Soilworks products are the industry’s top standard due to our insistence on creating high performance soil stabilization and dust control products that stand up to rigorous testing – both in the lab and in the field. Our commitment to quality and performance has led to our involvement and testing in hundreds of real-world situations. The following library of reports, presentations, specifications, approvals and other similar documents provide you, our customer, the transparency and dependable assurance that is expected from Soilworks.
Severe helicopter “brownout” conditions at Forward Operating Base Rhino created operational hazards during sustained expeditionary air operations in austere desert terrain. Rotor wash from repeated CH-53 and AH-1W operations generated dense dust clouds that reduced pilot visibility, increased aircraft risk, and degraded landing zone safety. Traditional mitigation methods—including metal matting and improvised surface treatments—proved insufficient or logistically impractical due to airlift constraints. To address the problem, Marines applied a soil-binding chemical spray to harden landing zones and suppress fugitive dust, significantly improving surface stability and reducing airborne particulates during takeoff and landing operations.
Polymer-based soil stabilization provides a durable solution for expeditionary airfields, forward operating bases, helipads, and unimproved landing zones where rapid deployment and long-term dust suppression are critical. Gorilla-Snot, a high-strength copolymer emulsion soil stabilizer, is specifically engineered to bind loose soils, increase surface cohesion, and withstand heavy rotor wash without creating brittle crusts. For extended dust control on access roads, staging areas, and perimeter routes supporting aviation operations, Durasoil delivers non-water-dependent suppression that reduces reapplication frequency in arid environments. Where full-depth soil stabilization is required for semi-permanent pads or high-traffic zones, Soiltac provides long-lasting particle binding and erosion resistance. For military operations, emergency response deployments, remote airfields, and temporary aviation support sites, Soilworks solutions enhance operational safety, reduce maintenance burdens, and improve mission continuity. Contact Soilworks for site-specific recommendations tailored to soil type, traffic intensity, and environmental conditions.
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“Task Force 58 discussed the possibility of using AM-2 aluminum matting to surface the helicopter pads, the airlift required to fly in a sufficient quantity of the 2-foot by 12-foot sheets—each weighing 144 pounds—precluded its employment.37 As an expedient solution, the Seabees and aircrews recovered a number of metal forms and rebar that the previous occupants had left behind and staked these over the landing pads. The sheets—3 feet by 5 feet or smaller and weighing 80 to 120 pounds—helped to reduce the dust but did not eliminate it.38
Several aviators trained by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1) suggested another solution to the dust problem. They recommended Envirotac II dust palliative, an environmentally safe product nicknamed “Gorilla-Snot®,” that Marines used at airfields in Twentynine
Palms, California, and Yuma, Arizona. Unfortu-nately, after procuring the product in the United States, they encountered coordination problems and a three-week shipping delay when attempting to send the material into theater by Federal Express and other commercial transportation providers.39”
