Air Tractor 802A video

Brown747 · Brown747's Garage

Nice video of an Air Tractor 802 spraying around Muleshoe, TX
Crop Dusting - Air Tractor 802 - Muleshoe, Tx - YouTube

IROC · IROC's Garage

I used to park my car and watch them spray cotton in Alabama in these same planes. Fun stuff to watch.

theFONZ · 02-05-2013, 06:00 AM

First, why wear a helmet if you aren't going to strap it?

Second, what kind of power does that thing have to lift him and his balls?

afterburn 549 · 02-05-2013, 06:06 AM

Whats the point here?
He should have tried helicopters in Nam....at lest the Vegetation Sprayed Green shet back LOL

gshase · 02-05-2013, 06:17 AM

Nothing beats low and fast.

afterburn 549 · 02-05-2013, 06:21 AM

Planes can not get low enough LOL

daepp · 02-05-2013, 06:30 AM

Wow - I hope that kid makes it to 30. Amazing.

Another great video brought to us by GoPro. Awesome!

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Can someone explain the phenomenon that makes the prop blades look curved in the video? Is it something to do with digital cameras scanning the image?

LakeCleElum · 02-05-2013, 07:53 AM

I swear one wanted me to think he was gonna hit my motorcycle head-on while traveling Hwy 287 in Texas last summer. I didn't think it was nearly as funny as the pilot probably did.

Don Ro · 02-05-2013, 08:12 AM

Fun to watch.
So are crop-dusting planes, in general, more airbatic than designated airbatic planes.., say, a Citabria-type rig?
Are the Citabrias still considered tops?

Noney · 02-05-2013, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Can someone explain the phenomenon that makes the prop blades look curved in the video? Is it something to do with digital cameras scanning the image?

Yep. That's the result of a rolling shutter, which is common to all CMOS image sensors (which is what the GoPro and the vast majority of consumer and pro-sumer cameras have). Unlike a global shutter, which captures the whole frame at once, a rolling shutter scans the image to create the frame, so the top portion of the frame is captured a fraction of an instant before the lower parts of the frame. The artifact is most evident in fast, laterally moving images.....like a propeller.

tcar · 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theFONZ

Second, what kind of power does that thing have to lift him and his balls?

The P&W PT-6 has anywhere from 500+ to 1,200 or so hp.

That one's probably 1,000+ hp.

They can carry up to maybe 3 tons of 'cargo'.

And, amazingly, can fly as high as your 787 flight does. (You'd need O2, and maybe mittens though.

)

Very cool the way the precession from the video makes the prop blades look curved and almost stationary at times.

(The music in that video is terrible, IMO.)

TheMentat · TheMentat's Garage

Great video... pretty huge "attachments" on those pilots.

I can't help but think that a "Fail compilation" of crop dusters would be pretty crazy!

944Larry · 944Larry's Garage

I never got a chance to fly an 802. I had gone to Helos before they came on the market. I prefered and always flew Ag Cats because of their superior maneuverability. Lots of dusters prefered the higher speed of the Air Tractor. I think they are the last manufacturer of ag aircraft left so maybe high speed is the way to go. It is a good occupation and good money can be made. It does have a certain amount of risk, I've had several friends killed. I have over 12000 hours and the worst injury I ever had was a cut on the head after a control failure and flipped over on landing. Not bad enough for medical care and I was back flying in 2 hours.

MT930 · 02-05-2013, 06:27 PM

Great Video high tolerance flying for sure. The ultimate stick and rudder flying.

I knew a guy who balled up a few of those and lived a long life.

It's the chemical exposure that bothers me. I know a few more guys that have been very sick and died.

GWN7 · 02-05-2013, 07:04 PM

There was a reality Tv show about aerial sprayers last year (or the year before). It didn't go anywhere, not enough drama or stupidity. The interesting part was when they showed how they used a GPS unit tied to a ground unit to make sure they got even coverage with the spray.

doublestuff · doublestuff's Garage

A number of years ago, I visited a crop duster school in south Georgia and went for an intro flight. I've got about 30 hours and 500 skydives, and that was by the far the most fun I've ever had in an airplane. Wasn't in the cards for me, but I still gawk when I see them spraying a field.

cashflyer · 02-06-2013, 04:51 AM

I used to spray with an AT-301. (and a few Pawnees) This is not me, but a pic of a 301:

South Georgia crop dusting school? Sounds like Ag-Flight in Bainbridge, Ga. Run by Billy Howell.

The 802 has 1350 hp.
This is the same amount of horsepower needed to get a long-hood targa up to 165 mph.

nynor · 02-06-2013, 05:58 AM

mad skills. what is the life expectancy for a crop duster pilot?

cashflyer · 02-06-2013, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nynor

mad skills. what is the life expectancy for a crop duster pilot?

There are a lot of variables that come into play, but it all boils down to the pilots stick skill, understanding of aerodynamics, and risk management.

Ag planes fly in the summer. High ambient temperatures and high humidity yield high density altitude, which results is decreased airfoil performance. Add to that the heavy loads. Add to that the low operating altitudes, with obstacles, and with some steep maneuvers. Every one of those factors has to be carefully considered by the pilot, and he has to operation of his plane within an ever changing flight envelope as temps change and weights change.