Got an Airtractor in for a check yesterday, since we did the last check has done 102 hours, 37 starts and 2,220 landings. Best day was 4 hours and 156 landings... The plane has done a touch over 7,800 hours and 114,800 landings. And all this on rough strips in real back country lifting 1500kg a time. Neat stuff!

What in the world are they doing with it? Glider towing? Yeah but with a PT6? I dunno, I'm flummoxed.

EB

Spraying would be my first guess, but that's a pretty fast turn around to takeoff, empty the tanks, land, and reload.

Point338 wrote:Spraying would be my first guess, but that's a pretty fast turn around to takeoff, empty the tanks, land, and reload.

Take off and land every 4 minutes?!? Is that right math wise? 14.6 landings per hour. One ever 4.1 minutes! Training somehow.

EB

Emory Bored wrote:

Point338 wrote:Spraying would be my first guess, but that's a pretty fast turn around to takeoff, empty the tanks, land, and reload.

Take off and land every 4 minutes?!? Is that right math wise? 14.6 landings per hour. One ever 4.1 minutes! Training somehow.

EB

I know, I know. Chasing BIG kangaroos!

All good guesses Topdressing, spreading superphosphate and lime, very high application rates with the lime, landing every minute and a half. Do a you tube search for aerial top dressing new zealand... Amazing stuff

Looks like fun work. 1970's video from New Zealand, top dressing with a Beaver.

How did you get the cycle count? Part power cycles off of a MTV-50T? Maybe the parameters are off. Go back to pencil.

4Whitey wrote:Looks like fun work.

Not sure any of the Ag pilots I know would call it "fun" but I know it pays real good...

What's an MTV-50T? These machines are fitted with a Perkins DAAM unit which records all engine data and power cycles. I'm only talking about landings!

A few years ago there was a pilot from NE Arkansas up here spraying soybeans with 501 Air Tractor at a gallon to the acre rate. What he really did was fertilize rice and he told me the best day he had was a little over 100 loads in a day. He'd hit a wire, so I got to help the Covington guy replace the power section and propeller which was interesting.

He had to be luvin' 1 gallon work. Load up once and spray for half the day.

MTV-50T is a graphic engine monitor for turoprop aircraft that has a bunch of features. I have one in the PT6 206. Still learning it and trying to decide the settings.