Attention Ag Pilots
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Attention Ag Pilots
G'day,
I am just interested to know how many other Ag pilots browse through here.
Cheers
Super Trouper
Enjoy your lunch? Thank an Ag Pilot!
I am just interested to know how many other Ag pilots browse through here.
Cheers
Super Trouper
Enjoy your lunch? Thank an Ag Pilot!
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There is one on the AAAA's website, however it is not anonymous and it is not used a lot.
So this is probably it!
Thats why I am interested to find out how many Aggies browse Pprune.
Cheers,
Super Trouper
So this is probably it!
Thats why I am interested to find out how many Aggies browse Pprune.
Cheers,
Super Trouper
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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Location: Bai, mi go long hap na kisim sampla samting.
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What about us ex aggies?. some of us still browse in the hope that something aggie like will be produced on the forums sometimes.
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And our force is getting stronger!!!
I was happy to see more posts this morning!
In regards to footwear, I know of an Ag Pilot who only ever wore thongs when flying in a certain part of Asia, plus no helmet, it was too hot! So those boots would surely scare the pants of this guy!
Of those browsing, who is turbine/piston? and who is rice/cotton or other?
Cheers,
Troup
In regards to footwear, I know of an Ag Pilot who only ever wore thongs when flying in a certain part of Asia, plus no helmet, it was too hot! So those boots would surely scare the pants of this guy!
Of those browsing, who is turbine/piston? and who is rice/cotton or other?
Cheers,
Troup
have any of you blokes tried the MSA Gallet helmet?
i have not long bought one. nice and light but the passive noise reduction isn't what i thought it would be.
any comments.
i have not long bought one. nice and light but the passive noise reduction isn't what i thought it would be.
any comments.
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185,
There was a thread over on Rotorheads recently re helmets, ran for several pages so quite a bit of good info.
Have not tried a Gallet myself, but for that kind of money I would expect to be able to drive to work in it.
There was a thread over on Rotorheads recently re helmets, ran for several pages so quite a bit of good info.
Have not tried a Gallet myself, but for that kind of money I would expect to be able to drive to work in it.
Last edited by currawong; 22nd Nov 2004 at 10:03.
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Talking to myself again...
Anyhow, anyone tangled up in the herbicide debacle going on in the cotton country at the moment? (carefully avoiding naming said popular chemical or locations)
Anyone learning about being a safe pilot in Wee Waa tomorrow?
185, have you tried using earplugs with your helmet - the yellow ones that work well out of a blowpipe are pretty good. Pretty common for those without ANR.
Anyhow, anyone tangled up in the herbicide debacle going on in the cotton country at the moment? (carefully avoiding naming said popular chemical or locations)
Anyone learning about being a safe pilot in Wee Waa tomorrow?
185, have you tried using earplugs with your helmet - the yellow ones that work well out of a blowpipe are pretty good. Pretty common for those without ANR.
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Hi Currawong,
I have heard one story about round up ready cotton, haven't heard any reports about any other problems. Have been quite busy over the last few weeks, so have not caught up on all the goss. Tell me more..........?
Troup
I have heard one story about round up ready cotton, haven't heard any reports about any other problems. Have been quite busy over the last few weeks, so have not caught up on all the goss. Tell me more..........?
Troup
RR 'anycrop' poses huge future drift risks to every spray operator - ground or air. Don't expect the manufacturers to help either - the same old stock standard label statement of 'avoid drift onto sensitive crops' will protect them - but not you.
In WA, the majority of spray drift damage cases are in May-June, and most involve knockdown herbicides such as glyphosate and Spray-Seed. As well, night spraying, or late pm spraying into the developing temperature inversion, is one of the causes. What price a huge increase in this stuff once everyone decides to grow RR crops?
Back in the late 80's there was a monster drift damage problem out near Condobolin NSW - if I remember rightly. It involved glyphosate + 2,4-D ester, aerial sprayed late in the day. I did hear that the area involved ran into many 10's of sq. kms - so much in fact, that the Ministers for Land & Ag were up there to inspect.
Dwell on this bit of history - or you'll be rewriting it in your own name.
An aggie section might be workable, as there's a lot more to discuss than just the flying side of it.
I'm in the chemicals development game - since 1970, but hopefully 'qualify' with an Ag2 from Max Hazelton's in 1972.
happy days,
In WA, the majority of spray drift damage cases are in May-June, and most involve knockdown herbicides such as glyphosate and Spray-Seed. As well, night spraying, or late pm spraying into the developing temperature inversion, is one of the causes. What price a huge increase in this stuff once everyone decides to grow RR crops?
Back in the late 80's there was a monster drift damage problem out near Condobolin NSW - if I remember rightly. It involved glyphosate + 2,4-D ester, aerial sprayed late in the day. I did hear that the area involved ran into many 10's of sq. kms - so much in fact, that the Ministers for Land & Ag were up there to inspect.
Dwell on this bit of history - or you'll be rewriting it in your own name.
An aggie section might be workable, as there's a lot more to discuss than just the flying side of it.
I'm in the chemicals development game - since 1970, but hopefully 'qualify' with an Ag2 from Max Hazelton's in 1972.
happy days,
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Thanks RV6-VNE.
We are hearing over here particular formulations are causing problems - even from shielded ground equipment.
No, not ester. But the problem resembles it.
With that in mind, I would suggest that the main problem will not be in applying the product but in convincing people to buy it in the first place, regardless of what the label says.
With your background, you may be able to help - the two glyphosate formulations I am talking about have a wetter built in. This is raising some suspicion here. The formulations that do not are no problem. What is your opinion? I'm sure the manufacturer is pretty interested.
We are hearing over here particular formulations are causing problems - even from shielded ground equipment.
No, not ester. But the problem resembles it.
With that in mind, I would suggest that the main problem will not be in applying the product but in convincing people to buy it in the first place, regardless of what the label says.
With your background, you may be able to help - the two glyphosate formulations I am talking about have a wetter built in. This is raising some suspicion here. The formulations that do not are no problem. What is your opinion? I'm sure the manufacturer is pretty interested.
Currawong,
Surfactant addition usually creates smaller droplet sizes - due the lower surface tension of the mix- and this also varies with the type of surfactant. Our general advice in the past has been to add a couple% of spraying oil, rather than surfactant - but this has become less effective since many formulations come with added surfactant anyway.
With ground rigs you can change over to air inducted jets which will eliminate about 90% of the driftable fines - but then you have the problem of not collecting enough droplets on the 1 - 1.5 leaf grasses. A 100 micron droplet is about 4x more likely to adhere to a thin vertical target as a 250 mu droplet. This has been the only real obstacle to blanket advising to use AI jets for all the knockdown work.
Another concept is the OhioSU 'smart' system, ( see www.spray-redux.com ), where a fine droplet producing sprayline is followed closely by a coarse droplet line. Smaller droplets are entrained behind the larger - but do not coalesce-and after the larger droplet makes contact and shatters, the smallies land elsewhere - hopefully on vertical foliage missed by the larger droplets. The Yanks have fiddled with clean water in the big droplet line and high concentrate herbicide in the small droplet line. We have some trials under way with our own concept - based on this.
There is an operating aerial electrostatic system in the USA - developed by the USDA in Texas, and commercialised already. (can't locate my references on it right now).
The other agav modification is the so called 'drop-boom' which is being used by several US operators and must surely be out here by now - 6 years old! (again - can't find my refs on this).
However, you don't need much glyphosate over the fence to kill an emerging wheat crop - unless it's RR too!! A few years back I saw a wheat crop 100% killed when the farmer mistakenly used 50 mls of glyphosate 480CT instead of dimethoate. This is 5% of the current label rate, and probably 3% of the RR rates to be used in cotton. It doesn't take much to lose that over the fence!
All herbicide 'resistant' crops bring new problems with them - off target drift, volunteer crops as next years 'weeds', and development of resistance, being a few that come to mind.
RR crops are not the silver bullet that some scientists and salesmen make them out to be.
In the USA, some 2-3% of the total corn crop is being lost to edge drift kill, and they have already several million hectares of 'new' weeds which have taken over from the RR susceptible weeds.
The problems of 'GM' have bugger all to do with food value or the development of super weeds - it's about very simple agronomic changes or needs, which are being overlooked in the headlong rush into new technology.
Anyway, enough chemical rant & rave.
happy days,
Surfactant addition usually creates smaller droplet sizes - due the lower surface tension of the mix- and this also varies with the type of surfactant. Our general advice in the past has been to add a couple% of spraying oil, rather than surfactant - but this has become less effective since many formulations come with added surfactant anyway.
With ground rigs you can change over to air inducted jets which will eliminate about 90% of the driftable fines - but then you have the problem of not collecting enough droplets on the 1 - 1.5 leaf grasses. A 100 micron droplet is about 4x more likely to adhere to a thin vertical target as a 250 mu droplet. This has been the only real obstacle to blanket advising to use AI jets for all the knockdown work.
Another concept is the OhioSU 'smart' system, ( see www.spray-redux.com ), where a fine droplet producing sprayline is followed closely by a coarse droplet line. Smaller droplets are entrained behind the larger - but do not coalesce-and after the larger droplet makes contact and shatters, the smallies land elsewhere - hopefully on vertical foliage missed by the larger droplets. The Yanks have fiddled with clean water in the big droplet line and high concentrate herbicide in the small droplet line. We have some trials under way with our own concept - based on this.
There is an operating aerial electrostatic system in the USA - developed by the USDA in Texas, and commercialised already. (can't locate my references on it right now).
The other agav modification is the so called 'drop-boom' which is being used by several US operators and must surely be out here by now - 6 years old! (again - can't find my refs on this).
However, you don't need much glyphosate over the fence to kill an emerging wheat crop - unless it's RR too!! A few years back I saw a wheat crop 100% killed when the farmer mistakenly used 50 mls of glyphosate 480CT instead of dimethoate. This is 5% of the current label rate, and probably 3% of the RR rates to be used in cotton. It doesn't take much to lose that over the fence!
All herbicide 'resistant' crops bring new problems with them - off target drift, volunteer crops as next years 'weeds', and development of resistance, being a few that come to mind.
RR crops are not the silver bullet that some scientists and salesmen make them out to be.
In the USA, some 2-3% of the total corn crop is being lost to edge drift kill, and they have already several million hectares of 'new' weeds which have taken over from the RR susceptible weeds.
The problems of 'GM' have bugger all to do with food value or the development of super weeds - it's about very simple agronomic changes or needs, which are being overlooked in the headlong rush into new technology.
Anyway, enough chemical rant & rave.
happy days,