Grumman Ag Cat

A Grumman Ag Cat flying with a radial engine aboard, is spraying what appears to be a crop of soybeans. The low altitude is necessary to prevent drift of the chemical being applied. Such a scene is repeated throughout the summer months, all across America.

Special wingtips, new types of spray nozzles, and other mechanical devices are being employed to reduce effects of drift. With the advent of new technologies hardly an aircraft now flying has not been modified to some extent.

With the coming of low wing aircraft, it was thought that the Ag Cat had reached the end of its operational life. But the addition of a turbine engine gave the old Cat a new lease on life.

An ability to maneuver near the ground coupled with more than enough power to carry heavier payloads meant that the Ag Cat’s legendary reputation as a fine aircraft would carry over to yet another generation of pilots.

In Louisiana, small rice fields require the maneuverability that a biplane possesses in spades. While speed is an attribute in states where distances to and from an airstrip are greater, the Air tractors have an advantage over the cats, but the shorter distances involved in Louisiana, means the Ag Cat may hold its own for some years to come.

Technorati Tags: Agricultural Aviation

Tags: Agricultural Aviation

Aerial application using a Stearman

As a child growing up in south Louisiana, I watched as pilots worked their Stearmans near the ground, in displays of airmanship I never saw at any air show. Rice fields, on our farm, or cane fields, which were located on dark clay soils further east, were visited all spring and well into the summer by these ag machines of the sky.

Nearly everyday from early spring to late fall, and, in the case of rye grass pastures, even the winter, ag pilots fly their aircraft. I say fly, because the word operates, somehow does the pilots no justice. There is no comparison to any other type of flying on earth. All maneuvers performed in seemingly effortless style, are in fact well thought out, and there can be no mistakes. In this realm, there are old pilots, but no old bold pilots. The ground is unerringly unforgiving.

For nearly eight decades ag aviation has been at the forefront protecting America’s food supply. Their diligence and professionalism keeps millions of acres of crop land in production, free from scores of pests, assuring a steady supply of good quality produce to the consumer.

The ability of aircraft to deliver seed, fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides quickly and efficiently over large acreages on a daily basis means farmers can complete these tasks in a timely manner. It enables a farmer to stay ahead of inclement weather especially at planting time. It could mean the difference between getting in a crop or altogether missing the planting of a crop.

In the case of grain crops, the ag plane becomes a very important option in the planting phase of a grain operation. Instead of using conventional ground rigs, which consume a great deal of time and labor, aircraft may be used to speed the planting cycle, thus reducing the time needed to place seed in a field. Field equipment is thus spared wear and tear, saving it for another season.

Flexibility can be introduced through the use of ag aircraft. Time and equipment can be utilized in a more efficient manner. Schedules, planned through the winter months, are followed with scientific precision, given the speed of aircraft to cover large fields.

For the vegetable grower, the ag plane is a real asset. Once a crop is in the ground, the aircraft can work the crop even if the soil is too soft for tractors to apply herbicides or pesticides. As growers expand their operations, ag aircraft become indispensable tools. Weather can often dictate when aircraft are to be deployed to best suit a particular situation.

Given the task which these aviators perform day in and day out, when you go for a ride in the country and see an ag plane flying over a field, give a little thought to the pilot in the machine. He is doing a very important job, feeding you and your family.

Technorati Tags: Agricultural Aviation

Tags: Agricultural Aviation