Methyl anthranilate aerosol for dispersing birds from the flight lines at Homestead Air Reserve Station

The failure of traditional hazing methods to provide a lasting dispersal of birds from the flight lines at Homestead Air Reserve Station, Florida led to trials with Rejex-it® TP-40 methyl anthranilate (MA) formulation as an aerosol. A variety of civil, military and other government aircraft use the base, including combat aircraft which are particularly prone to bird air strikes due to low altitude, high speed flights. Migrating swallows and killdeer congregate at the airfield to forage on insects, and the large numbers of birds cause restrictions in airfield operations because of potential strike hazards with aircraft. MA applied by fogger upwind of the areas to be protected was found to provide a dispersal lasting the remainder of the day. The median time from imposition of airfield restrictions on flight operations to a declaration of a low bird hazard potential was approximately 45 min, and 75% of applications resulted in removal of airfield restrictions within 1.5 h