Hornets in the cockpit!

[Ross Taylor]

Okay, since the oil issues seems rather sorted out...I'll tell my wasp story.  Until about 4 years ago, I was doing technical training/troubleshooting/project management on wind turbine installations.  I had climbed a 140-foot tower at a site on the shore of Cape May, thinking what a beautiful place and a great view.  As part of the troubleshooting, I turned the rotor by hand to feel for bearing roughness or cogging...and found out then that there was a wasp nest inside the alternator windings, and my actions pissed them off royally.  They came swarming out and I did my best to descend quickly, balancing the need to go quickly and avoid as many stings as possible against the need to not fall.  Complicating things, my harness had a slider which rode on a vertical safety cable and if you descend too quickly it locks...damned thing!

[Ricky_231]

58 minutes ago, Ross Taylor said:

Okay, since the oil issues seems rather sorted out...I'll tell my wasp story.  Until about 4 years ago, I was doing technical training/troubleshooting/project management on wind turbine installations.  I had climbed a 140-foot tower at a site on the shore of Cape May, thinking what a beautiful place and a great view.  As part of the troubleshooting, I turned the rotor by hand to feel for bearing roughness or cogging...and found out then that there was a wasp nest inside the alternator windings, and my actions pissed them off royally.  They came swarming out and I did my best to descend quickly, balancing the need to go quickly and avoid as many stings as possible against the need to not fall.  Complicating things, my harness had a slider which rode on a vertical safety cable and if you descend too quickly it locks...damned thing!

holy crap - I think I'd rather be inside a small plane.