Aerial Cropspraying ?

[GLIDER 90]

Life in the UK is now pretty boring without aerial cropspraying, with the do gooders saying it's no good to the environment etc. At the end of the day they could only spray certain chemicals under strict rules, many a time I stood next to a field being sprayed by aircraft of helicopter but did me no harm. Then the Low Ground Vehicles took over, the good days have gone!!!

[Dan_Brown]

I believe at one stage in the '70's or '80's the UKCAA wanted a ban on such activities. The NFU opposed such stupidity and they carried on. However, it was eventually regulated out of existence.

If there is a disease that attacks forests for e.g., and needs to be treated in a hurry, then the a/c will be back in action, pronto.

As for the pilots. "If the flying doesn't get you, the chemical probably will"

[mafaking]

Yes they were the good old days. The people who had it regulated out of existence are in my mind , fat bellied, limp wristed people who didn't understand that what we were doing was part of the food cycle. The same as the ground vehicles are doing today, just they are less visible.

[evansb]

Aerial applicators are doing okay in Canada, U.S.A., Mexico and some South American countries. Large drones are also being used as aerial applicators with great accuracy but small payloads.

[mafaking]

Still going well in Australia as well, when it rains.

[GLIDER 90]

I don't think I will be rushing to see a drone spraying fields not quite the same!!

[N707ZS]

Still plenty in Spain, if you are lucky you might come across a Dromader or an Air tractor with a nice radial engine.

[Freda Checks]

That's the way to do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bTimub3x_g

[N707ZS]

Is that Leeds Bradford!

[mafaking]

Glider 90
Have you any photos from that era?

[Glevum]

There is still a fair amount of Helicopter Bracken Spraying done in the UK

[GLIDER 90]

Mafaking

I'm afraid I haven't, used to see them when I didn't have a camera on me.

[Downwind Lander]

There is a new opportunity for you guys; aerial firefighting. You may need to re-think valves, pipes etc. Get involved with fire retardant foam and the largest tanks the wings will handle with practicable airspeeds.

Take the Yorkshire UK fires last year and the smaller one earlier this year. The ground, being peat, was actually on fire. I reckon the firefighters would have welcomed the damping down you can provide. Try West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. Lay on a demo.

The Aussies have crop dusters in their fire fighting inventory.

[megan]

The Aussies have crop dusters in their fire fighting inventoryAdditionally we've had C-130, Boeing 737, DC-10 and Skycrane helos from overseas, plus a varied assortment of local and overseas helos.

[N707ZS]

Downwind Lander, all good but who is going to pay, HMG doesn't already pay for helimed helicopters. Perhaps you can get the landowners to chip in yearly or greens to go can shaking. Getting aircraft would be no problem.

[Downwind Lander]

Additionally we've had C-130, Boeing 737, DC-10 and Skycrane helos from overseas, plus a varied assortment of local and overseas helos.Oh, Yes and more than that. What is outrageous is that you have really bad fires out there and the government have not bought as many MAFFS2 water bombing kits as they have C130s. They aren't that expensive and when things get heavy, they should be able to throw at it every Herc they've got with its MAFFS2 and enough trained crews.

Getting back to crop sprayers, who would pay? Possibly insurance companies by inserting a clause saying that if a client has a 24hr arrangement, then they get a certain discount. [There should be some sort of international federation of insurance companies].

[Geosync]

Going strong in the U.S. My company does business with them, so I love flying my C-182 into their strips and low level crop surveying. Much more dynamic than point to point flying at 10k feet, or dealing with a rich businessman/corporation who had a birdstrike on his Gulfstream. But I am in insurance claims, and there are plenty of chemical drift claims to go around, damaging crops and people. Lawsuits and courts aplenty. Still, I don't see the industry shrinking any time soon. Some of our operators are running surplus Bell UH-1s and still turning a profit. Of course in addition to piston and turbine Agcats, Thrushes, Air Tractors, etc. Time are good.

[Downwind Lander]

... who would pay? Possibly insurance companies by inserting a clause saying that if a client has a 24hr arrangement, then they get a certain discount. [There should be some sort of international federation of insurance companies].

There is for the Uk: the Association of British Insurers.

[Downwind Lander]

In Britain, the Easter weekend was the hottest on record and there were seven bush fires between Wales, northern Ireland and the north of England.

One problem is that the fire authorities put out a fire but it reignites a short while later. They cannot cover the ground to keep going back to check. This is where you people would be invaluable.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2200502-the-uk-has-already-had-more-wildfires-in-2019-than-any-year-on-record/

Although Air Tractor make special fire fighting a/c, it seems likely that they can convert existing models for little money.

[fuelling]

Why isn't aerial spraying used in the UK for fire fighting is there some kind of restriction or is it cost involved by each fire service.

[Jetscream 32]

Nobody wants to pay to have a dedicated aerial firefighting capability in the UK - all FRS regions across the UK tend to call the helicopters with bambi-buckets when it is far too late... there is some new technology that will make a big difference across the UK in 2019 - there could be interest in having a Fireboss 802 here - but some years it might not do much at all ....

[fuelling]

you would think it would be good money invested in the UK

[Dan_Brown]

Don't be so sensible.

[N707ZS]

Jetscream 32 it would be very easy to get a Fire Boss I know a man who sells them or leases them to governments for fire seasons. As long as someone is willing to pay. If the money could be found I could get you a Fire Boss. The recent fires seem to have resurrected a few UH1s which are banned from fire fighting in some European country's.

[Downwind Lander]

There have been three wild fires in England in the last couple of weeks and, in my view, the need is high. They speak of the fire being "under control" which appears to be code for their being unable to put it out but it won't spread. Cold comfort for a farmer if insurance doesn't cover this particular risk. All too often, from these ae
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/300x168/ipswitch_fire_706b122016e80d8a2e864d922171fb75d43fef55.jpg
rial views, I cannot see how a vehicle can be got to where it is needed

In the UK, most areas have a different rule and policy. You would need to approach the Chief Constable and chief of the Fire and Rescue Service for areas near you.

[Downwind Lander]

Have a look at this:
https://www.channel4.com/news/huge-swarm-of-locusts-causes-devastation-in-east-africa-as-jamal-osman-reports-from-kenya

For reasons that are not clear, East Africa, particularly Kenya, has a serious locust problem which could cause a major famine. They do have at least one crop sprayer but my guess is that when a swarm is spotted, half a dozen a/c are called for. This is a serious matter. An approach to Mr Kinoti Maretethe at the Ministry of Agriculture, might unlock a lot of funds and resources.

[Downwind Lander]

By the way, his name is Kinoti Marete. The site, which is as difficult to navigate as they get, is:
MyGov Kenya (http://www.mygov.go.ke)

Apparently, swarms can measure an area of about a square kilometre.

[Journey Man]

Have a look at this:
https://www.channel4.com/news/huge-swarm-of-locusts-causes-devastation-in-east-africa-as-jamal-osman-reports-from-kenya

For reasons that are not clear, East Africa, particularly Kenya, has a serious locust problem which could cause a major famine. They do have at least one crop sprayer but my guess is that when a swarm is spotted, half a dozen a/c are called for. This is a serious matter. An approach to Mr Kinoti Maretethe at the Ministry of Agriculture, might unlock a lot of funds and resources.

isn’t Farmland Aviation still in operation?

[sycamore]

I would think that they have to be spraying at night as well,with a large aircraft,such as DC-3,to be really effective,as the insects probably don`t fly at night.

[JustinHeywood]

The decline in aerial agriculture (in Australia anyway ) is a result of two things:

- environmental concerns (real and imagined)
- a huge improvement in the ability of ground rigs

That said, someone from Jones Air took the time to produce this stunning video.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=65KLN5gDHzI

[JustinHeywood]

The decline in aerial agriculture (in Australia anyway ) is a result of two things:

- environmental concerns (real and imagined)
- a huge improvement in the ability of ground rigs

That said, someone from Jones Air took the time to produce this stunning video.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=65KLN5gDHzI

[Dan_Brown]

Drones?! Weeing in the ocean!!

Any broken down crop sprayers {pilots or aircraft} remaining?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52109824

[EvaDestruction]

I would think that they have to be spraying at night as well,with a large aircraft,such as DC-3,to be really effective,as the insects probably don`t fly at night.

I was in the business in Florida back in the 70's. Cessna Agtrucks (some) were equipped with turning lights and such for night operations. I never did it myself, but I know several friends who did it.

It was fairly well restricted to larger fields for all the obvious reasons.

It never caught on real big, but it did have some advantages they say.