More on 1970s Enstrom
Oh ... I forgot. In the 1970s Spoonair used the Enstrom 28C fitted out as an Ag machine ... Spoonair Ag Services. I flew for Plant Protection (ICI) for the first year until we called in specialist Ag pilots from New Zealand. By then we had three Ag helis, G-BBBR, G-BCOT and .... (my memory has failed me) I still have the sales movie I made 'tho, (no videos in those days) of G-BBBR on chemical calibration and demonstration flying at Shoreham Airport and the nearby Harris Farm of 1,000 acres where I must have dumped a ton of Nitram for fetilizer and Maneb for the spuds. But we did sell an Ag Enstrom to Turkey and three to Greece. Also used the machine for Dry application using the Agrinautics 3600 gear and a Vicon Hopper (Even pinched some for my lawn at home and never stopped mowing three times a week for the rest of the year!)For a while we tried the ULV and CDA systems (one pint an acre) but never found a single customer.
Our Chief Ag Pilot was the venerable Bishop Bill Izzard, (Ex B-Cal S-61 G-LINK - LHR-LGW) ... also those two wonderful New Zealanders, Dave Cook and Derek Alexander. Anyone know of Dave C (Derek is sadly RIP) We used to spray at £4 an acre then and I often managed 100 acres an hour. Good money but we were also competing with David Dollar, Heli-Scott oop North and more than a few others.
Call for more 1970s trivia anytime ... Dennis Kenyon.