Frost control in AUS

[yoobeedo]

Any privates or operators still using choppers for frost control in Australian vineyards/orchards.

What regions, seasons, aircraft types and techniques used.

Cheers.

[SASless]

You guys have Cherry orchards down there that have rain problems as the crop ripens? Interesting business for cherry drying in this part of the world.

[John Eacott]

Yes: mostly grapes (vineyards) and stone fruit. Dispensations etc required, mostly standby until 0200: or a good night's sleep :D JetRanger tends to be favourite, BK has also been used.

[helipedro]

At 0200 hours I used to pickup good cherries with a 63 Chevvy I wonder why
someone would need a Bk now!

[SASless]

More fun when you have a big chopper....prefer doing mine in a Huey. Whole lot of shaking going on!:O

[catseye]

Yoobee

there was a frost control B206 operating from Tumut on apples a few years ago. Not sure if it is still there .

Pilot and customer seemed fairly happy with the arrangement

For those not aware Tumut is SW of Canberra in the hills on the western side of the ranges.

The Eye.

[moosp]

Using a B206 or BK for cherries sounds expensive. I have heard of someone using a B47 and it moves enough air to be effective and cheaper.

Make sure you get a good rest beforehand. Flogging up and down an orchard at Oh Gawd double O can soon bring on the nods.

[chopski]

Hi,

A few guys at Mangalore airport Victoria were doing this last winter in oz in a B47.

Not sure if they are still doing it, One of the guys was the airport manager.

Call the airport to find out more:8

[TWOTBAGS]

I used to do frost at Tumut and there were some nights you would start before midnight and others where you did not fire it up until 4am.

Used a Longranger / Jetranger combo, others used B47/KH4 and even R22 combo’s.

What you had to do was walk the fields the day before, find your safe areas, wires and other hidden traps.

We always had a lit safe area (too far from the airport) should we lose vis ref due excessively smokey pots or as in some cases the fog rolled in too thick.

Generally a good bunch of people you work for but there aint much to do in Tumut at night.
:E :E :E

[Scrub Cutter]

you dont happen to know roger cornbread by any chance?, used to co with him on fish drying ops near Perth?

[John Eacott]

Tumut was the first spot I got involved in frost control, about 15 years ago: the orchard that we operated for reckoned that the finance costs on his neighbour's windmills were twice what he paid for helicopter standby and operation!

Similarly, the wine grapes that we look after in Victoria are multi million $$ crops, and helicopters are a cheap insurance. One vineyard booked our BK as the last available machine, then cancelled at the last moment. That night they lost $A5 million worth of grapes: what you might label a bad judgement call :rolleyes:

[Heli-Ice]

Thats why my bottle of Yellow Label tasted so funny... you guys blowing exhaust fumes and leaking oil all over the grapes. Ahhhhh buggers...

[belly tank]

I did frost control in Tumut town from 97' Till 2000'. after they did away with us due to the Rotating fans powered by V8's were introduced....was loads of fun...i think one year we go hats made up with FROSTY BOYS on them!

There were 7 of us living in the cottage next to the orchard so you can imagine there was a lot of B@#LS@$T flying around most of the time....and Sticken berger if you read this ive never forgiven you for those fire crackers either ya bugger!!...:}

[McGowan]

Tumut was good fun in those days, at least we got the golf handicap down a bit. Flying down towards town and over the hump with Baz as pilot in command of the skyline was life threatening if anything.....
Drinking early in the morning was something no other Pilot would ever have had the opertunity to do I'm sure.........
Slippengrubber was a real bastard with those fireworks, nothing like being in the shower and seeing a lit bunger come sliding under the door.
We should have some kind of reunion so we can all get together and drive each other nuts with war stories.

[yoobeedo]

Thanks for the replies.

Nothing quite like the good ol' days. Where has all of the good flying gone?