Aerial Spraying Cotton

[Iconindustries]

Recently we've had a big deal of rain and it has made the farmland near us way too wet to ground spray. Our neighbour for some reason I can't understand -planted conventional cotton ( no-one does these days ) everyone plants the new genetically modified sicot 71 BRF roundup ready flex. Roundup ready simply means that you can spray roundup on the cotton and it wont kill the cotton plant but it'll bowl over the weeds. But because our neighbour put in conventional (more prone than the GM stuff) he's got a problem with some tick worm and he got it sprayed today. I took a few pictures with my 14-45mm on my GF1 so you can imagine I wasn't that far away from the aircraft.

The aircraft is a Air Tractor 502B and has a Pratt and Whitney 700HP turbo prop engine so it's pretty fast and aerobatic. They spray at about 200Kilometres an hour and carry about 1900 litres of spray.

We had a massive big storm this afternoon as you probably can tell from the black clouds. Got about 35mm (just under a inch and a half for yous yanks) in a half an hour.

Coming over the tree line at the back of our house.

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When the cotton grows to it's full hight I've seen the wheels touch the tops of the plants.
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Here he dropped down just over our shed and you can see he's got a bit of a cross wind.
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PS the grass might look a bit saturated but because of the overcast day that was it's real colour.

Thanks for looking;-)

 

[grebeman]

Daredevil flying is alive and well, good captures there Icon and thanks for the story.

Barrie

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

Great shots, Iconindustries.
Isn't that spray toxic ? You were apparently standing very close ???

C U
Rafael

 

[texascbx]

Great shots. I was raised in a small town thirty miles from Olney Texas, the home of Air Tractor. I saw this little interesting thing on the internet the other day about selling it as a ground attack aircraft.

PHOTOS: New gunship flies to Paris Air Show debut - The DEW Line

 

[phrenic]

Great shots, Iconindustries.
Isn't that spray toxic ? You were apparently standing very close ???

C U
Rafael

Yeah nice shots..but I'd be concerned about the health effects as well..

 

[ricseet]

Hi Icon, nice set and thanks for sharing the story.
It is raining practically everyday here as well - especially in the afternoon. I love shooting after the rain just when the sun is coming out - that's when all the birds come out looking for food.

cheers

ric

 

[nolaSafari]

Right after high school I worked in the rice fields of south Louisiana, I would have to flag for the crop dusters. You had a flag on a pole waved it for him to line up on then walk 14 steps and do it again. This was 40 years ago and the planes were Ag Cats, I hope the system has improved.

 

[grebeman]

Right after high school I worked in the rice fields of south Louisiana, I would have to flag for the crop dusters. You had a flag on a pole waved it for him to line up on then walk 14 steps and do it again. This was 40 years ago and the planes were Ag Cats, I hope the system has improved.

It probably has improved, thanks to GPS and the like, although hopefully that pilots GPS talks to him, he must be too pre-occupied flying the thing at that height to worry about looking at any instruments

Barrie

 

[Iconindustries]

Hey Thanks fellas.

Isn't that spray toxic ? You were apparently standing very close ???

That was what my mum said as well;-) But i was upwind and it was a pretty strong wind as well so I didn't get any (i hope)

I enjoyed the link you put in Texascbx, It kinda reminds me of a spitfire- with more advanced warheads. I'd like to see one in action.

Phrenic... Yeah nice shots..but I'd be concerned about the health effects as well..

The neighbour on the other side is getting his cotton sprayed for thrips tomorrow!! He'll be flying directly over our house to line up.

Right after high school I worked in the rice fields of south Louisiana, I would have to flag for the crop dusters. This was 40 years ago and the planes were Ag Cats, I hope the system has improved.

Yeah, it sure has improved. Like Grebeman said it's all GPS guided and it displays where he's completed and it also tells him where to line up for the next run.

You had a flag on a pole waved it for him to line up on then walk 14 steps and do it again.

Haha, dad said he used to do that as well. Wave a flag then duck and run 20 rows and wave the flag again! Pretty hazardous for getting sprayed, I reckon.

he must be too pre-occupied flying the thing at that height to worry about looking at any instruments

He had to also dodge a power line in the middle of the block as well. He must have pretty good sight to dodge skinny power poles at 200klm an hour!