Shoutout to the angry goose that chased me around the hangar

So last Tuesday at the regional airport in Springfield, I was finishing up a pitot-static test on a Cessna 172. I had the paperwork spread out on the ramp and was double-checking the altimeter readings when I hear this HONKING. I turn around and there's a Canada goose, wings spread, charging right at me. I grabbed my multimeter and the test set and basically did a full sprint around the tail of the plane while this thing chased me for a solid three minutes. My lead tech was just laughing from the hangar door. I finally got away by hiding behind a fuel truck. Has anyone else had a wild animal totally wreck your focus on a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah_hart1mo ago

That "full sprint around the tail of the plane" part is so real. It's crazy how fast they move. Did the goose ever actually make contact, or was it all just aggressive honking and posturing? I've seen them get bold but never full-on charge like that.

taraanderson1mo agoMost Upvoted

Geese at Pearson Airport in Toronto will absolutely make contact. Watched one slam its body into a ground crew cart last spring. They don't just honk. It's a full wing-beating, neck-out battering ram charge. The cart driver had to stop and shoo it away with a broom. Their aggression is no joke up close.

grantf731mo ago

Did it leave any droppings on your test gear? Those things are pure feathered rage. I had one guard a storm drain near our shop for a whole summer, hissing at anyone who walked by. They own the place and they know it.