've removed more than a pound of mud dobber nests.   This one would not fit through that hole, requiring screwdriver-assisted disassembly and vacuum extraction.

[Yetti]

There was a piper something sitting out on the ramp.   I went up and did the ole elevator waggle.  Swarms of wasps came out.   For yours looks like you could update the W&B and continue on with your training.

[Prior owner]

I just went throughout this on my plane- it is a real pain to get it out through the small holes in the door!! They get in through the little hole that the door handle protrudes from.

Edited March 11, 2019 by PilotCoyote

[0TreeLemur]

Yeah, yesterday my wife deduced that the dobbers where getting in there.   Should be a seal there!   Ours has decayed to nothingness.  Don't see anything on LASAR.com

[DXB]

2 hours ago, Fred₂O said:

Yeah, yesterday my wife deduced that the dobbers where getting in there.   Should be a seal there!   Ours has decayed to nothingness.  Don't see anything on LASAR.com

didn’t know there should be a seal there but makes makes sense - let me know if you find them!!