Safety saves money with solar powered scare

LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A Laughlin civilian employee saved taxpayers about $75,000 trying to do the right thing for his country.

On Sept. 4, Col. Tom Murphy, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, presented a certificate to Grover Lemarr, aircraft flight safety manager, for raising an idea that led to the savings.

Lemarr, who has worked at Laughlin since 1983, discovered last year that Laughlin's bird scare cannons were not functioning properly.

"The government did not have a contract for the maintenance of those systems," said Lemarr. "So when the system started malfunctioning, the base's only option was to replace the entire cannon system at a cost of almost $3,000 a piece. We have 12 cannons in place on the airfield, so the costs really added up."

The cannons scare birds away from the airfield, reducing the possibility of an aircraft bird strike. The bird-scattering explosions are created when a battery-powered spark ignites propane gas inside the cannon. The batteries are then recharged by solar panels, which are designed to last a minimum of five years with no maintenance.

When the systems at Laughlin began to fail after three years, Lemarr looked to find out what had gone wrong. He discovered that wire bundles were protruding from the sides of the panels, leaving them exposed to Del Rio's scorching heat and damaging them. The damage was so great that after only three years, the wires were so frayed that they could no longer conduct the electricity needed to charge the batteries.

Rather than replacing the entire system, though, Lemarr had an idea.

"I went to Colonel Lokowich and Major Person and told them, 'wait a minute, I can help with this,'" Lemarr said.

Through his own research, Lemarr found new solar panels that concealed the wire bundles in the shade beneath the panels.

"By purchasing these new solar panels, we didn't have to extend a maintenance contract," Lemarr said. "The new solar panels cost around $100 each, which saved a lot of money compared to buying all new systems."

Lemarr's new panels arrived last year and since then there have been zero dead batteries. Lemarr also estimates that the new panels will last at least five years without maintenance, possibly even as long as 10 years.

"I appreciate the certificate but it wasn't just me," Lemarr said. "It was a team thing. Some of the pilots I met also helped me push this idea up, and Major Mac McGilvray from the 85 Flying Training Squadron, helped me figure out a way to mount the new panels."

When asked what inspired his efforts, Lemarr replied simply, "It's about doing the right thing for this country."