by Kristin Snow, Corporate Communications Director

The late afternoon sun at his back, James Fletcher throttles down the AT-602's turbine and glances at the GPS readout. Not that he needs to. The land below has been in his family for almost 200 years. The large frame house just under the 602's nose was built by James' great-great-grandfather in 1810. It's where he and his father were both born.

After 57 years, James is pretty familiar with just about everything and everyone in Pasquotank County and - for that matter - most of Northeastern North Carolina.

The AT-602's feeling a lot more familiar, too. It's been a varied road since 1980, when he decided to get in the spray business and bought a Cessna Ag Wagon.

The 602 touches down on his home strip. James Henry Johnson, born 80 years ago about a quarter of a mile away, raises a hand in friendly salute from the loading area as the yellow bird rolls by. He's worked for the Fletchers since 1948.

After eight years in the Ag Wagon, James switched to an Air Tractor AT-301, then in 1995 made a big move - to a turbine-powered AT-400. "I was a little worried," James remembers. "You always are when you make a big change like that. But the switch to turbine power improved my business by 25%."

In 1997 the AT-400 was replaced by an AT-402B. "The difference in power is amazing," James said at the time. "And Air Tractor always seems to be thinking about how to help their owners. The rinse tank, for example, is a terrific improvement; it really saves a lot of time for a small operator like me. The 402B is everything I need to keep me and my farmers happy."

Maybe, maybe not. This year James made the move up to the AT-602.

"I'm really not one of those Ôbigger is better' kinds of guys," he says. "Even though it does seem that every time I step up, everything gets better, somehow. With the 602 I cover more territory in a lot less time. I don't have to make as many trips, because of that 630-gallon hopper. I get there and back faster. So I have more time to do the other things I love doing Ð farming, being with my family Ð and still increase my spray productivity."

He pushes the dark blue AgraTech cap back on his head and smiles.

"Maybe bigger really is better. But accuracy counts for a lot, too."

Putting his fists together to demonstrate, James explains: "Farms around here bump up against each other, with no space in between. No room for error. So we don't just keep overspray to a minimum; we have to cut it out altogether. I just don't think we could do that without the GPS system; it's a terrific asset for the ag business."

After 22 years, James Fletcher's Air Service is still a four-person operation. James does all the flying and spray work, while his son Jason works as a loader. James' wife, Barbara, does all the bookkeeping, billing, and order taking, and James Henry Johnson pretty much does the rest - navigating the farming operation's tractors during harvest, helping with loading duties on the spray side, and whatever else needs to be done. Soybeans are the dominant crop grown in the county, with cabbage, wheat and potatoes also grown in abundance. James farms 500 acres, and his love of farming is one of the reasons he continues to step up in plane power. Love of flying is another.

"I love to fly," James explains. "In fact, I gave a lot of thought to going to a 2-plane operation. But the speed, performance, and safety of the 602 really puts me in a great position as a solo operator. I've got a profitable spray operation that lets me spend about half my time in the air, and the other half I get to devote to my farm. It's a perfect combination for me."

Introduced in 1994, the AT-602 was the agricultural application industry's first airplane with a hopper capacity in the 600-gallon range, and since then more than 100 have been built. With a cruise speed of 182 mph a working speed of 145 mph, a 630-gallon hopper and 34-gallon in-flight rinse tank, the AT-602 was immediately accepted by the ag industry, and has become one of Air Tractor's best-selling models.

For more information on the AT-602, or for the name of the nearest authorized Air Tractor dealer, contact Air Tractor, Inc. at 940-564-5616.