Agricultural Aircraft and Leland Snow. (original) (raw)

All have seen crop duster airplanes and marveled at the pilot�s bravery or recklessness, whichever we want to call it. These aircraft are technically known as an �Ag Aircraft.� They are used for spraying, seeding, fertilizing agriculture and fire fighting - all over the World.

While driving along Old Military Highway near Los Indios, Texas I found an old graveyard of worn-out Ag Aircraft. One of these planes was set up with nozzles for spraying liquid. Another had operating permits from Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota. These are intriguing aircraft and like all aircraft are manufactured for a specific purpose. This purpose piqued my interest. Somehow it was no surprise to find out a Texan fathered crop dusting aircraft.

Ag Aircraft Crop Duster Airplanes, Los Indios, Texas

Dusters on Old Military Road, near Los Indios TX
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, February 2009

Ag Aircraft Crop Duster Airplanes Texas & North Dakata permits

Close-up showing State permit stickers, Texas is white square, 2 Oklahoma with a star in the center and North Dakota on the bottom.
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, February 2007

Ag Aircraft Crop Duster Airplane spraying nozzle

One of the spraying nozzles on the wing.
Photo courtesy Ken Rudine, February 2009

Ag Aircraft dusting crop near Ganado, Texas

The picture of the AT-401 (Air Tractor�401) I took through our windshield is spraying near Hwy 172 south of Ganado. We were driving north and the plane was flying south.

In 1951 a Texan named Leland Snow in Harlingenbegan designing an airplane for the purpose of aerial applications on crops. Born in 1930, by age 23 Snow had built, test flown and gotten FAA Certification on the aircraft he called the S-1. For the next four years his job became flying his S-1 (Snow-1) in the Rio Grande Valley dusting and spraying fruits and vegetables. This was valuable experience for his future.

It is obvious at his young age he was familiar with Bernoulli�s principle. The relationship between the velocity and pressure exerted by a moving liquid is described by the Bernoulli�s principle: as the velocity of a fluid increases, the pressure exerted by that fluid decreases. Relating to aircraft the fluid is air.

This principle effectively describes wing size and structure to create the desired aircraft lift necessary to fly. Simply stated Bernoulli gives a mathematical formula for calculating the area of the wing and the leading edge thickness versus the trailing edge thinness. The top of the wing shape guides the air stream away from the following portion of the wing, creating (a lower pressure) AKA lift.

In 1958 he moved his company 575 miles north to Olney, Texas. There he began building his aircraft models S-2A and S-2B. Leland and his people were soon producing a new plane every three working days, which attracted national interest. In 1965 he sold his Snow Aeronautical Company. Soon afterward this national company began moving the manufacturing out of Texasand by 1970 it was gone.

You got to dance with who brung you, Swing with who swung you, To leave her just ain't cool, Don't be a fickle fool.

At least this is the way I recall the �Asleep at the Wheel� song. Allegiance to a football formation was why U of T Coach Darrell Royal quoted that song, �You got to dance with who �brung� you�.

When a company buys another company it is customary that the principal is put under an employment contract and non-compete clause. Typically an offer to buy an entrepreneur�s company, that he created from dreams, sounds too good to refuse. Only after the offer is signed and sealed does disenchantment begin. Consequently most innovators resign at their first opportunity, which is what Leland did in 1970. The new owners stifle ideas from the original owner and Leland Snow realized he wanted to return to Olney, Texas and again �Dance with those who �brung� you�.

He began to design a new aircraft series named the Air Tractor. Utilizing his longtime trustworthiness by 1972 Snow had reopened the Olneymanufacturing plant. This resulted in the restarting of production beginning with the new AT-300 then the AT-301. In 1977 the first turbine engine model Air Tractor was produced. Since that restart the company continues on its successful path.

In 2008 there was a celebration honoring Leland Snow�s 50th year in Olney, Texas. Also honored were two longtime employees of Air Tractor, Jim Schmidtand Sam Cooke and the many others who worked there. That afternoon aerobatic aircraft pilots performed an air show. Also a tour of the manufacturing facilities was offered. Over 20% of the town�s population attended a typical Texan dinner, dance and fireworks display to finish the celebration. Now in his 79th year Snow has recently written and published his autobiography �Putting Dreams To Flight�.