By Alex A. Kecskes
Pest birds can be a huge problem when they congregate and nest in airport hangars.
Without effective pest bird barriers to exclude them, hangar operators spend millions of dollars every year in maintenance and cleanup costs.
Once pest birds invade a hangar, they settle in, make themselves at home, and seldom leave on their own. These birds can create considerable damage to aircraft and exposed aircraft engines and assemblies with their nesting materials and droppings. The acidic chemicals in droppings can eat into metal, plastic and rubber surfaces, causing long-term damage that may cause engines and hydraulic systems to fail--even in flight.
Bird nests and droppings can also clog gutters and down pipes. Fecal matter sucked into grilles, ducts and vents can damage expensive AC systems. Bird droppings left to gather on hangar floors, entrances and ladders could create dangerous slip-and-fall hazards and result in a costly legal liability. The right kind of bird barriers can reduce or prevent these problems.
Pest bird droppings and nesting materials also pose a considerable health hazard, carrying and transmitting any of 60 known diseases--including Salmonellosis and Ornithosis, which is similar to viral pneumonia. In addition, bird droppings and nesting materials contain insects and mites, which can also damage aircraft and delicate assemblies.
Fortunately, there are effective and humane bird barrier products one can install to keep pest birds out of aircraft hangars.
