"Peter R." wrote in message
...
As a relatively newly-certificated pilot (two years ago), I am curious
about the upcoming emergence of the seventeen-year cicada in the northeast
and midwest US later this May.

Are there any hazards to aircraft associated with these insects, either on
the ground or in the air?


Flying through a large cloud of insects can clog your air filter and cover
your windshield with impenetrable goo. They can build up on the wings and
reduce lift and increase drag. It can take days to clean the bugs off the
airplane.

Some areas seem to have a permanent haze of bugs. Western Kansas comes to
mind. The worst I have encountered was in October of 2001. One of my
students had just bought a new Cessna 172 and we were ferrying it back to
Bremerton from the factory at Independence. We landed at Liberty for fuel
and flew through an incredible number of bugs. We could hardly see the
runway when we touched down. The entire airplane was coated with bug guts
which quickly hardened into a yellow and red layer of shellac. It was truly
awful.