You would find this bird nest during your springtime pre-flight inspection, right?

by Ray Leis

As surely as your next annual inspection or flight review, spring is coming soon, to an airport near you. Are you ready? Is your airplane ready? Or are you simply going to kick a tire, light the fire and launch? After a few long, cold, dark months of sitting, there are some things you might want to consider before getting airborne again. And your airplane could probably use some attention, too.

Don’t believe it? Consider the pilot of a Mooney M20K who didn’t think leaving his airplane out all winter would be an issue. On March 11, 1998, in Klamath Falls, Ore., he became convinced otherwise. …