by Bill Lavender
PERRY, GA - December brings to close another year for the history book of
ag aviation. This month's front cover recaptures the last eleven front
covers, beginning with January at the eleven o'clock position moving
clockwise.
Aircraft with AG-TIPS winglets inked the cover of AAU twice this year,
January and May editions. Winglet technology has begun to appear on ag
aviation aircraft, proving itself at various spray clinics throughout the
nation.
But winglets were not the only aviation modifications brought about this
year. As a matter of fact, 1998 has been a host for new technology, engine
conversions, new aircraft, expanding duties of ag aircraft with
firebombing, behavior changes and even a touch of nostalgia.
In February a pair of AT-802's from Australia were featured. Unfortunately,
one of the pilots was killed shortly thereafter at an air show after
demonstrating the dumping capabilities of the AT-802.
March brought AAU readers an evaluation flight of the Walter engine
conversion on one of Riddell Flying Service's Thrush. The Walter engine
promises to be a viable alternative for an ag pilot's choice of engines.
The Walter engine made it on three covers in 1998; March, October and
November, not counting December. Although the Thrush airframe seems to be
the choice for Walter conversions, the engine has been installed on both Ag
Cats and Air Tractors. It is even a factory option for the PZL Kruk which
AgAir Update caught up with in Uruguay for the October cover.
Making history or preserving it, the tried and true Stearman will always
have a place in the annals of AgAir Update. The April issue featured
longtime ag pilot Jack Colley of the Pacific Northwest with his Colley
Aviation Super Stearman. Many ag pilots spent untold hours in the seat of a
Stearman. However, that fraternity of ag pilots grows less and less each
year, with a good Stearman worth more as a general aviation aircraft than a
working ag plane. Again captured on the cover of the July AAU, with Johnny
Payne pulling back on the stick of his Stearman as he barely clears a water
tank (circa 1978), the Stearman legacy lives on.
Ag pilots are known far and wide, particularly in the field of aviation,
for their almost superhuman flying skills. Although questioned about the
safety of working an ag plane under high tension wires, on the cover of the
August issue, Ed Kramer demonstrates how such a feat can be done while
spraying cotton on the King Ranch in Texas. Also, on the November cover,
two Ayres Thrush from South Africa fly close formation on the way to their
next job. And no less a feat, Avialsa of Spain on the September cover and
Aero Tech of Australia on the February cover, release their respective
loads during firebombing operations.
These aerial maneuvers are everyday occurrences for the professional ag
pilot. He does his job consistently and safely. He is a master at placing
his payload, be it a dumping procedure or a granular application as on the
cover of the June AAU, in the target area with the precision of a smart
bomb.
Most notably for 1998 has been the ag aviation industry's ability to
recognize the need for an awareness program called Professional Aerial
Applicators Support System (PAASS). In the 24 months since the inception of
PAASS, aerial applicators throughout the world have eagerly embraced the
newest of all technologies for this industry and that is the alphabet soup
of abbreviations; ADM (Aeronautical Decision Making), CRM (Cockpit Resource
Management) and HPE (Human Performance Errors). We are learning to think,
making high level decisions that affect the outcome of our profession and
our lives. PAASS's time has arrived.
For some, 1998 will not be recorded as the best of years. While for others