Image courtesy of Brigitte Baeuerle

From: Brigitte Baeuerle
Arica, Chile, October 21, 2008

Preventing birds from nesting in the aircraft

Hello from Chile,

Earlier today, the NSF/NCAR C-130 returned from its third research flight. For about thirty minutes after landing, there was a lot of activity going on around the aircraft. In this picture, Bob Olson (Chief of Maintenance) and Bob Beasley (Aircraft Mechanic), attach aircraft engine air intake plugs to each of the four C-130 engines. The main reason for covering up the air intake area is to protect it from debris, sand and dust common to the dry climate of the Atacama Desert.

More importantly, it prevents birds from nesting in any of the nooks and crannies of the airplane that offer shelter from the elements and protection from predators. Birds’ nests under the engine cowl or in the fuselage can pose a very real danger to flight safety. A bird’s nest built in close proximity to the engine exhaust system can result in an engine fire. Similarly, a bird’s nest that disrupts the airflow into the engine oil cooler will almost certainly cause the engine to overheat and possible seize.

Postcards from the Field: Climate Science from the Southeast Pacific

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Southeast Pacific Climate

There are several regions in the world where low-lying stratus and stratocumulus clouds are frequently present and an important part of climates. It turns out that these regions also play an important...more

Atacama Desert

Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth. Much of the desert receives less than 1 millimeter (0.04 inch) of rainfall per year on average, making it 50 times more arid than California's...more

Rhea George

Many students in atmospheric science were motivated to enter the field by some fascinating extreme weather event experienced as a child. This was not the case with me. When I was an undergraduate I was...more

Dr. Boris Dewitte

I'm a physical oceanographer interested in climate variability and especially the El Niño phenomenon. Other than the annual cyle of the seasons, El Niño is the largest pulsation of the climate. I'm interested...more

Dr. Paquita Zuidema

Hola! I am originally from the Netherlands and thereafter spent 3 years as a child in the Peruvian Andes, but I have lived most of my life in the United States. I received my bachelor's degree in physics...more

Lelia Hawkins

I am starting my fourth year of graduate school at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, studying atmospheric chemistry and climate science. I love earth science and have always wanted to do something...more

Dr. Jeff Snider

I am a university professor involved in studies of the concentration and type of particles contained within clouds. It is important to know these things in order to say how often clouds produce precipitation...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA