Birds nest issue

[Medflyer]

I've had my M20F now for about 9 months and a recurring problem is that birds LOVE building a nest in the tail section of the plane where the elevator and rudder come together.  It's a tight fit for my hand to clean it out so I'm thinking prevention is a better cure than cleaning everytime.  I have thought about threading a towel in that space but cringe at the thought of a rainstorm soaking the towel...and then imaging a wet towel taking days to dry as it sits against control linkages.  

 Has anyone came across or manufactured plugs to put in that gap in the back?  Just seeing if people are having similar problems and what the solutions are that people are using

[PT20J]

Bruce’s makes a tailcone cover.

[Gee Bee Aeroproducts]

Or cut a piece of Ensolite foam 

Foammart Burbank is our supplier 

We die cut Ensolite foam for interior insulation, it takes 1/16 of a second with a steel rule die .

[carusoam]

My 65C lived outside…

in spring, the birds can fill the tail cone in about a Tuesday afternoon…

I had a simple left over piece of carpet from an interior project… that lasted about a decade of use…

it was a simple T shape that was easy to stuff in the hole and leave enough hanging out to be ultra tacky and visible at the same time…

the top of the T got stuffed into the hole. The bottom of the T, hung outside

slightly oversized, to stay in place…

the birds hated it…

it was soft enough to not interfere with the controls when forgotten…

 

it would be cool if @Gee Bee Aeroproducts had T  (or a better shape) dimensions to price making the tool…

 

nice to see you Guy!

(Guy is a skilled builder of foam and silicone rubber parts)

best regards,

-a-

[Justin Schmidt]

4 hours ago, Medflyer said:

I've had my M20F now for about 9 months and a recurring problem is that birds LOVE building a nest in the tail section of the plane where the elevator and rudder come together.  It's a tight fit for my hand to clean it out so I'm thinking prevention is a better cure than cleaning everytime.  I have thought about threading a towel in that space but cringe at the thought of a rainstorm soaking the towel...and then imaging a wet towel taking days to dry as it sits against control linkages.  

 Has anyone came across or manufactured plugs to put in that gap in the back?  Just seeing if people are having similar problems and what the solutions are that people are using

I came to the conclusion a plug of some sort could lead to forgetting...I prefer the tail cover. Just need to come up with a good way for top of vertical 

[Bartman]

I used a couple of pieces of foam for a while, then my wife bought the tail cover from Bruce a few years ago.  I cannot say it is the easiest thing to put on, but it keeps the birds out.  I use it when traveling and parked on the ramp, especially in the spring.

[Gee Bee Aeroproducts]

Paper design 

Thickness spec

 

Group buy to pay for tooling 

Material cost is inexpensive 

GB

 

off topic , Iam designing a flat offset transducer mount.

2.0 x 3.5

[Hank]

18 minutes ago, Gee Bee Aeroproducts said:

off topic , Iam designing a flat offset transducer mount.

2.0 x 3.5

Put of curiosity, what are you translucent? Linear or rotary? From the photo, I'm guessing rotary.

[AJ88V]

Bubble pack/wrap is a good solution.  I like the stuff with the small bubbles as opposed to the inch size bubbles.  Easy to roll up and stuff in there to seal up the hole.  BUT! you need to be out to the plane at least once a month or the d@mned birds will pick at it and eventually get through.  I also have a Bruce's tailcone cover which works really well, but it's a pain to install whereas the bubble pack takes about 30 seconds.

BTW, if you're getting birds in the tailcone, you're likely getting them in the engine cow (either top through the front or through the cooling flaps below.  Both suck.  The worst one is the hole through the flap actuator on the wing root.  Very hard to block and you'll end up with an eagle-sized nest in the belly.

I love birds, but just wish they'd pick on Pipers instead.

[carusoam]

The nose always deserves plugs…

people know how tough it is to get grass out from between the cylinder fins….

the tail gets ignored most often…

 

it is only the spring months that have the persistent risk…

bubble wrap is an interesting idea… it won’t have any inherent UV resistance… that would cost extra.

back in the day… I made biodegradable bubble wrap…

Best regards,

-a-

[carusoam]

On 1/18/2025 at 9:00 PM, Gee Bee Aeroproducts said:

Paper design 

Thickness spec

 

Group buy to pay for tooling 

Material cost is inexpensive 

GB

 

off topic , Iam designing a flat offset transducer mount.

2.0 x 3.5

Looks like somebody is baking their oil pressure sensor… by design.

the sensor itself costs about 1amu…

Best regards,

-a-

[Gee Bee Aeroproducts]

23 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Looks like somebody is baking their oil pressure sensor… by design.

the sensor itself costs about 1amu…

Best regards,

-a-

Fuel psi , oem shadin 1984 on up Baron and Bonanza models