Luke,

Thrushes have either long control locks that lock the controls and tailwheel, or shortys that lock the controls, but leave the tail loose for towing. You appear to have a longy.... I have always had shortys, but earlier this year flew one for a while with the long lock. I ended up having what was probably one of my biggest airborne 'come to Cheezus' meetings ever with that thing... I doubt it could happen in the light of day, but get Jason to tell you the story (too long for the wind break I'm on right now) I now feel strongly enough to tell it to anyone flying with that long lock...

Take care, Rob

love the stories and the pics guys

Love those pics John. Especially like the street light mounted on top of the cat in the pic of the guy washing it.

Marty last year about this time our neighboring competitor got shot at and the guy actually hit the plane!! Crazy stuff. Guy got arrested but not much happened. The bullet actually passed him pretty close by.

That tubing covered with stretched acrylic seat in the Huey sat nice and was cool. Armor plateing could also be attached.

+1 on the cat photos!

Cats have a special place in my heart, specially the 450, and more so the early grey ones. Not that they'd be my choice of a revenue earning plane with that slow mo speed and narrow swath mind you... but what a graceful girl to fly...

I started spraying in an early grey cat with a straight shaft 1340 on the nose... They called her the widow maker, but truth be told, as often as she tried that old girl never hurt a soul... I think the name stuck because it was the plane the NFG always got, and a little drama to the name was a good reminder for said NFG's... lol

This cat was so old she was delivered as an open canopy (but closed by the time I flew it) and as such it wasn't a sealed cockpit version... I can't tell you how many times I cussed the old girl because I pulled out a pen to make a note on my map, only to hit an air bump and have the thing bounce off one of the foot runners and disappear into the bowels of the grey girl.... (foot runners like a stearman instead of a floor).

Between the Ag100 prop, the miserably leaky canopy job, and the lack of interior this plane still qualifies as the noisiest thing I have ever flown, both inside as the pilot, and outside as a bystander It was the kinda loud that had you turning up the volume on the radio to the point that when the voices finally over powered the airplane noise, the radio had it's own terrible background noise.

Early on I was tasked with hauling a load out to the sandhills east in NE. It's all pivots in that country, and mostly spuds. Even though it's rolly it's pretty easy flying, even fun I'd say. On this particular day, for some reason the radio chatter seemed excessive and distracting, so I turned the volume way down. Unfortunately that meant I missed a really important radio call.

The field I was spraying was really at the outside edge of how far I cared to ferry the old cat, so I rushed my way around it checking it over, and then dropped in for an east west reverse race track. Dropping in to it I realized just how pronounced the valley that ran through it was as the top wing blanked out the vis to the far end of the field. Hitting the center at the pivot my attention was on the actual pivot itself, a) so I didn't hit it, and b) because I needed to center up on the pivot to get my selected pattern set up correctly. No matter... I was now going up hill with a clear view of the ridge which looked to end about 3/4 of the way through the field. Cresting the hill, I rolled the nose over again to come down the backside and once again lost that distance vision that goes with having a fwd top wing... But wait... something wasn't right

Doggone it... I nuged the stick back just in time to watch the little wire that goes to the pump house slide right under the prop... unfortunately missing the prop wasn't good enough as it hung up on the gear and booms ... as always in these scenarios, time went still, and I literally watched that wire stretch and stretch... thinking to myself... I don't think she's gonna let me go... an eternity later the wire snapped and by now the old cat was shudderingly slow. A quick glance back struck fear into me as a plume was emanating now behind me... What in the world? I knew I missed the prop, and all I could come up with was I must have caught the oil cooler or bottom cylinder A slow climbing spiral confirmed that there were no major parts in the field, and all temps and pressures were in fact good.. The window in the hopper confirmed that the plume was actually fungicide... whew... Turning up the radio to make the call of shame brought on total pandemonium... This was this operators first season as an operator as well, and he personally hadn't had a wires strike either. After a minute to compose myself I radioed in that the plane appeared to be flying fine, and the flight back would probably be a non event. I did ask for someone to have a look see at the gear to make sure I still had 'three in the green' before I landed... Turns out aside from the 300' or so of wire I was trailing, everything was fine ... In fact the total damage for the day was a bent boom hangar, about a half dozen nozzles, and tremendously bruised feeling....

Oh, that radio call I missed? It was the one from the operator warning me about the 'wire trap' on that rolly field



Bernard Wall at the stick of 'the widow maker' A tremendously gifted stick and one of the coolest cats I have ever had the pleasure of flying with.

My '07 season was pretty light, and the operator I was flying for turned me on to a little extra work up in Scottsbluff NE. It was a short stint for the Reisig Bros. and at the time they had 3 600 cats and a 450. I do know that they ended up putting -1 Garrets on a couple of them. It was a really good time, and they were a top notch outfit. I've since lost touch, and have never been to that part of the country before or since... Anybody here know of them?

My friend that bought my Dad's business got the top wires of a substanial power line a few years ago down in Nebraska and took them back to the airport hanging on the gear of his Air Tractor. It was pretty much a non event for the airplane but he saw major $$$$$ for the damage to the line. Even that turned out pretty good since the wires were just about to get replaced anyway so only cost a few hundred bucks. The guy down at Storm Lake Iowa hit the top of a pretty major line a few years ago in his Air Tractor and went in backwards and inverted. He walked away. That says something about AT's.

Do you guys in the fast airplanes still use the cross control, wings level, rudder turn to go around single trees in the field or to move over a row?

Contact, yes we do. When I ride along with 55Wagon it is pretty exciting flying under the wires n skidding around a power pole or wind turbine at the last second

I haven't flown under any wires in the Thrush yet, but have to use the technique ur talkin about for lots of obstructions in the fields as well as trim passes along power lines etc. I never get off my line so don't have to cross rows, yeah right haha!!!

Rob, sorry I missed ur question till just now. Our "paint" is on a pressure switch. I also heard about the control lock deal from 55, holy smokes....I'd like to hear what recommendations u have to solve that problem? PM or call me or somethin if u don't wanna put on here. Thanks

It's been rainy n really windy round here, luckily there's good fishin nearby to kill some time

My instructor at Slaton Flying Service in 79 was Marshall Eugene Harrison, a really good guy and ex-Bronco Forward Air Controller in Vietnam who wrote, "A Lonely Kind of War." However, he thought a Pawnee should neither slip nor skid. He taught me to cut the power back, pull up over the tree, go full power over the tree and push back in. I flew shoddy engines and didn't like that technique, so I taught myself the rudder turns in ground effect. I grew up on farm tractors. It is like getting a drag to circle a post or tree by pulling away and then toward. The nice thing in the airplane is that you go by the tree with the nose, which is shorter than a wing, pointed at the tree somewhat. Like having your cake and eating it too.

I grew up on a tractor to contact. I know exactly what you mean.
I do use the skid when its safe and effective. I actually enjoy it. I can't imagine the feeling skalywag has sitting in the back with no control and not knowing what's going on in my head.
You really got to be playing the wind when cuttin it close.
But it's the same principal getting over wires in time or diving in heavy. Just got to know where the wind is at all times and leave yourself room to play it out right.
Some days I wonder why we get paid to do this. Lately tho the pay has been earned. Brutal winds and thermals.

My favorite instructor, from whom I learned the most instructor techniques, was my primary helicopter instructor at Ft. Walters. Ronnie Westmoreland had been a west Texas crop duster and had a hundred funny stories.

One was when he had worked too late off a section road. He told his wife to drive down the road as fast as she could go and whatever she did not to stop. The problem was that there was a small hill. Needless to say, coming over the hill, he saw brake lights. He pulled up and waddled in car high ground effect until he got his old Waco going. At the airport, he asked her why she had stopped. "I didn't think you were coming," she said.

The lack of wind management these days drives me crazy. I understand it makes little difference to those using five mile finals. How do you make second career ex airline guys understand that low level downwind turns will zing you by where you want to go or put your wing into a wire? And what kind of situational awareness is possible from five miles out? I'm getting too old and grumpy.

One of those days I dream about today, cool crisp air, light wind, crystal clear visibility and the most work I've ever had lined up for one day

contactflying wrote: Money makes airplanes go better.

Amen to that.... Several years ago I was flying a 400gal. -34 Thrush with a hopper lid like the one in Skaly's pic. Except I don't think it had the very fwd and aft latches (but I can't say for sure now) I do know that the fwd hinge had been *weak* for quite some time. Never, ever experienced a problem with it... before... One evening I was spraying some alfalfa that had a small house a few hundred feet from the S-E corner. On the east and south sides it had xcountry wires and on the north of the house it has eucalyptus trees. The house and trees make it a PITA to spray, and I usually fly it N-S (it's a N-S 80) leaving off the corner the house is in, and then back to back that flying E-W.

On this night the wind was pretty good out of the west so I flew the whole thing N-S, but didn't try to jump the trees, I just left off the few passes between the house/trees and the Xcountry line, and then came back and filled those in. Dropping in over the eucalyptus trees too aggressively on one pass sent the load up into the hopper door ... I was already leaning fwd to hit the windshield wash when I caught the fwd edge of the door peak up a bit under pressure. Just as soon as the hopper lid broke it's seal the whole thing disappeared and all heck broke loose. The dang thing went through the corner windscreen on it's way back and through the top of the tail

Man it gets really loud in there with a third of your windscreen gone Next I learned just how well our subconscious acts... guess I kinda follow noise as a power indicator, and it was so loud that I found I kept easing off the power trying to get it to sound 'right'.... wasn't till it was really sluggish before I realized that any less power and I'd likely be landing before I really wanted to.

The whole thing ended up fine, we managed to find the hopper lid and repair it fairly easy. Sure woulda been a cheaper/ easier deal had we addressed that weak hinge earlier in the game tho easier on the nerves too... Having had a side door / window blow out of a Thrush before I can tell you, I'd much rather fly a whole load off without the door, than even ferry a plane back without a hopper lid and that much of the windscreen gone

Take care, Rob

contactflying wrote:Do you guys in the fast airplanes still use the cross control, wings level, rudder turn to go around single trees in the field or to move over a row?

Yes here as well...
Don't know how I'd trim a pivot up without sliding around it

Also on the wires, lots of big turbine guys would rather not fly under them as the planes get bigger and faster. Personally, if the poles and crop lend themselves to it, I'd rather make passes under a wire all day long than make one headland pass with my wing flying along side of the poles just waiting to catch a guy wire I missed...

Take care, Rob

Hey guys, I just picked up some spray gear for a 185. I bought it because it was cheap and unique and kinda cool. My dad is retired and bored. Any chance there is any need for a reserve plane/pilot in this business? A guy who could fill in when there was a need. It would take us a week or so to install this stuff on his bird the first time, but after that it could go on/off fairly quickly. I know the 185 is not the ideal sprayer, but it would keep him busy.

TL

There are pockets around the country where farmers have a hard time getting the expensive airplanes to come. It would make more sense getting an old Pawnee, Callair, or Ag Wagon than to spray corrosive materials into the tail of your 185.

I'm wondering if the 185 can spray in the certified category or would it have to be put into restricted category? I second contacts notion about the corrosive chemicals goin all over the tail, definitely something to consider. Here's what happens to the fabric tail on the Thrush I fly...

I would be concerned about keeping the pilot safe inside the cockpit of a non-Ag designed Ag plane in case of an accident.

Cessna did make the 185 Ag Carry All. Not sure if too many of them did any spraying.