Where is the airplane?

I was driving down the highway one day when I came upon a large truck. On the back of the truck was a bumper sticker that read: “This truck is overloaded with federal regulations. Don’t like trucks? Stop eating, problem solved!” 

Many automobile drivers don’t like sharing the road with large trucks. Often the trucks are slow and sometimes even dangerous in the way they are driven. However, there are truck drivers that take their profession seriously and drive accordingly. You can easily spot these trucks. 

The bumper sticker says a lot in a few words that relates well with agricultural aviation. For those who see the large ag aircraft working a field and don’t appreciate it, then maybe they should stop eating, too. Some people don’t take the time to think through the implications of their complaints. 

We are not going to stop eating. And, we are not going to stop spraying crops with airplanes. Seven billion mouths to feed every day will attest to that, though some would like to believe aircraft are not necessary in the production of food and fiber. Those same people don’t complain when the forest is on fire and about to burn their homes. Where’s the airplane? They don’t complain when there is an outbreak of mosquitoes that could be carrying the Zika or West Nile viruses. Where’s the airplane?

As drivers, we have to appreciate the slow truck chugging down the road with its load. Yes, it is an inconvenience for us. But, the truck is a necessity that we must tolerate. Truckers are burden with laws, particularly in the U.S. where there are special police that stops without cause to check the truck and its driver. 

Most trucking regulations are good for the public and even the trucking company and its drivers, enhancing safety. Safety is paramount in operating a successful business; for both trucking and ag-aviation. Like with truckers, the safest ag-operators are evident. When I visit an ag-operation, I can often quickly determine if it is a good operation, usually by the way the company addresses safety. Those that take safety seriously are the most successful. 

I have often thought that if a business does not take care of itself, equipment and people, then why would it take care of me? When I see rundown ag-aircraft, contaminated loading areas and a host of other unprofessional indicators, I wonder how good of a job does this company do for its customers. Appearances and safety go hand-in-hand, its professionalism. 

A flying service does not have to be large and highly profitable with several ag-aircraft to be professional. Anyone can clean up the aircraft and the work area. Seemingly small things, such as safety posters and personal protection equipment can go a long way toward having the right mindset. This also boosts the morale of employees.

When I see a trucker driving down the highway, giving courtesy signals, going the correct speed in the correct lane, in a truck that is well taken care of, my respect and tolerance for that truck improves greatly. It is the same for the ag-operator. Perhaps those who complain about ag-aviation don’t always see the aircraft up close or visit the operation. But, they do notice if the pilot takes time to avoid turning over their house, or waking them before sunrise, or not letting the application drift onto their property. 

Ag-aviation is no longer a “jump in the airplane and go spray” business. Like the trucker, we are burden with regulations and it takes more effort than ever to comply when we would rather be flying. True, people are not going to stop eating. However, consideration breeds tolerance and regulations tend to be the end result of our actions. 

Until next month, 

Keep Turning…

The invisible, silent propeller

It is getting to be a busy time of year for most ag-operators north of the equator; acres coming in, piling up on the books, getting behind. That brings up a point that most of us don’t think about too much and that is the dangers of a spinning propeller .

Almost always, our industry hot loads its aircraft, the propeller turning. Those blades of aluminum don’t stop for flesh. It’s a gory thought, but it can and does happen, walking into a spinning propeller. Very few people survive an encounter with a spinning propeller.

Why does it happen? How can a person work around a running ag-plane and still walk into the prop? It is somewhat understandable that a child or a visitor not familiar with aircraft could do this, but a pilot or loader?

The brain is a mysterious thing. With a spinning prop, a couple of things are going on that can fool it. First, the noise heard is interpreted as the engine, not the propeller. So, as far as the brain is concerned the propeller is silent.

Second, the propeller is nearly invisible. The loader or the pilot are busy, distracted, and at the front of the aircraft is an invisible, silent device that can kill in a second. That is how it happens.

A good practice is to always assume the propeller is turning, even when the engine is shut down. This programs your brain to always work as if the propeller is turning. You may be doing a task as simple as removing chocks, or taking a quick look at the spray pump before the engine is started. Still, let that hand trail along the leading edge toward and away from the fuselage and the danger area.

Don’t cut across under the fuselage to the other side of the gear. If you do it when the aircraft is not running, you’ll do it when it is, all about programming your brain. When you do cross over, give the prop a width berth. Look at it as if it was some long lost lover. The kind of lover that would tear you apart if given the chance.

And the obvious, never climb off the wing onto the main gear tires. One slip or twist of the foot and you could be in the danger zone.

Everybody knows all this about propellers that has any time in ag-aviation. Loaders learn it quick and pilots are told from their first flying lesson. However, propeller-strike fatalities still happen and it happens to those who know better.

On another more uplifting note, this past May 27 was International Crop Dusters Day. A few years ago an old timer, Bob Wheat of Texas, implemented this day and AgAir Update helped him promote it. He’s been successful at it. For those who ask, Bob sends people a certificate that acknowledges this day. I haven’t heard from Bob in a long time. However, he can be emailed at oldduster@aol.com. He probably still has a few of those certificates.

Graham made a post about International Crop Dusters Day on AgAir Update’s Facebook page. Amazingly in less than 24 hours after the post, 144,402 people saw it. The post received 1,900 likes and was shared 890 times. There may only be a few thousand ag-pilots worldwide, but one heck of a lot of people now know that May 27 is our day. Mark your calendar to celebrate it next year.

Until next month,

Keep Turning…

Aerodynamics: Critical in ag-aviation

A lot is going on within ag-aviation worldwide. Recently, Embraer released a newly certified Ipanema 203 series Ipanema and just this past month, Air Tractor released its certified XP502. I’ve flown the XP502 and it is an excellent flying aircraft. You should have read about the evaluation flight in an earlier edition of AgAir Update.

I am scheduled to fly the Ipanema 203 this month while I am attending the SINDAG conference in Botucatu where the Ipanema 203 is built. I really look forward to this opportunity. It is always enlightening to conduct a flight evaluation of a new and different ag-plane. I do not call it a “test” flight because that is a misnomer. Test pilots put aircraft through a ritual of flight parameters to “test” the aircraft’s limits. This often places the pilot at risk, so typically they will wear a parachute.

My flights do not place the aircraft into any different scenarios than the professional ag-pilot does when flying ag. So, the reality is I am “evaluating” the performance of the aircraft in such a way the reader will know what to expect from flying the aircraft.

It would not be proper to compare these two newly certified aircraft; the Ipanema 203 and XP502. They are as different as night and day. The XP502 has a turbine engine with an 1872-liter hopper (500 gallons). The 203 is a much smaller aircraft that meets a completely different need of the ag-operator with its piston engine capable of using either av-gas or ethanol, and its 1050-liter hopper (277 gallons).

However, there is one major similarity between the two ag-aircraft; both use aerodynamics to improve performance. One fault of ag-aircraft design in the past has been to add horsepower before considering aerodynamics. Air Tractor and Embraer have approached their new aircraft with a focus on engineering them to perform better, even with an increase in horsepower; the XP502 with its all new PT6A-140AG turbine capable of 867 SHP up to 44°C and the Ipanema 203 with its Lycoming IO-540-K1J5 that is capable of 320 BHP (ethanol).

The ag-aviation industry is just now acting on the ability of the propeller to make a major change in the performance of the aircraft. All types of propeller configurations have been around for decades; two-blade, three-blade, four-blade, five-blade and different curvatures to the blades themselves, as well. But, until recently has the industry embraced the concept a modified propeller especially designed for the engine and airframe combination that makes a better performing ag-plane.

This became evident in 2010 when Thrush and GE Aviation introduced their four-blade propeller on its 510G with the H80 engine. Initially, Thrush installed the same propeller used on the PT6A-34AG, except for shot peening the blades. When I flew the aircraft in December 2010, well-known ag-pilot Dennie Stokes and myself advised the factory the 3-blade prop was not doing the job, particularly on take off. The aircraft’s performance was well below par.

Thrush went back to the drawing board and came up with a four-blade prop that dramatically improved the aircraft’s abilities. Likewise, Embraer has addressed the propeller challenge and has an improved version on its Ipanema 203.

Thrush led the way with a major airframe modification for the 510G; they extended the engine mount by approximately 45 centimeters. In doing so, they removed almost 135 kilograms of forward CG weight. This was the most important improvement made to Thrush aircraft for its 510G model. Currently, it is available only on the 510G, but other conversion companies (Aero Innovations and Cascade Aircraft Conversions) have STC’d this modification for all 510 model Thrushes.

Following likewise, Air Tractor extended its engine mount by an undisclosed amount on the XP502. Just like with the Thrush, this improved dramatically the flight characteristics of the 502 series aircraft.

From my personal experience flying the XP502 and the 510G, the three most notable modifications made were the four-blade propeller, the extended engine mount and the increase in SHP. It is the combination of these upgrades that make both of these aircraft superb flying machines, much better than their predecessors.

The Embraer has done similar modifications when it designed and built Ipanema 203. With the EMB 202 as a starting point, the prop was changed, winglets redesigned and wing changes made, along with improved comforts in the cockpit and an increase in hopper size, as well. An aircraft manufacturer cannot simply increase the size of the hopper of its ag-aircraft, unless it makes performance-improving changes to the aircraft. Embraer has reported sufficient increases in the performance of the Ipanema 203 over its EMB 202, thus the larger hopper.

Evidently, Embraer took a look at design features to improve on its EMB 202, since it is using the same engine to power the Ipanema 203. Thus, the company is using aerodynamics versus horsepower to improve performance; exactly what the industry needs. There are no viable engine options for the Ipanema with more horsepower than the IO-540, without sacrificing reliability; unless a turbine engine is used. The initial cost of a turbine engine is expensive. Although, over time the per hectare cost of operation can be comparable to a piston engine. But, it’s that initial cost that make a turbine on a 1,000-liter aircraft workable only in certain situations.

I am excited to be back in Brazil in June. It is one of my favorite countries. When there, as well as throughout South America, I am made to feel welcome, as if I was at my second home. When in Botucatu, I will be looking forward to my evaluation flight of Embraer’s Ipanema Ipanema 203. You will read my comments in a future edition of AgAir Update!

Until next month,

Keep turning

Keep Turning

Our work as ag-pilots entails a degree of artful talent. Before the days of GPS, that talent was especially true when the ag-pilot could “make a square peg fit in a round hole”, meaning if the farmer told him the field was 50 acres, then a 50-acre load would fit regardless how inaccurate the farmer’s guesswork. GPS changed that “art”. 

The pilot had the flexibility to “adjust” the swath on the fly, although no changes were made to the booms and nozzles to accommodate the change. Also, the spray valve could be used to adjust the spray pressure helping to get the square peg into the round hole. Not any more, that art is gone, too. 

One of the last artful things ag-pilots do in this age of technology is the timing for turning on the spray valve and turning it off. Sure, there are GPS units that do that for us, following the shape file. But, most pilots rely on their inherent timing, adjusting for ground speed, wind and obstacles that in most cases lay the swath down right where it is supposed to go; well, not always. That why it is an art and not a science. Every pass, every load and every job is different when it comes to turning on and off the spray valve. The more artistic (tongue in cheek) ag-pilot does a better job. One day, probably, that art will be gone. Well, the techno-geeks haven’t yet figured out how to “milk” a loaded ag-plane off a short strip. It’ll be a few years before that happens. 

Not too long ago, I was riding in a car in Brazil driven by a Brazilian friend of mine. Until you have been on a two-lane highway crowded with big, slow trucks in Brazil, you may have a hard time understanding the danger driving there. It is quite unlike anything in the U.S. and other more regimented driving countries. I’ve traveled to many countries, however, I can’t say for sure which one is the most dangerous place to drive. 

The point of all this is the comment my driver, Marcelo, made. A car had just passed on a hill in a curve going who knows how fast, met a truck head-on to split the difference between the passing and the oncoming vehicles. Even my Brazilian friend shook his head to this feat, although it is very common there. 

“One should not let one minute be used to take the rest of one’s life,” are the loosely translated words that Marcelo spoke. I’ve often thought about that, how that driver was trying to save what amounted to maybe a minute by risking the rest of his life and others, as well. I’ve thought how that so readily translates to ag-flying. Why do we risk the rest of our life in a basic procedure turn trying to do it only a matter of seconds faster? It doesn’t make sense. 

I don’t advocate 60-90 second turns, unless conditions dictate it. I don’t believe in 20-second hammerhead turns either. I was as guilty as they come the first few years I had a turbine Thrush. It could do remarkable things compared to the radial Ag-Cat that I had been flying. It takes discipline and professionalism to restrain oneself when at the controls of such a powerful machine.

After I sold my flying service to my competitor, then flew for him another 15 years, I learned a valuable lesson about ag procedure turns. I watched my new boss make his first turn of the day very much like the last one and all those in between. He set an example that I knew to follow. At the end of the day, I was much less tired and had covered as many acres as ever. I’m not sure the difference in 20-seconds and 30-40 seconds adds up to much. 

Have you ever counted the number of turns made during a busy day of flying? Probably not; who has the time? Since not all of those turns would be 20 seconds, assuming the first half of the load wouldn’t allow it, nor during the heat of the day, I propose the time gain would be minimal. 

Until next month, Keep Turning…

It’s a cool morning

As I write this editorial, the sun is peeping up from the horizon this cool morning overlooking a calm lake. I have about 15 more minutes before its bright rays fill the sky. Although it has been 16 years since I raced the sun to the airport to prepare for the first load of the day, I have not forgotten those 27 years that I did that, filling the plane with fuel, calculating the upcoming loads, thinking about the possibility of fog.

As a rule, I would work the fields closest first and the longer ferries later in the day when it would be hot and bumpy. That way, I did not waste the best flying hours of the day ferrying to the field. It was not unusual for early morning hectares-per-hour sprayed to nearly double those covered midday.

Another reason for working fields closest to the airport first was the unpredictability of fog. I have seen times the sky was clear the first 30 minutes of daylight, then quickly turn into a dense fog. I have had the fog chase me out of a field causing me to point the aircraft back to base at near full throttle all the time thinking of an alternate place to land if the fog closed in around me.

I am not telling you about anything you have not experienced if you have several years of ag-flying. Perhaps there are a few that live in arid areas where fog is not a challenge. Even so, we all know the beauty of the sunrise and the exceptional performance of the aircraft in the early morning hours.

Many of you are just starting your 2016 spray season. You are changing from a winter of hopefully relaxation and pondering about ways to make this season safer and more profitable. If you only repeat yourself from previous years, you have not grown and improved. Therefore, you should not expect anything to be better.

I ask each of you to take a deep breath as you face another season. Think about your family, your business and yourself in a way that will only bring you better results from your efforts. The one element that is prevalent in those thoughts should be safety. It is your best tool to improve your profits and your family life. If you have an accident of any kind, at the very least, it will cost you hard earned profits. Or, it may cost you your life. Think about it.

A sole duck is crossing the lake. Not unlike your ferrying to the field, alone in your cockpit, thinking about the best way to approach the upcoming field you plan to spray. I know the duck is not going to spray anything, but it is making an approach to something. Or, the duck could be simply wandering around the lake. Are you wandering when flying? I doubt it.

I think the sun is going to be a little tardy this morning. With it, I think about how the plane will be able to carry one more full load along with what’s left of the full fuel tanks from the first load of the day in calm, relatively cool air before the sun’s heat turns it into chop. It will be nearly sunset before comfortable flying returns this hot summer day. Then, it starts all over tomorrow.

Until next month, Keep Turning…

Fly for the Truth

January and February are extremely busy months for Graham and I, not unlike the peak of the season for you. Although we work trade shows during other months, these two months are the busiest with several conventions being back to back. Of course, the normal workload at the office does not go away, it has to be done, too. Also, for the past few years, I have used the last week of January to make an international trip south of the equator (during ag-operators’ season) for articles; Chile, Brazil and South Africa. Next week, I am off to Colombia to visit a couple of operators there.

I am not complaining, it is a way of life. I know after these two months, the rest of the year will be “normal”, if there is such a thing. When I was actively spraying, I loved the season and could endure the pressure knowing it would eventually come to an end and there would be several months of rest. However, for many of today’s ag-pilots, that rest eludes them with spraying being done almost year round. Of course, that is not true in the cold North, but ever so much so the further south you look. 

For me, I went when flying ag from a rest period in the winter to year round work with a peak in January and February publishing AgAir Update. The quickest way to make the month pass by is to have a monthly deadline for something, like three editions of AgAir Update. Not complaining mind you, just saying…

On another note, traditionally men have been the pilots of agricultural aircraft. Ag-flying is a stressful occupation, both mentally and physically. Hour upon hour in the seat of an ag-plane can test the strength of any man, both young and old. So, a woman becoming an ag-pilot has been a rarity, until recent years. 

To the best of my knowledge, there are two active female ag-pilots in Australia and one that was in training in Costa Rica, but I believe she has since decided against ag-flying. In the U.S., there are at least three or four. I do not know of any in other countries, but there could be. The exception is Brazil. I am told there are somewhere between six and eight female active ag-pilots in Brazil, half of the world’s female ag-pilots. 

The first Brazilian ag-pilot featured in 2015 in AgAir Update was Rochele Barcellos Teixeira from Canoas, Brazil in our “Women in Ag-Aviation” article series. Since, I have learned of another, Juliana Torchetti from Belo Horizonte. Juliana is now in her third ag-flying season, after first coming from the general aviation sector as a cargo pilot. She must be very committed, as on her arm she bares the tattoo, “Volo per Veritas” (Fly for the Truth). You will read about Juliana in this edition of AgAir Update. 

“Volo per veritas” is a very appropriate aphorism. There must be an intense love for ag-flying. Sure, the pay is good; when you are in the air. But, it is more than just money. Flying ag is about doing good for the world with improved food production. It is the feeling of a job well done after spraying a field. There is not a better way to feel the true freedom of flight than in an ag-plane; taking the first load of the day to the field as the sun peeks up above the horizon in a calm sky, or returning back to the airstrip after a long day with a great amount of satisfaction for the day’s work. During the first and last flights of a long day, the aircraft is performing at its best and only an ag-pilot can experience Volo per Veritas. 

AgAir Update would like to find other female ag-pilots and feature them in its “Women in Ag-Aviation” series. Female ag-pilots are unique, strong-willed and their stories can be interesting ones. If you know of any, please send me their contact information at bill@agairupdate.com. 

For those of you south of the equator, the end of the season is not far away. If you have come this far, don’t ruin it by making a dumb mistake. Safety should always be paramount in your flying decisions. As long as you stay safe, everything else will work out to the best. If you have an accident, then everything else becomes a problem. 

For the rest of you, enjoy the time you have off, making up for lost time with family and friends. 

Until next month, 

Keep Turning…