Aerial Application

An important technique for quick An important technique for quick treatment of large areas of pest treatment of large areas of pest

infestationinfestation

Introduction

World fleet of 24,000 aircraft (mainly USA and Russia)

Approximately 375 new planes built each year in US

In the US, approximately 300 million acres treated each year for a $1 billion industry

The beginning of ag aviation--

1921 – Curtiss JN-6 “Super Jenny” first application by aircraft of pesticide. (Arsenate dust on catalpa trees to kill sphinx moth larvae.)

1922 – Curtiss biplanes used to control boll weevils near Tallulah, LA.

1923 – Huff-Daland Duters, Inc. (forerunner to Delta Airlines) applied first commercial dusting of crops with their own specialty aircraft.

About Ag Aviation Operators

Formerly called “Crop Dusters” 3000 US Ag Pilots (110 in KS) Highly-trained professionals with very

large investments in their business Very concerned with human health,

environment, and a desire to perform their service in a responsible manner.

90% owner-operators 60% in business > 20 yrs > 10,000 hrs of flight time

Types of Aircraft Fixed Wing

– single or multiple engine– high or low wing, bi-wing– speed of 100 to 150+ MPH– most have 300 to 1300 Hp engines– payload of 1200 to 9500 lb

Rotary (Helicopters)– smaller loadsmaller load– higher maintenancehigher maintenance– field loadingfield loading– rough terrainrough terrain– downwashdownwash

Application areas Treat cotton fields – boll weevil

eradication Forestry is a large user for aerial

application Rights-of-way areas Approximately 90% is fixed wing; 10%

rotary Drift is a limitation

The Development

In 1940, approximately 80% dust; 20% spray

In 1950, approximately 50% dust; 50% spray

In 1970, approximately 20% dust; 80% spray

In 1980, almost no dust; 100% spray

Agricultural Aircraft

Ayres Corporation, Albany, GA

Air Tractor - Olney, TX

CessnaDromader, Poland

Gippsland, Australia

Piper Brave

Ag Cat

Engine Types

Radial Turbine

Airplane Number Designations Air Tractor

– 300, 400, 500, 600, 800 (hopper size)– 301, 401, 501 (radial engines)– 302, 402, 502, 602, 802 (turbine engines)– Turbine power

» T34, T45, T60 (Pratt & Whitney PT-6 engines)» G10, G12 (Garrett Power)

– 403, 503, 603, 803 (dual cockpits-only turbines)– 402A, 502A, 502B (frame or wing changes)

Thrush– S2R-500-34 (500 gallon with PT6-34 turbine)– S2R-500-G12 (500 gallon with Garrett power)– 660-T65 (660 gallon with PT6-65

Aircrafts Facts and Figures

Aircraft prices range from $100,000 to $1,000,000 Almost all new ag planes are turbine equipped

(engines alone cost $125,000 or more) Designed for 30 to 100 take-offs and landings per

day from rough strips Equipment: GPS guidance for +/- 2.5 ft flight

lines, flow controls, precisely calibrated for accurate applications.

Maintenance

Ag aircraft can be easily cleaned to prevent corrosion Spray booms are quickly interchangeable

Latest Equipment Aryes 660 Thrush (1230 hp)

– 660 gallon hopper– 228 gallon fuel– 12,500 lbs take-off

» 1500 ft. distance

– 175 cruise speed– Wingspan 54 ft.

Air Tractor 802(a or f) (1300 hp)– 800 gallon hopper– 254 gallon fuel– 16,000 lbs take-off (9500 payload)

» 2000 ft. distance

– 191 cruise speed– Wingspan 59.2 ft.

Liquid System

pump, tank, hose, boom, filters, regulators, controllers, and nozzles

tank: emergency dump, site gauge, air vent, agitation system

pump:centrifugal (50 GPM)– propeller or hydraulic driven

Equipment must be capable of lifting, transporting, and dispensing pesticides

Booms 75% of wingspan or less and no longer than rotor

length Behind and below wing Unbalanced spacing across the boom Must have check valves on nozzles Boom and pressure control:

– positive– quick shut-off

Nozzles

Capacities 1-10 GPA; 40-150 MPH; 30-80 foot swaths; 8-12 ft. high - liquid 25-50 ft. high - granule

Dry Application

Field Collector - Liquid

Aerial Report – page 1

Aerial Report – page 2

Aerial Report – page 3

Advantages speed and timeliness able to work wet areas less crop damage able to handle emergencies

Disadvantages

drift calibration spray

distribution swath marking obstacles

Calibration

acres/min = (MPH x SW)/495 GPM = acres/min x GPA

495

SWMPHGPAGPM

0.125 Orifice,300 Deflector

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

100 110 120 130 140 150 160

MPH

DV

0.5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

V<

10

0µ

m

20psi 40psi 60psi 20psi 40psi 60psi

00 deflector, 40psi

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

100 110 120 130 140 150 160

mph

DV

0.5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

V<

10

0µ

m

0.061 0.078 0.125 0.171 0.061 0.078 0.125 0.171

Straight stream nozzles

SPRAY QUALITY FROM CP STRAIGHT STREAM NOZZLESASAE AA98-002

I. W. Kirk, ARS, USDA, College Station, TexasFor information about securing permission to reprint or reproduce a technical presentation, please address inquiries to ASAE.

ASAE, 2950 Niles Rd., St. J oseph, MI 49085-9659 USAVoice: 616.429.0300 FAX: 616.429.3852

Directions: Enter Straight Stream CP nozzle parameters, pressure, and airspeed in the cells highlighted below.Orifice Size, Deflector Angle, Pressure, Airspeed, inches degrees psi mph

Acceptable Range: .061 to .171 0 to 30 20 to 60 100 to 1600.125 0 30 130

Application Parameters are displayed in the box below.DV0.5 = 373 µm = Volume median diameter

RS = 1.25 = Relative Span

V<100µm = 3.44 % = Percentage of spray volume in droplets smaller than 100 µm diameter.

V<200µm = 10.69 % = Percentage of spray volume in droplets smaller than 200 µm diameter.

CAUTION: Do not enter or clear data in the cells in this box!

DANGER: Do not change values in the cells in this box!INTERCEPTX1 X2 X3 X4 X1*X1 X2*X1 X2*X2 X3*X1 X3*X2 X3*X3 X4*X1 X4*X2 X4*X3 X4*X4

DV0.5 1321.9 2318 -9 5.8 -14 -9421 10.55 0.288 -4.77 -0.01 0.015 -2.27 -0.02 -0.04 0.042RS 1.8033 8.248 -0 0.02 -0 -46.3 0.026 -0 0.023 8E-05 -0 0.011 1E-04 -0 8E-05%V<100µm 38.372 -146 0.11 0.22 -0.6 447.5 -0.58 -0.01 -0.19 8E-04 -0 0.47 0.001 -0 0.003%V<200µm 85.705 -338 0.39 0.5 -1.4 1052 -1.05 -0.02 -0.43 -0 -0 1.058 0.003 -0 0.007

SPRAY QUALITY FROM CP STRAIGHT STREAM NOZZLESASAE AA98-002

I. W. Kirk, ARS, USDA, College Station, TexasFor information about securing permission to reprint or reproduce a technical presentation, please address inquiries to ASAE.

ASAE, 2950 Niles Rd., St. J oseph, M I 49085-9659 USAVoice: 616.429.0300 FAX: 616.429.3852

Directions: Enter Straight Stream CP nozzle parameters, pressure, and airspeed in the cells highlighted below.Orifice Size, Deflector Angle, Pressure, Airspeed, inches degrees psi mph

Acceptable Range: .061 to .171 0 to 30 20 to 60 100 to 1600.125 0 50 130

Application Parameters are displayed in the box below.DV0.5 = 410 µm = Volume median diameter

RS = 1.23 = Relative Span

V<100µm = 2.32 % = Percentage of spray volume in droplets smaller than 100 µm diameter.

V<200µm = 8.52 % = Percentage of spray volume in droplets smaller than 200 µm diameter.

CAUTION: Do not enter or clear data in the cells in this box!

DANGER: Do not change values in the cells in this box!INTERCEPTX1 X2 X3 X4 X1*X1 X2*X1 X2*X2 X3*X1 X3*X2 X3*X3 X4*X1 X4*X2 X4*X3 X4*X4

DV0.5 1321.9 2318 -9 5.8 -14 -9421 10.55 0.288 -4.77 -0.01 0.015 -2.27 -0.02 -0.04 0.042RS 1.8033 8.248 -0 0.02 -0 -46.3 0.026 -0 0.023 8E-05 -0 0.011 1E-04 -0 8E-05%V<100µm 38.372 -146 0.11 0.22 -0.6 447.5 -0.58 -0.01 -0.19 8E-04 -0 0.47 0.001 -0 0.003%V<200µm 85.705 -338 0.39 0.5 -1.4 1052 -1.05 -0.02 -0.43 -0 -0 1.058 0.003 -0 0.007

Drop Boom:

Ag-Tips

Texas A & M Research AT402B – 53 CP nozzles Wider and more uniform 12+% increase in swath width Increased deposition on spot cards Decreased number of fines 38% less deposited outside AT 502/503B Service Letter

– Reduced wing fatigue life

Electric Boom: Jim Carleton-USDA Spectrum Electronics Charges rings around

nozzles (7-9,000 volts) Positive/negative boom Plants neutral Best with low and ultra-

low volumes

Flow Controller

Flow Sensor

Obstructions:

Popular Aerial Web Sites

http://www.ayrescorp.com/thrush.html

http://www.airtractor.com/

http://www.hom.net/~agair/

http://www.agpilot.com

http://www.ag-aviation-online.com

http://www.ksagaviation.org/kaaa.htm

http://www.agaviation.org/

http://www.simplexmfg.com/pages/SPRAY.html

http://www.ulm.edu/~aviation/specialty.html

http://www.panamacademy.com/simcom/

http://www.cpproductsinc.com