Screen or cage?

[ebaybob]

Pardon me in advance for asking an obvious question but...here it is:

Why isn't there some kind or screen or cage over the intake for jet engines? I guess I'm picturing a screen or some other apparatus to avoid the ingestion of birds and debris into the engine. I can only imagine that it would somehow disrupt the airflow but that's only my uneducated guess. Can anyone enlighten me??

Thanks!!

 

[erj-145mech]

I've worked on two aircraft that had retractable engine inlet screens, an F-86 and an A-37. The Cessna was a real hoover on the ramp. Endless FOD patrols in the engine run up area.

 

[bugchaser]

Most operators run a screen over the intake on garrett engines used in ag. Lots of bird strikes and can be pretty nasty on a Garrett engine.

 

[GravityHater]

It's probably easier to just put them high enough so they miss the fod.
The problems of a screen (icing, what if the thing breaks up, weight and added cost) likely make them impractical.

 

[FN FAL]

Pardon me in advance for asking an obvious question but...here it is:

Why isn't there some kind or screen or cage over the intake for jet engines?

Because they never start the jet engines until the monkeys are firmly strapped into their cockpit seats and the door is closed...so cages are not needed.

 

[Fuzzy_is_Hungry]

The PT-6 has a screen before the inlet to the compressors, you just can't see it when the engine is under wraps.

 

[erj-145mech]

Yeah, and it makes getting access to the bleed air valve a challenge too.