Air Tractors?

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app flap
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Air Tractors?

Post by app flap »

So, looking at that Wilderness Air ad - it says they have some Air Tractors. I've been hearing them every once in awhile if I'm within radio range of NWO.

My question is, what can you use an Air Tractor for around there, aside from crop dusting and water bombing?

Just out of curiosity.
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onceacop
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Post by onceacop »

Hauling fuel loads

Exploration, mining, remote construction, tourism camps/
In AK they use the Agwagons for short mining strips.
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Rudy
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Post by Rudy »

Diesel, Gas, Turbo, Pepsi... :D
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CYOX
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Post by CYOX »

Oil spill, mosquitos, beetles.
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Post by app flap »

so instead of hauling drums, they just fill up their tanks with fuel. neato
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Post by The Barrel Man »

EDR does kick ass, But it's too heavy to tow around :lol:
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Post by nacho »

I ferry ag airplanes and we use the hopper for fuel. These 802's are highly modified and can carry up to a 1000 gallons of fuel with the added belly pod. They don't have a dump handle, the do have a jettison valve that takes, if I remeber correctly up to 5 minutes to get rid of the fuel.
Dump handle on a chemical hopper only a few seconds.... If I have 500 gallons or more of fuel in the hopper and something goes wrong I want rid of it quick or I would be flying the thing with a parachute and anything below 3000 feet, bye bye !!
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bkn4thr
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Post by bkn4thr »

Conair has modified the 802 for Wilderness North, it can haul 1056 us gal. of jet, stove , diesel or gas. I believe they call it the fuel boss.
see more at
http://www.airtractor.com/at-802-bulk-fuel-tanker
can only imagine the landing of this loaded sprayer on some of the gravel strips up north, may need super superior foot skill!
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nacho
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Post by nacho »

If the engine quits:
If you are ferrying over the open water, think about dumping the fuel and going down with an empty hopper for added buoyancy, but remember to pull the dump handle shut.
On the modified 802, I would still take the water over land, loaded Ag airplanes don’t glide much and you would need a lot of speed to be able to conduct a safe emergency landing, not having the luxury of power at the moment.( Unless you had the time to jettison through the supplied valve).
I go through these things in my mind as I prepare to ferry one to South America in two weeks.( these tips being provided to me by older bolder ferry pilots)
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harveymushman
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Post by harveymushman »

Dont spray planes generally have a very low max landing weight, due to the fact they usually come back almost empty?

how do you land it when you have only burnt off a few hundred pounds of fuel?
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Post by CYOX »

harveymushman wrote:Dont spray planes generally have a very low max landing weight, due to the fact they usually come back almost empty?

how do you land it when you have only burnt off a few hundred pounds of fuel?
The 802 has the same landing wieght as its TOW.
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nacho
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Post by nacho »

All of them do, otherwise we would have to dump loads very often, when the fields are not found or people in the field or weather changes.
We land loaded often.
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snowshoe
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Post by snowshoe »

The 802 is certified to land at the gross t/o weight--16000#. Of course am talking allowable gross, which is never, ever ,ever ,ever exceeded. :roll:
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rd1331
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Post by rd1331 »

They should hook it up to haul pop, man the money you could make.
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