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…

NAAA has record breaking convention

The National Agricultural Aviation Association wrapped up its 49th convention and exhibition  in Savannah last month. Like years before when the convention was held in Savannah, attendance records were broken and everyone I spoke with had a fabulous time. I know we stayed busy at the AgAir Update booth. 

Friday night, prior to the convention, AgAir Update held its third Open House and Hangar Party in Perry, Georgia. This event, too, has grown each time. We served 225 plates of barbecue and some did not get to eat! We may have been short on food, but the beverages were plentiful. Additionally, Eddie Byrd’s band was fantastic, playing music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. 

People from all over attended. We had guests from Canada, South Africa and Brazil, as well as from nearly every ag-aviation state. It was humbling to see the crowd. 

I would like to thank Air Tractor, Souther Field Aviation and Thrush Aircraft for placing their aircraft on display during the hangar party. Air Tractor had its 502XP, AT-802 and AT-504 on hand. Souther Field Aviation had its Turbine Brave conversion for all to see and Thrush Aircraft had its 510G Switchback, 510G Summer Tour aircraft and 510P Dual Cockpit aircraft on display. 

Having seven ag aircraft on display added much to the party. Many people arrived early in the afternoon and had the opportunity to view the aircraft, as well as talk with the pilots. The event allowed for a relaxed comrade where business was not the main topic of conversations. 

NAAA will hold its 51st annual convention in Savannah in 2017. AgAir Update plans to have again its Open House and Hangar Party the Friday prior to the convention. I feel sure all that were at the last one will return and hope that those who did not make it, will start planning to attend the next one. 

Graham and I will be attending multiple state trade shows throughout the U.S. in the coming months, as well as those in Latin America. I hope to see as many of you as possible, so please stop by AgAir Update’s booth. After more than 20 years traveling in Latin America for AgAir Update, it has finally become time for Graham to experience this culture. Beginning in 2016, he will be attending with me the various conventions and excursions into Latin America. Even though Latin American ag-pilots speak a different language than English, there are very little differences when it comes to ag-aviation. 

As we enter into another year, I am wishing for everyone to have a safe, foremost, and profitable year in 2016. Until next month, 

Keep Turning…

Keep turning

Not long ago, AgAir Update adopted the slogan, “Keep turning…”. I am not sure how I came up with this slogan. More recently, I was flying on Delta Airlines when I read their slogan, “Keep climbing”. I doubt Delta took theirs from AgAir Update’s, so maybe subconsciously I picked up the idea “Keep turning…” from an earlier Delta flight. 

In any case, “Keep turning…” has special meaning to ag-pilots, worldwide. The first time the slogan was sent to one of our Brazilian translators, I was told it wouldn’t translate. I explained it was not meant to be translated, but used in its English form, such as terms like “ground school” are used in Brazil, instead of “escola á terra”. Now, the English version of the slogan is accepted throughout Latin America. 

A more specific meaning of “Keep turning…” is to never give up, keep a steady pace. Of all the realms of flight, for the ag-plane, turning is probably one of the most performed. You will read in the Air Tractor cover story of this edition of AgAir Update where the author made reference to the turn technique of Eddie Shores and myself in the 502XP. Evidently, turning is a reflection of an ag-pilot’s personality; could that be? 

While Eddie’s turns were described as “aggressive”, mine were termed “smooth”. Maybe that was the author’s way of saying my turns were too cautious?

After more than 40 years of flying ag-aircraft, I have found that for me, the best turn is one that starts out in the morning and ends the same way in the afternoon. Once I initiate the turn, the first control input of raising the nose of the aircraft to clear the end of the field, I try to keep the attitude change in the aircraft a constant, fluid motion; up comes the nose, lifting the wing, easing in whatever rudder is needed. I like to keep all three axises of the aircraft in motion as the aircraft executes a 270° turn; 45° out, then reverse roll for 225°. During this procedure-style turn, the ailerons hardly stop their movement, the nose is coming up, leveling, then descending, using the rudder for “balanced and coordinated flight”, as often touted by AgAir Update columnist Robert McCurdy. 

Of course, this method simply does not work in a loaded aircraft. In that case, there are degrees of the turn where the aircraft flies near level to maintain, or even build airspeed. However, once the aircraft and I are able to manage the load, the “smooth” turning starts. 

In the article I wrote about flying the 502XP, I stated that race tracking with wing overs was my favorite way to turn an ag-plane. For me, it is less work and I still try to have the continuous, fluid motion of the control inputs. Ideally, rarely stopping the movement when the load is right. 

Every pilot has his favorite way of turning. Often his method is dictated by the aircraft. The Air Tractor and the Ag-Cat tend to favor a high climbing turn with the Air Tractor pilot using flaps. The Thrush is more of a flat turn aircraft with somewhat of a climb during the turns, again, depending on the pilot. These descriptions are for a medium load. While loaded or near empty, techniques can change considerably. 

Why am I writing about this? Because I believe an ag-pilot should adopt his favorite way to turn his ag-plane. Once he has determined which way works best, he should seek perfection in the most common maneuver for an ag-plane. 

Until next month, 

Keep turning… 

Hypocrisy and the misinformed

I always marvel at the hypocrisy of some people; while others are simply misinformed, otherwise reasonably intelligent people. Recently, I was on a TAM (Brazilian airlines) flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina. As soon as the door was closed for departure, the Brazilian flight steward made an announcement that according to and approved by Argentine authorities, passengers must be decontaminated. 

This decontamination entailed another flight steward immediately starting at the front of the aircraft with an aerosol can spraying into the ventilation system above the carry on baggage compartment; walking from the front to the back spraying one side and from the back to the front spraying the other side. Not a single soul on the aircraft could avoid the spray, especially the flight attendant sprayer. Oddly, the attendant had a latex glove on his spraying hand. Why? I have no idea, as he was walking in the “drift” the entire time.  

To my knowledge, at least not to me, no one was advised before boarding the aircraft that they would be directly sprayed with a pesticide. No one had a choice in the matter. The lady in front of me tried to bury her head in her clothing, to no avail. Otherwise, everyone took the event in stride. Although, I must admit, the chemical left a taste in my mouth that lasted throughout the flight. 

Not that the spraying bothered me. I am sure the Argentinean government thinks it is necessary. But, this is the same country that is trying to ban Roundup. Where is the logic? I can only imagine the reaction to an aircraft at the Boulder, Colorado airport about to depart and this spraying took place. I believe there would be chaos. I am not picking on Boulder, except it is somewhat a “free thinking” group of citizens. The same reaction would most likely occur at any American airport. 

I am sure someone will read this opinion of mine about hypocrisy and the misinformed with an explanation. What has my attention is a direct application of a pesticide without the ability to opt-out, baffles me beyond any conception to why there is no outcry. 

I have full faith and confidence the pesticide was harmless to humans. Actually, I do not know what they were spraying for, maybe lice? Using a Google search, the only place I found specific information was on Air Canada. This airline uses PSA Aircraft Insecticide, which is, either 2% Permethrin or 2% d-Phenothrin with the remainder of the spray HFA 134A as a propellant. The application is approved by the World Health Organization. 

Any ag-pilot knows the family of permethrins is relatively harmless with the greatest cause of concern being an allergic reaction. I seriously doubt the average airline passenger has any idea of the content of the spray. Simply said, I cannot get over the acceptance of this direct spraying with no notification as compared to the complaints our industry receives. An aircraft can fly over a group of field workers with only water in the aircraft and I guarantee you someone would claim to be sick. I did not see any such claims on that flight to Buenos Aires. I guess everyone had an appointment for tango lessons that they simply could not miss because of being sprayed with a pesticide!  

keep turning

How fast is 200 feet a second?

I hope you enjoy reading in this month’s edition about Thrush Aircraft’s efforts to promote and demo the 510G. I first flew this aircraft in December 2010 and have flown it at least twice since then. The aircraft has come a long way from my first flight when its GE H80 engine had a PT6A-34 style three-blade propeller on it. 

Having flown the Thrush more than all other ag-aircraft combined, I find myself very comfortable flying it. Maybe I should say familiar, instead. In any case, I know every single one of those pilots that were given the opportunity to fly the 510G during the first part of the 2015 Thrush Summer Tour had an eye opening blast. It is well balanced and has plenty of power. Heck, I wouldn’t mind flying it again, just for kicks. 

Have you ever given any thought to the technique of turning on the spray valve? It approaches that of being an art in itself. Your ability can easily be proven with today’s GPS mapping. Some pilots open the valve with the manual spray handle, others with an electric toggle switch that operates the spray pump brake, while others may even depend on their GPS unit. In any case, most aircraft these days are traveling over 200 feet per second. Some estimates are while driving a car it takes two seconds to respond to an input that requires taking your foot off the gas pedal and applying the brakes. In an ag plane, that would be over 400 feet of travel, longer than an American football field including the end zones.

Anyone that can execute the on-off sequence in that short of a time span during one of the most critical phases of flight, entering and exiting the field, is a pretty well-coordinated individual. Actually, it is remarkable by any standard. However, professional ag pilots do it every day and within a couple of feet of the intended on-off line. Interesting…

When you read AgAir Update, undoubtedly you start to realize Brazil could be one of the fastest growing ag-aviation regions in the world. Just to give you some insight; as of December 31, 2014 there were 2007 registered ag-aircraft in Brazil according to the Brazilian Aeronautical Registry and ANAC (the Brazilian FAA). Most of the fleet is based in the state of Mato Grosso with 467 ag-aircraft. This is the central western region of Brazil with huge hectares of cotton and soybeans. Last May, I was there visiting an operation, Serrana, that had 14 ag-aircraft of which 11 were Air Tractors. The second largest state is Rio Grande do Sul with 420 ag-aircraft. This is a major rice growing region. The following states have: Såo Paulo with 287, Goiás with 239, Maharashtra with 141, Bahia with 102, Mato Grosso do Sul with 100 and the remaining ag-aircraft based in various states throughout the country.   

August also brings the first of some exciting upgrades to AgAir Update’s presence on the Internet. The debut of our new, fully interactive online classifieds gives the ag aviation marketplace a well deserved facelift, both in looks and function. The newly debuted classifieds have a wealth of features, from the ability to upload many, many photos, logbooks, spec sheets and video to selling your aircraft or ag aviation item in an auction-style format. Create alerts and compare listings, calculate a loan payment or map the item’s location. Access the new ag-av classifieds at classifieds.agairupdate.com or visit agairupdate.com and click on Classifieds. 

One last note, something for those who are in the midst of the spray season; fire is a terrible thing. Your hands are your best survival tool in an accident. They are not much good if the fingers are burnt off. I’ve seen ag-pilots’ hands in just this condition, lucky to still be alive. If you are not going to wear a Nomex flight suit, at least wear the Nomex gloves. 

There is another benefit to wearing gloves; the sun and its skin damaging ultraviolet rays. When you are young, you think nothing of this. But sun exposure is cumulative and when you are older the effect can be a killer, literally. Like so many, I did not realize this in my younger days. However, today after two blue light treatments to my face and the “barnacles of time” showing up on my hands, I am all too aware of the sun. I don’t leave the house without sunscreen being applied. My advice to you is wear the sunscreen and the gloves, each can go a long way to saving your skin in your old age and your life today. 

Until next month, Keep Turning…

What is the future for ag-aviation?

Although I cannot tell the future for ag-av any better than the next person, I would like to give you some insights that I believe will shape things to come for our industry. 

We live in a world with an expanding population, something like seven billion people. Even more important than the number of people is the fact that with smart phones and satellite TV, people realize they want to eat better than they did 10 or more years ago. Fortunately, agriculture has been able to meet that demand and relatively in an economically affordable way. 

What this means for ag-av is our services will always be in demand. Even more so as the pressure for high yields continue. The tree-hugger environmentalist actually work in our favor when they protect forests and wetlands from cultivation. It means we have to produce more food on less land. The best way to do that is incorporating ag aircraft in the plan for higher yields. 

Already, ag-aviation is ahead of most technologies. Our industry can easily meet the need of more applications. The difference in the future will be the accuracy and accountability of those applications. And, we can do that even before the future arrives. 

Our industry is fortunate to have sophisticated GPS systems. However, the units of today will not be good enough for the future. They will need to be able to handle more data, such as real time weather and different aircraft positions and record and relay that data to various sources. One of these sources could be a drone. 

Drones are feared to one day cause an accident. This, regrettably, will probably eventually happen. However, drones are not going away, they are here to stay. Our job as aerial applicators is to design a way to incorporate them into our business. 

Why can’t we, as ag-operators, supply drone services to our customers? Who better to manage their position and keep them away from ag-planes than those who fly the ag-planes? Maybe the drone can scout weather for us. Have you ever wondered if it was raining on a field 20-30 kilometers away, or which way the wind is blowing on that field? A drone scout could tell you this information before you loaded your aircraft for the application. 

Already, there are agricultural companies being formed to give farmers information about their crops before and after planting using drones. As aerial applicators, we have often called our customer to give him information about a problem in his field that we saw from our cockpit. That information has always been welcomed by the farmer. Now, we have the ability to provide that information in a more timely manner and record it by using a drone. 

Drones and GPS. What else is on the horizon? You never have enough horsepower when flying an ag-plane. Sure, it will fly with the certified horsepower rating, but hasn’t everyone wished for more horsepower on a hot day, flying a loaded aircraft from a short strip? Engine manufacturers are working to produce higher horsepower engines. Not only more horsepower, but the ability to operate on more affordable and available fuels, like ethanol and diesel. 

But, one problem with ag-planes in the past has been to add horsepower and not think about aerodynamics. I have witnessed firsthand with the GE H80 Thrush the effect of improving aerodynamics. Yes, the H80 has more horsepower than the PT6A-34, but that is not the only reason the aircraft flies as well as it does. Balance. Less weight. Propeller; all part of the aerodynamics of the aircraft that greatly improves its performance, even more so than horsepower. 

There are two STCs available today that extend the engine mount and reduce the ballast weight of the Thrush for the PT6A engine. As of today, I have not flown these two STCs, but I will later in the year in the U.S. during very hot weather. All reports so far are the aircraft fly as though they had more horsepower, when really it is aerodynamics. 

In the future, you are going to see aerodynamics play a greater part in our aircraft designs. Look at the new Ipanema 203. It has the same horsepower, but with a larger wing, different propeller and redesigned winglets; it should perform better.   

The last few years have been exciting times in ag-aviation. I began flying ag over 40 years ago. I have seen more changes in the last decade than all those years combined. I expect these changes to continue, making our lives as ag-pilots much safer, more profitable and even more exciting and fun to be an ag-pilot. 

In the future, we as aerial applicators will continue to evolve. We will be able to treat more hectares in less time. We will be able to do this more accurately, more cost effectively and also be able to prove our accuracy. We will use social media more to not only promote our businesses, but to better run them. Those ag-pilots who “hide in the jungle” will be left behind and not survive the future. Those ag-pilots that embrace change and use it to their advantage will be very successful. 

Remember, the people of the world have to eat and they only want to eat more with every passing day. The best way to meet that demand is with high-yield agriculture and ag aircraft are a powerful tool to accomplish that mission. The future is here, welcome it. 

Thank you

A busy summer during winter

Spring is in full swing here in the U.S., while operators south of the equator are taking a rest from their season. My understanding is things are not good in Argentina. Plagued by a combination of a shaky economy most likely caused by the government and drought areas, there is hope for things to improve next year after the October elections. Brazil is having its challenges, too, with the ever changing real, now taking more of them to buy U.S. dollar-driven items. 

Something I learned a long time ago, Latin Americans are accustomed to challenges and adversities. I find them more capable of dealing with such than North Americans. In the past, the bad times have always been replaced with the good times and unfortunately the opposite, too. Agriculture is one thing the world cannot do without. Oil is vital, but it is not as important as food, which is the industry’s ace card. Sooner or later, the weather, the economy and the value of food will change, sometime for the better and sometime worse. 

I have bought my airline ticket to attend the Brazilian Sindicato Nacional dos Aeronautas (SNA) meeting in Cachoeira do Sul. Afterwards, my Brazilian representative, Gina Hickmann, and I plan to travel at this time to parts-unknown in Brazil to visit with operators and pilots. I always look forward to these trips, as I meet old friends and make new ones. Maybe I will see you! 

Another Brazilian conference will be held June 24-26 in Luis Eduardo Magalhaes, Bahia hosted by SINDAG, the national association of ag-aviation businesses for Brazil. I always attend this conference, however, this year I will not be able. I am expecting my fourth grandchild on June 25. I cannot miss his birth. I know all of my AgAir Update readers will understand. 

FeArCA of Argentina will be hosting this year’s Congreso Mercosur y Latinoamericano de Aviacion Agricola in Salta, Argentina August 19-21. As more details come to AgAir Update about this multi-country congress, we will relay them to you immediately. I will be attending this event, as well. I am planning on attending the second SNA meeting in Mato Grosso, Brazil  August 14 while I am in South America. The days between the events I will spend traveling and visiting AgAir Update readers. If you have any suggestions for where I should go and who I should visit, please advise me. 

Until next time, Keep Turning… 

Wire cutters and UAVs

“Back in the day,” as one says to refer to many years past, I operated both a Hutcherson Pawnee with spring steel gear and an Ag-Cat with the same type of gear (pre-1980). Both of these aircraft had “wire cutters” on the leading edge of the gear legs. I thought it was a super good idea, cost effective insurance in my mind. I remember cutting a wire with them, once, coming down over a tree line with a hidden wire stretching across a small soybean field. The wire snapped back and set the grass on fire along the road. The aircraft was unharmed. 

Anyway you cut it, no pun intended, wire cutters are a good thing. The idea is to not cut a wire in the first place. And, in most cases the prop would get the wire, which is definitely not a good thing, especially for a turbine powered aircraft. Although there is only a small area where a wire cutter is effective, it is a critical area where the effect of the wire is the greatest with increased leverage on the gear legs. For the relatively small amount of money they cost, I am sure I would be flying an ag plane with wire cutters. 

Drones, aka UAVs, keep popping up their ugly heads. The way things are going, there is not going to be a happy outcome with these devices. I read where Amazon.com was delivering 2000 UAVs a day. That is unfathomable. Surely that information is incorrect. Even so, a 1,000 or even 500 a day demonstrates how infiltrated the air is with them. Undoubtedly, there will be responsible operators who will take whatever steps are necessary to safely share the airspace with low flying aircraft like the ag-plane. However, I really don’t see how that is going to work. Based on recent FAA regulations, the UAV must stay within line of sight, as I understand it. That will surely be a limiting factor. If used in agriculture, there are fields where line of sight would be lost. 

UAVs are not just a problem in North America. Earlier this week, my Argentine representative had an encounter with a UAV operator who told him to warn all ag-pilots in the area he would be flying a drone. My contact told him that was not possible that ag-planes operated in uncontrolled airspace. There were words of anger passed on both sides of the phone. 

An AgAir Update reader from Wisconsin, Jim Kazmierczak, submitted a very graphic pamphlet of the potential danger of UAVs. Of course, every ag pilot is aware of the danger, but obviously some UAV operators are not or don’t believe. Be sure to check this AgAir Update edition’s Letters to the Editor for a sample of Kaz’s flyer. Readers can also go to agairupdate.com and download this flyer to use in their businesses. I hope it helps. 

I would be remiss not to mention that the NAAA is very much involved with the UAV issue, working with the FAA and the appropriate associations affected by UAVs. This is the kind of back door workings that will generate progress with the safe use of UAVs. I am pretty sure they are not going away, so we as ag-operators are going to have to figure out a way to live with them; not unlike METs. 

Spring is here in the U.S. and quickly moving into Canada. Most of you potentially have a long season ahead. Now is as good a time as any to start prepping for it. The more things you can accomplish with that preparation while not under the stress a backlog of acres to be treated, the better and safer your life will be. Don’t miss the opportunity. Fly safe. 

Until next month, Keep Turning… 

The dilemma of fuel prices

With the price of aviation fuels dropping, Jet-A to under $2.00 per gallon and 100LL nearly that low, I find myself contemplating how operators will address fuel surcharges. I was always a proponent for charging a fuel surcharge when fuel prices were volatile, usually in the increase mode - I still believe that to be true. At the time, the bulk fuel price was considerably more than it is today.

Undoubtedly at today’s fuel prices, it would be very difficult to explain adding a fuel surcharge to any invoice, whether it be for the UPS or FedEx delivery or an ag-plane’s application. What does an operator do? Reduce his base per acre or hourly rate charge? I don’t expect to see anyone’s base prices coming down because of a savings on fuel, regardless whether the charge is aviation related or not. I believe most consumers, including the farmer, believe the same thing.

Lower fuel costs are an opportunity to catch up on pent-up demand for new equipment or pay down a haunting bank note. At least buying the new equipment would come in part before the fuel savings is taxed. However, paying extra on the principal of a bank note, to my knowledge, would have to be with after-tax dollars; something to think about.

I overheard at a state convention one operator say he anticipates saving over $400,000 in 2015 if he burns the same amount of fuel as in 2014 and  the price stays $2 a gallon less than he paid last year. By his calculation, it would appear the operator purchased about 200,000 gallons of Jet-A. Depending on the aircraft, you could say that was four ag-planes logging about 1,000 hours each. Or, it could be eight ag-planes logging 500 hours each; assuming 50 GPH average fuel burn. Any way you make the calculation, a $400,000 windfall is huge, even for this large operator.

If that operator had been charging a fuel surcharge and does not in 2015, then he shouldn’t expect to profit $400,000. I guess that would be a plausible argument to not charge a fuel surcharge. But, only if you don’t count how much money that was lost in previous years by not charging a fuel surcharge.

The point in all this is a flying service should not be figuring on fuel prices to make a profit, whether it be an inflated fuel surcharge or a significant overall drop in fuel costs. Ag operators are not fuel brokers. Pricing should be based on multiple factors that allow for increases in fuel costs, as well as a savings to the customer by reduced fuel costs. The calculation will never fit perfectly. In most cases, over time, there will be gains and losses because of fuel prices regardless of how invoices are written.

That’s my two-cents worth; much like a saying, “The advice you get here is worth what you paid for it”. Nothing! In the meantime, I am immensely enjoying filling up my truck with gas for under $40.

Until next month, Keep Turning…

The obvious

It is Thursday morning in Louisville, Kentucky. I am in my hotel room writing this editorial after a bustling two trade show days at the NAAA 48th annual convention. Everyone I spoke with about the convention, attendees and exhibitors, were pleased with the show. I know AgAir Update’s booth had a steady stream of visitors, and our cameras had an ongoing audience of smiling faces. 

Of those operators I talked with about their season, most had an average year. Some were a little off and a few did better than in previous years. I have found that when an operator has several good, or extraordinarily good seasons back to back, then a normal season seems to be “off”, or slow; the excellent year becomes the norm. 

One or two operators told me they had not attended an NAAA convention in several years. For some, as many as 10 years had gone by without attending. They admitted the industry is in a transition, a good one. A new generation of pilots are coming in, along with technology that is hard to keep up with, particularly for those “baby boomer” pilots. The new and younger generation do not seem to struggle with the challenges of evolving technology. However, the ag airplane still requires a talented pilot that even the best technology can’t replace. I hope we do not find ourselves in a techno-overload situation. 

If you have heard it once, you’ve heard numerous times before; winter is the time to complete all the squawks on the aircraft and ground support equipment that you have put off during the season. When I had a flying service in the last quarter of the 1900s, there was a distinct time when the season started and ended. Except for some early herbicide and fertilizer 911 work on wheat, most spraying didn’t start in Georgia until the ground temperature was high enough to plant. After a “killing frost”, you could say that year’s season was over. Today, this is hardly true for a growing number of operators, particularly those in the Southern states. This means it is just that much more important to prepare for next year at the very earliest opportunity. 

I know you will enjoy the January edition of AgAir Update. Be sure you read about this edition’s feature article about the Cascade Power Upgrade. Just as you can never have too much runway, you never have too much horsepower. The PT6A-42 engine is just the right amount of extra horsepower to make the AT-502 series aircraft a real performer under any conditions. 

Sometimes, the obvious eludes you. The turbine Thrush has been around for over 35 years. During those years, lead ballast was used to keep the aircraft within CG limits. Of course, this added extra weight (in most cases about 300 pounds) that was leveraged, affected the way the aircraft flew. Personally, I have always liked the way a Thrush flies. However, I like the way the H80 flies without the ballast a lot better. Guess what? There are now two companies, Cascade Aircraft Conversions and Turbines, Inc, that have designed a new turbine Thrush engine mount and changed the prop that eliminates the ballast. Such a great idea. I have not flown these two conversions, but plan to sometime in 2015. I will be sure to let you know how they fly. Like more horsepower, less weight is usually a good thing in an ag-plane. 

You will see Graham and me at many of the state shows this month. Please come by our booth and let’s talk ag-aviation! 

Keep turning…

  

Sitting in the lobby

During a recent trip to Long Beach, California to attend NAAA’s fall board of directors meeting, I was doing some writing in the hotel lobby. Someone walked up and asked could they sit down beside me. It was Bruce Hubler of Valley Air Service based in Idaho. With him was his pilot, Joe Coppick. “Sure,” I said. “Take a seat”.

“I bet you thought you’d come down here and get some work done and here we come along,” said Bruce. Well, not actually, I explained. If I had really expected to work, I’d have stayed in the room writing. However, I preferred the company of others. I went on to tell Bruce and Joe that the upcoming week would be the busiest of the year for AgAir Update and myself. I had approximately five days to crank out three editorials (Latin and Show Guide editorials and this one), along with no less than three articles, of which one was the cover story for November.

For me, writing is a labor of love, mostly labor. Not being a trained writer, I find it challenging to sit down to write; one of the more important and essential jobs I have at AgAir Update. Typically, I end up procrastinating until I am backed up against a pending deadline, then I go into overdrive. If I had flown my Thrush in the same manner, it would have taken no less than three aircraft to do the work of one!

If you are reading this, either online or holding the print edition, then you know I got it all done, despite putting off my duties until the last minute. The wintertime can become the same scenario for an ag-operator, maybe not so much for the ag-pilot. You just completed a stressful season, long days, very little rest and now it is over, for the most part. One of the last things you want to think about is getting ready for next season.

Think about it, you should. It will be much more practical for you to begin making those delayed repairs and updating equipment earlier than later. When you wait, you find yourself under pressure, again, to get the job at hand done and that often is not the best way to complete a task. I know, I deal with it every month, writing and meeting deadlines.

Back to the NAAA board meeting; as I was reading through the “board book”, a preparatory document for the meeting, I came upon a page with a list of names. It was the names of the then current board of directors for NAAA in its recently adopted Constitution and Bylaws, circa 1984. As I looked over the names, many dead and none any longer active in the NAAA, I came across one name that stood out, Bill Lavender. Gee, thirty years of attending NAAA board meetings with darn near a 100% attendance record for the spring and fall meetings. I think I missed one of each of those meeting in 1986.

When I think about the NAAA from those days and compare it to today, it amazes me how much has changed. I can say improved, but not without giving credit to those that came before the current board. Their wisdom helped to shape NAAA into an effective association of its peers. We in this industry of flying agricultural aircraft are fortunate to have the NAAA, a viable organization looking after the interests of all.

I did not intend to get into a pro-NAAA dissertation in my editorial. Remember, I am not a trained writer and this is where I ended up. Know, that without NAAA there would be no Professional Aerial Applicators Support System (PAASS), no annual convention, probably federal fuel taxes and who knows, maybe not even an industry, along with numerous other benefits provided by NAAA to our industry. I am not going to ask those of you who are not members to join. I shouldn’t have to!

Until next month,

Keep Turning…

 

Social media and Facebook

I have never really wanted to believe I was “old school”. However, there does come a time in your life when you have to accept the fact your thinking was formulated from another time, providing you live long enough. Those of us from an older generation of ag-pilots probably realize this most when we try to figure out something related to the Internet, or some new software on our computers. For me, one of those challenges has been the social media site Facebook. 

I am not a Facebook user for a couple of reasons, mainly that I don’t subscribe to displaying my life on the Net; the same reason I don’t Tweet. Of course, I am often told you only place what you want to be viewed and that I would ultimately control the situation. That makes me think of those who found themselves in a pickle from a Facebook post! 

Facebook is undeniably a fantastic communications tool and that is exactly why AgAir Update has a Facebook account (not me). I am grateful the industry as a whole does not feel the same way that I do about Facebook, otherwise, it would not be an effective communications tool. My son, Graham, is AgAir Update’s IT guy. He launched the AAU Facebook account a couple of years ago. He is very astute at not over posting, only data that is of interest at the time, nothing frivolous. Thirty days between print dates for AAU can be a long time when something important takes place. This is where Facebook is so useful; we can post information to the industry in a very timely manner.  

Since we launched AAU’s Facebook account in English, it has gotten a little over 4,200 Likes. For such a small industry, that is pretty good. Even more notable is last month, Graham created the AAU Brasil Facebook account and within four days, it had about 3,000 Likes. A month later, AAU Brasil’s Facebook Likes exceeded 6,300! What is going on here? 

There are 231 registered ag-aviation companies in Brazil with an estimated 1,900 ag-pilots, far less than the 6,300 Likes. Obviously, many more people than the number of pilots are in someway involved in Brazilian ag-aviation. It also points out how “in tune” Brazilians, as I have found in all of Latin America, are with social media and the Internet. Some of this is because the printed mail service is so poor and slow in Latin America, as a general rule. 

AgAir Update’s challenge is to stay relative for its newly acquired Likes on both of AgAir Update’s Facebook pages. Trust me when I say, “challenge” to manage these social media sites. It is not just dealing with the differences in languages, but also cultures. Ag-pilots in the U.S. are different than those in Brazil and other Latin American companies, yet we are all the same. There may seem to be a conflict in that statement, but not really. 

Ag-pilots worldwide generally have the same values and are all excellent pilots. They are motivated by the same things. I have no problem finding commonalities whether I am in South Africa, the South Pacific, Latin America or the U.S. Each geophysical location has its own culture, but all are still ag-pilots at heart. 

If you have not visited AAU’s Facebook page  www.facebook.com/agairupdate2, please do. You’ll find tidbits of information that will hold you over until you get the full story in print. Be sure that you “Like” us! 

Until next month, Keep Turning…

Don’t wire the dump handle closed

Last month, Graham and I made a trip north to visit an ag-operator in North Dakota and several advertisers in Minnesota. It was a good trip, taking about 15 hours of flight time over four days. One of the advertisers we visited was WinField, a division of Land O’Lakes cooperative. WinField is the manufacturer of a long list of adjuvants that provide drift control, surfactants, oils, water conditioners and utility uses (defoamers, colorants, ph adjust, etc.). The company is not new to the adjuvant business. However, only recently has it begun to market its products to the aerial applicator.

During our visit with WinField, two points were very notable. First, WinField takes a different approach to working with the aerial applicator than some other chemical retailers who provide aerial application services. It desires to partner with the aerial applicator and the chemical retailer to provide a complete service to the grower. Second, WinField has undoubtedly one of the most sophisticated research facilities in the nation, based in River Falls, Wisconsin. Here, the company has several acres of test plots as well as a wind tunnel for testing nozzle configurations. This particular wind tunnel is for ground applications, but much of the research is applicable to aerial applications. For aerial-specific research, WinField partnered with BASF and the University of Nebraska Lincoln to help sponsor the aerial wind tunnel in Nebraska. This wind tunnel is capable of replicating aerial applications for research.

Our host while at WinField was Tony Goede. Many readers will remember Tony from when he worked at BASF. Now, Tony is leading WinField’s entry into the ag-aviation business as its aerial point person. Tony is who you will see in the field and meet at the trade shows. Compared to some of us that have been in the ag-aviation business for decades, Tony is relatively new at this game; but, I have found out that he knows his stuff.  

Planes: Fire & Rescue was released in movie theaters last month. It grossed over $18 million its first weekend. I took my eight-year old grandson to see it. I needed “authoritative” feedback before I passed judgement on the movie. My reaction, overall, was for the extensive effort made to be realistic, several key points were missed; pontoons were referenced instead of floats, scooping (only three times in the movie) made flying vertical up a waterfall and overwhelming fire storms. But hey, it’s a cartoon. I tend to forget that, thinking Planes: Fire & Rescue was created to present SEAT ops in a greater and more heroic light.

I suppose for the general public, they would be less skeptic of the movie and believe at least part of the it; that aerial firefighters, and firefighters as a whole, are heroes. They do risk their lives, albeit in a professional and well-calculated manner, not quite as recklessly as Dusty Crophopper.

You know, what I think doesn’t matter. It was the wholehearted endorsement of my eight-year old grandson that proved the Disney folks were right on target with their target audience. If the SEAT and firefighting industry benefitted from it, all the better. Go see Plane: Fire & Rescue with an open mind and enjoy!

On a closing note, my graphics person, Deborah who has been with AgAir Update for over 20 years, pointed out that it seemed an inordinate number of Part 137 accidents reported by the NTSB where the aircraft ended up off the end of the runway after takeoff. I read through the reports and to the credit of the pilots, a significant number of the accidents were mechanical related, e.g. power loss.

It pays to hitch up your pants on every takeoff, thinking 100% about what to do if there is a power loss. The biggest asset an ag-pilot has is the dump handle. Don’t be afraid to use it. Dump and sort it all out later. If you crash the aircraft, the contents in the hopper are lost anyway.

Taking off in a twin engine aircraft is obviously not the same as with an ag-plane. The exception is, both of these pilots must be acutely aware of the consequences of a loss in power. I never depart in our Baron that I don’t go over a contingency plan for losing an engine during takeoff. Something as simple as: “When the hand is on the throttles during roll out, kill both engines in an emergency. If the hand has moved to the gear handle and retracted the gear, fly the aircraft.” It is not always that “cut and dried”, but the point is to clear your head and be ready for the unexpected. I have heard all too often the turbine engine doesn’t quit. And, it normally does not, which causes a degree of complacency. Believe me, a turbine engine will quit. I have had two different ones do it and both times were during takeoff.

Until next month,

keep turning…