This is not directed at TET or Rotorhead84 in particular, just a saying I like to remind myself of occassionally which came to mind after reading through this thread - "The problem with young people is they think that intelligence is a substitute for experience, & the problem older people is they think experience is a substitute for intelligence".

Matt, congrats on your job. Sounds like you are off to a great start. You have a good attitude and are willing to listen. Get yourself a helmet before the season starts even if it's an old motorcycle helmet. Trust me, you need one. If you need to talk or need some advice, PM me.
barryb

BTW, gooding looking bird. I had the first Satloc in La way back when. Using the M3 now with the same "ark" light bar.

austin19
Zebedee's post is how I remember it. Chemical soaked protective gloves, overalls & boots and living out of a duffle bag are not glamourous as far as I'm concerned. Long days no creature comforts and often no sustenance during the day. Back to the pub at night on an empty stomach and horizontal by the third pot. Sun rises a few hours later and do it all again. There is much to be learned about aircraft handling but it is not the life for everyone, I assure you.

Anybody ever seen this video? Not me of course as I do not work in Indiana. I've never seen these types of Ag turns utilized. Anybody else fly like this? Seems to be more stress on the aircraft than necessary for the work. I'm probably way wrong about that, I was taught to be as easy on the aircraft as possible, especially when loaded and turning. Only be as aggressive as necessary to clear the biggest obstacle and nothing more. I was also taught to gain as much altitude as your entry airspeed will allow before sliding back the other way. This video seems to be the exact opposite as I was taught. Cool video either way.

YouTube - helicopter crop dusting.

Surprised it is economic to use a helicopter when the terrain is so flat and vehicle accessible. Down here they'd be using a tractor towing a trailer mounted tank and sprayer. Slower but you'd get a whole field done without reloading and tractors don't cost much to run.

Tractors are slow and cumbersome. Field conditions or wind usually keep them out 50% of the time when you're ready to go or they'll mess up the row crops. So if you farm 1500ac you won't be able to get all your fields done during your windows for treatment (varies from a few days to a week where I am from). A spray rig costs 300k. For that price + the cost of an ag kit, you could buy an OH-58 and be able to work 2000+ acres per day. So most farmers just hire somebody to do it. For as much as they pull in for crop, its just a drop in the bucket.

Hey rotorhead, why don't you put back up those still photos you had. The guy in this ship looks mighty like you. so does the ground rig look identical.

Is it the fashionable attire that makes you think I have aged 10 years and moved to indiana? :O

Ill get the photos back up. I didn't realize I had killed the links when I re-organized my photo hosting service. My aplogies.

The ground rig looks much different than what we've got as well.

Just Found One
 

Was just searching for crop spraying videos and found a good one on this guys website :sad: Apex Helicopter Inc - Home its worth a watch if like helicopter crop spraying videos.

Heli A1 Commercial & Agricultural Helicopter Service, Waikato, NZ

Video:

Braken Spraying 2012
 

Hi Dennis,

I'm looking to start a Braken spraying business up in Scotland and have been reading your posts with interest. Do you have any advice for me, any contacts in the industry or any further information that you would consider to be useful? I have contacts in New Zealand where the current competition comes over from to complete the requirements. I would very much appreciate your thoughts - you seem to be the leading SME on the subject. Please get in touch and we can have a chat over this forum initially if you are comfortable. Look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

2054

Caterpillar Spraying
 

Caterpillar Spraying in the UK:
Pest caterpillar helicopter spraying goes ahead despite local residents' concerns | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Just a general message really, I'm a fixed wing pilot from Sussex (UK) and now working for one of the largest aerial fire fighting and ag flying operations in Australia. My point is if you really really want to get into this work it is possible but you got to move around. To get experience I have been a pilot in NZ, Africa (piston bush flying) and on floats in Australia ( piston and turbine). And now I am the new kid in ag and I'm mid thirties.

There is still work in various places throughout the world, lots in Africa certainly for fixed wing, I guess also helicopter.

So my point is I grew up in Sussex used to watch the planes flying into Gatwick had my first lessons at Redhill and gained my ppl there. And now I am starting my career in ag in Australia. It is still possible but its going to take allot of effort.

Have really enjoyed the thread, used to work for London helicopters on the spanners by the way.

Dream big and dare to fail.

Crop Spraying/Dusting Questions
 

I was wondering if anyone currently does this and if so could you help me learn more about the industry? I have a friend that is looking into doing it for his own farm but I don't know what the best aircraft is or really anything about it. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks

Jared: There are many outfits still engaged in spraying.

I suggest you browse a couple of the spray company websites to gain some basic information and then contact one or two of them with your enquiry. They will immediately ask what type of crop you have, what it is you want to apply and the size and basic layout of the area involved.

Here are a couple you can start with:

Apex Helicopter Inc - Home

Home | Applebee Aviation

Helicopter Air Services

Welcome to Lohman Helicopter

http://www.sintonhelicopters.com/

You can also try: National Agricultural Aviation Association

I think you will find that any of these people will be willing to speak with you and provide basic information and if you can find an operator near your farm they may even come over and discuss your requirement.

Crop Spraying
 

Jared
I am currently spraying in Canada, for conifer release for forestry. We were doing Ag a month or so back. We are using 2 Longrangers and a AS350B2. Next season we plan to add our B3's also. What do you need to know. Fire me a pm and will try to answer your questions.

Newfie

I spent the spring spraying herbicide on to grazing land in Oklahoma and Texas, then moved onto spraying mesquite. There is a chance that in the not too distant future we may start defoliating cotton. We used an R44, which although not my favorite machine for the job done.

Feel free to drop me a line with any questions.

One of the more informative spraying videos that I've seen in recent times:


Some 'classic' American accents in there too!

Hillers and Bananas.
Panama / Dominican Republic, early sixties.

At least they all looked survivable!

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...ndBananas3.jpg

Early's 60's indeed.

The Hiller 12-A (bottom right) G-AMDN, began life with 'Pest Control' services at Bourn Airfield in Cambridge in 1950. The craft was then registered to 'Fison Airwork' at the same location before Fison was bought (I think) by Airwork Helicopters at Redhill in 1960. In 1961 she was registered to Bristows.

CROP DUSTING BY HELICOPTERS
 

Hey Guys,

Need guidance on how much do booms extend out from helicopters & what is the width covered in each run by most helicopters.

Thanks

Ciao Whirlybirdguy!

The boom width varies from one aircraft type to the next and from one spray-gear manufacturer to another.

On the Bell 206 using the standard Simplex booms, the boom span is 36ft with a rotor diameter of 33ft.

The 'width' of the chemical (or fluid) being applied is referred to as the swath and again .. this varies according to boom width, height and speed flown, the density of the fluid/chemical, wind conditions, pilot technique, nozzle aperture and fluid dispersal rate.

What I suggest is that you try and obtain as much information as you can about your requirement, the area to be sprayed, what it is that you are spraying, the type of terrain involved, the elevation and temperature etc. and then contact one of the many spray companies (you can find a partial list of some of these companies on the previous page in post #95) and seek their advice.

WBG in India
 

Hi WBG

Have flown ag work spraying in India - but not crop dusting.

There's a lot more to spraying than knowing about boom width - especially with the density altitude in some areas.

Suggest that you PM me if you need more help.

Tc

The standard use to be that boom size was 80% of rotor diameter to reduce vortices.

Although now days with new nozzle technology a lot of booms are 100%.

might be showing your youth there ems R22.

the standard used to be, make the booms as long as the helicopter could handle. poke the spray right out into the vortices to get as much spread as possible.

then people started to get worried about spray drift, lifestylers moved in, sensitive neighbours came, etc. everyone had to go down to 80% of rotor diameter.

now i guess that some people are looking at extending booms back out again.

it depends on lots of factors, but if you want to spread the stuff as far and wide as possible, then poke the spray right out past the rotors, if it needs to be more controlled, then 80% of rotor width.

About the oddest thing I've seen spread from a helicopter was pelleted sphagnum moss, in 2010:

http://bleaklow.com/images/2010/sphag_heli.jpeg

More at A busy day on the moors - Alan's Ramblings and Sphagnum Project | Moors for the Future

The same folks also built a device for spreading heather brash (chopped heather) by helicopter which wasn't entirely successful when asked to deal with blocks of wet, frozen heather :}

http://bleaklow.com/images/2006/black_hill_heli_7.jpeg

Airborne muckspreader - Alan's Ramblings

All this work has been done as part of the Moors For the Future project in the UK, which is doing moorland restoration work in the South Pennines between Manchester and Sheffield - you've probably been over it if you've ever flown into Manchester. Because the area is a peat bog, everything has to be flow in by helicopter and to minimise wildlife disturbance it all has to be done in the depth of winter:

http://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/...ift%202004.jpg

There's a Bell 205 (think that's what it is) here at the moment. The statistics are quite impressive, all of this was transported by helicopter, and this is just for one of the areas they are working on:

• 10,000 - 15,000 bags of heather brash spread
• 10km geo-textiles laid
• Hundreds of tons of lime, seed, fertiliser applied
• Gully blocking 1,000 heather bale dams and 1700 stone dams (over one year)

This project has now been running to 10 years and I'm guessing it is probably the biggest and longest-running project making use of helicopters that the UK has ever seen.

Search | Moors for the Future

Dear Rotorheads,
I need your help to answer a customer request for a spray job against mosquitos. I have never been engaged in ag ops befor and have to make an offer to spray against mosquitos.
The customer is askaing for a pesticide which in not harmfull to fish and bees. Does this exist ?
I want to use a 350b2. Which spray gear can you recommend ? Does anyone have a used one with EASA certification for sale ?
What is an average area you can spray per hour if fuel and spray liquids are available on a truck on the job site.

I am thankfull for all kinds of information.

Crop spraying & Spreading
 

Mainly for 2054 way back in 2012 .... My apologies if the Dennis was the one for me as I haven't looked into this thread for a while. Even if not, the following may help.

Oddly enough, I've just returned from the SA Air Force Base at Waterkloof where I was tasked to display MD's 530F alongside the Enstrom 480B. Had a fab week flying three or four times a day for the period of the show for over 100,000 spectators I'm told. The local MD/ENSTROM distributor, Safomar PTY has also purchased an FX crop spraying version for local Ag work.

Some of the 'oldies' here will know that my firm of Spoonair Ag services operated three Enstrom Turbo models in the role giving us a chemical lift of 650lbs or whatever the EU guys call it these days. We used the Agrinautics wet and dry gear which gave a 30 foot swath width or 36 feet with the approved boom extensions. The dry gear dispersal was via a rotary impeller from a Vicon hopper. Using mostly New Zealand pilots and an Aussie, we averaged 120 acres an hour per aircraft, which at £4 an acre was decent money in those days. (1980s)

I have an old 30 minute film of our equipment calibration work and subsequent spraying and spreading which is now on DVD and I'll be happy to produce the odd DVD copy for potential users. I've asked this before, but if Dave Cook is still on the site, please make contact as my SA customer has a pilot/instructor requirement for the Pretoria area.

And for any interested in seeing the MD 530F display, a couple of the Waterkloof videos are now on You Tube along with my Enstrom 480B gentle ladylike display. Or just dial up my name to view the list.

Take care all and just to say this particular COF is still a flyin.' Dennis K.

Spraying
 

Just a quick PS ... Can anyone tell me what happened to the ULV and CDA work that was becoming available when I quit the spraying scene. An average dose would be around one pint per acre I believe. (ideal for the very light helicopters) Thanks in anticipation. Dennis Kenyon.

ULV spraying
 

Dennis,
ULV is used in Oz for cotton generally at night in fixed wing.
bit of video

Fison Airwork Accidents
 

The top left image is G-APSL with John Odlin in the picture the helicopter caught fire in flight when the gas tank blew up and jammed the controls, and it happened April 19th 1960 in the Dominican Republic out of Waltario I was the pilot and the year before in Panama G-APNI tail rotor failure out of Puerto Armuelles, and I was flying it too. Not injured in either.

.
Fire fighting

Interesting post from Wildpilot above. If there is anyone who could assist in the UK's midlands with the current Saddleworth Moor fires, then I reckon they will be treated like heroe by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Who has aerial crop dusting gear which cold be brought into service?

Helicopters with Bambi Buckets have already been used on that fire. There are a number of operators in the UK with fire-bucket capability who would be able to assist the Fire Service / Land Owner with this fire if someone is prepared to pay for it. And therein lies the sticking point I imagine.