by Bill Lavender

CHAMPAGNE REGION, FRANCE - AgAir Update's third segment of its European excursion takes it to the Champagne region of France, where grapes are grown for the production of world famous French champagne. From this region, approximately 30,000 hectares (2.54 acres = one hectare) are farmed to raise grapes, of which only 3,000 hectares are sprayed via the helicopter; Air-Champagne helicopters to be more specific, twelve of them, an assortment of Bell 47s and Hughes 300s.

Arriving by train from Augsburg, Germany, my wife, Sandy, and I met our host Christophe Druart in Reims. Christophe is a pilot for Air-Champagne during the season, and also a free-lance ag pilot for another operator, Ets. R. Denizot - Travaux Aeriens, in the off-season. He is rated in both fixed and rotor wing aircraft, however, the helicopter is his preference. With 15 years experience as an ag pilot, of which the last two seasons have been with Air-Champagne, Christophe was an excellent host, driving us through the region, explaining the intricacies of helicopter spraying in France.

Air-Champagne is owned by Jean Pierre Charlier, who is also a vineyard grower. The company recently acquired Phyt Air, and combined the two fleets of helicopters. The company employs seven pilots to fly the nine active helicopters; five Bell 47s and four Hughes 300. The remaining three helicopters are for spares. The helicopters are based at the Chateau-Thierry aerodrome and Cuis, close to Epernay, France.

Air-Champagne has over 3,000 customers. Many of these accounts farm less than a 1/2 hectare vineyard, with a two-hectare vineyard considered larger than average. The vineyards are intermingled with each other, making it very difficult for the pilot to distinguish one vineyard from the other. Because of this, the vineyards are marked with plastic bags on five-foot poles, while a private consultant monitors the first passage of the applications from the ground. The vineyards are too small to utilize a GPS unit, or a turbine-powered helicopter.

Each pilot is assigned sectors of vineyards. Christophe has one sector that is 360 hectares and can take as long as five days to treat. An application mission is comprised of a spray unit with three people, one helicopter and one service truck. The three individuals within the unit are the pilot, loader and mechanic. The unit works from the roadside adjacent to the vineyard. Typical loads are 150 liters (35 gallons). The helicopters are well-maintained, receiving maintenance on a daily basis.

The applications are typically fungicides, with two or three insecticide applications during a season. Application rates are 40-50 liters per hectare (4-5 gallons/acre). Approximately 8-12 applications are made a year, depending on the weather. Each customer is charged the minimum of eight applications. The season begins in May and ends in August. Although most of the applications are for vineyards, Air-Champagne treats some canola in April and a small amount of forestry work in July.

A 150-meter buffer zone is required for helicopter applications. Because most of the residents realize the importance of spraying the grapes, applications are sometimes made inside the buffer zone. Even so, every effort is made to minimize drift, operating the helicopters at 30-40 kilometers per hour (18-24 mph).

Each year, more vineyard growers select the helicopter for their pesticide applications. Operating ground rigs on the hillsides is very dangerous. More people are killed from overturned tractors/sprayers in any one year, than in a decade of helicopter spraying. Growers are determining that with the helicopter, applications can be made in a more timely fashion, with less exposure to chemicals, while receiving a better application.

After an extensive tour of the Champagne region, Air-Champagne's facilities, a large winery and two American memorials to World War I soldiers, Christophe made sure we boarded the train for Paris, safe and sound. In a matter of an hour or so, the train traveled westbound to Paris, where our next host waited patiently for our arrival. In the mass confusion at the Paris train station stood a man with an AgAir Update in his hand. He could only be our host for the weekend, Michel Veau.

Michel is a taxi driver with more than forty years experience driving taxis in Paris. One of his lifeÕs ambitions is to be an ag pilot. He received his Commercial Pilot's license in Canada, then attended Billy Howell's Ag-Flight school in Bainbridge, Georgia. With approximately 50 hours of ag time acquired at Ag-Flight, he is still looking for that elusive first year's seat. My only comment is, anyone that can navigate a taxi in Paris for more than forty years with only one small fender bender, surely can navigate an ag plane!

Michel was very kind to Sandy and me. We could not have had a better host for this city, driving us throughout, explaining what we were seeing. Maybe someone will see the value in an experienced taxi driver becoming an ag pilot. Michel, I wish you the best of luck; bringing to a close, AgAir Update's excursion throughout Europe. Next AgAir Update excursion; the Caribbean, to include Jamaica, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominican Republic and last but not least, Cuba.