I visit lots of airfields around the country and I have noticed a big problem arising....
The problem of CATS!!!
I have spoken to many airfield operators who have told me that the Cat Problem is getting way out of hand. So I asked how do you deal with this Cat Problem? The answers were wide and diverse.
1. Some operators have been known to use thousands of rabbit retainers (Rabbit Traps). As we all know a Cat is too smart for the old rabbit trap, but you quite often see a number of three legged Cats limping around airfields.
2. The propeller method. This is a good one, and a good friend at Shepparton Airfield showed me this one. You have an aircraft with a three- or four-bladed propeller, and you attach a small length of string with a small fury item tied to its end. Then sit in the cockpit and start the engine, but leave it on idle. The small fury item will spin around and as we all know cats cannot resist little fury items that move. Sooner or later the Cat will not be able to resist the temptation to sink it claws into it. This has a dramatic effect on pussy... The claws go in and pussy gets spun around and around and around. But something has to give, ... and if you have attached the string properly the string will give way and pussy will be thrown into the next hemisphere... or at least off the airfield. A helicopter is a better choice of aircraft for this method.
3. The baseball method. This method is not a good one unless you are very fit. It entails chasing the cats around the airfield trying to hit them. I can't see the method working for most pilots.
4. Land-on-em! This is a good one and I would have to say that over the Christmas New Year holiday week I saw this method in action.
At Porepunkah YPOK airfield Trikes were used to flatten the Cats. A local authority told me that you need to sprinkle a line of Whisker cat food along the runway. When the cats come out to eat the food the circling trikes cut their engines and do a dead stick landing. You can end up with a flat cat or even two.
We then went to The Great Lakes Airport YGLK at Lakes Entrance. They also use the aircraft method to flatten the cat problem. They set the trap as follows... Position the aircraft in the hangar on a slight incline. Then place Whisker or Snappy Tom in front of the main landing gear. When the pussy takes the bait, aircraft rolls forward over pussy. Result one flat cat. But the pilots at Great Lakes have an even better way of catching the frisky felines. You see, you can only fool a Cat with the rolling tyre method for a while. So they place the bait under the wing and remain very quietly on the top of your wing waiting for a cat. When our furry pussy stops to eat, you release a twenty litre jerry can and "voila" you have a flat Cat. This will not work with a ten litre jerry can as it only makes the cat cross eyed.
The next airfield was West Sale and they too use the rolling wheel method. From there we travelled to Latrobe Regional Airport. The Aero Club members couldn't catch the cats with the rolling wheel method, so they invented another way. They have an A-frame for advertising the Aero Club which has proved to be the purrrfect way to flatten a Cat. I was astounded when the Aero Club guys showed me the results. Two Cats at once.... Well done guys.
Next we headed coastal to Tooradin Airfield. I was happy to see that the Cat Problem was now winding down, and they have found a new use for the flat cats. Yes they use them as wheel chocks. Outstanding guys, ... that's great! People of all walks of life were cheering as the Pilot of the Tigermoth grabbed a couple of Cat Chocks and tossed them under the wheels with flare and skill, to stop the Tigermoth from rolling away.
So there you have it, .... how to stop the Cat Problem.
Yes everyone I am a cat hater and in my past I would shoot feral cats ... I even have one as a seat cover. But amazing as my dislike of cats may seem, I actually owned a cat... Yes that's right. I had a cat called "Mirreow", because that's the noise she makes when she wants to come in. She adopted us after being dumped. She was persistent, and eventually earned her keep by saving Anne from being bitten by a snake in the grass (in Anne's grass garden).
Disclaimer: NO CATS WERE HURT DURING THE WRITING OF THIS ARTICLE.
....And the flat cats were purchased in a shop in Tocumwal... They are called Cat Jam by a company called Meeeowch!
Hi All. I did write many articles for flying magazines years ago and yesterday it rained all day. I found an old hard drive and plugged it in... Well there they were, so I decided to post some for you. I will put a few more on the site if you like them. I have a number of "Common Dog" articles and I will post one a week. All the best YFT
Comments
The Cat problem at airfields.
I visit lots of airfields around the country and I have noticed a big problem arising....
The problem of CATS!!!
I have spoken to many airfield operators who have told me that the Cat Problem is getting way out of hand. So I asked how do you deal with this Cat Problem? The answers were wide and diverse.
1. Some operators have been known to use thousands of rabbit retainers (Rabbit Traps). As we all know a Cat is too smart for the old rabbit trap, but you quite often see a number of three legged Cats limping around airfields.
2. The propeller method. This is a good one, and a good friend at Shepparton Airfield showed me this one. You have an aircraft with a three- or four-bladed propeller, and you attach a small length of string with a small fury item tied to its end. Then sit in the cockpit and start the engine, but leave it on idle. The small fury item will spin around and as we all know cats cannot resist little fury items that move. Sooner or later the Cat will not be able to resist the temptation to sink it claws into it. This has a dramatic effect on pussy... The claws go in and pussy gets spun around and around and around. But something has to give, ... and if you have attached the string properly the string will give way and pussy will be thrown into the next hemisphere... or at least off the airfield. A helicopter is a better choice of aircraft for this method.
3. The baseball method. This method is not a good one unless you are very fit. It entails chasing the cats around the airfield trying to hit them. I can't see the method working for most pilots.
4. Land-on-em! This is a good one and I would have to say that over the Christmas New Year holiday week I saw this method in action.
At Porepunkah YPOK airfield Trikes were used to flatten the Cats. A local authority told me that you need to sprinkle a line of Whisker cat food along the runway. When the cats come out to eat the food the circling trikes cut their engines and do a dead stick landing. You can end up with a flat cat or even two.
We then went to The Great Lakes Airport YGLK at Lakes Entrance. They also use the aircraft method to flatten the cat problem. They set the trap as follows... Position the aircraft in the hangar on a slight incline. Then place Whisker or Snappy Tom in front of the main landing gear. When the pussy takes the bait, aircraft rolls forward over pussy. Result one flat cat. But the pilots at Great Lakes have an even better way of catching the frisky felines. You see, you can only fool a Cat with the rolling tyre method for a while. So they place the bait under the wing and remain very quietly on the top of your wing waiting for a cat. When our furry pussy stops to eat, you release a twenty litre jerry can and "voila" you have a flat Cat. This will not work with a ten litre jerry can as it only makes the cat cross eyed.
The next airfield was West Sale and they too use the rolling wheel method. From there we travelled to Latrobe Regional Airport. The Aero Club members couldn't catch the cats with the rolling wheel method, so they invented another way. They have an A-frame for advertising the Aero Club which has proved to be the purrrfect way to flatten a Cat. I was astounded when the Aero Club guys showed me the results. Two Cats at once.... Well done guys.
Next we headed coastal to Tooradin Airfield. I was happy to see that the Cat Problem was now winding down, and they have found a new use for the flat cats. Yes they use them as wheel chocks. Outstanding guys, ... that's great! People of all walks of life were cheering as the Pilot of the Tigermoth grabbed a couple of Cat Chocks and tossed them under the wheels with flare and skill, to stop the Tigermoth from rolling away.
So there you have it, .... how to stop the Cat Problem.
Yes everyone I am a cat hater and in my past I would shoot feral cats ... I even have one as a seat cover. But amazing as my dislike of cats may seem, I actually owned a cat... Yes that's right. I had a cat called "Mirreow", because that's the noise she makes when she wants to come in. She adopted us after being dumped. She was persistent, and eventually earned her keep by saving Anne from being bitten by a snake in the grass (in Anne's grass garden).
Disclaimer: NO CATS WERE HURT DURING THE WRITING OF THIS ARTICLE.
....And the flat cats were purchased in a shop in Tocumwal... They are called Cat Jam by a company called Meeeowch!
That's funny YFT. You bought the lot of em eh! And you have your sheep Esky's too. Very much looking forward to visiting!
Dude, post the picture of the "Cat" problem you have with them getting into your beer in the hangar fridge!!! The one you sent us by private email ;)
Hi All. I did write many articles for flying magazines years ago and yesterday it rained all day. I found an old hard drive and plugged it in... Well there they were, so I decided to post some for you. I will put a few more on the site if you like them. I have a number of "Common Dog" articles and I will post one a week. All the best YFT