Crop Dusting with Helicopters

wrote:

and 5K is about right.

OKAY----- Here I am playing devil's advocate.

If your the only pilot on your machine then one pilot = one machine.

If only 2000 pilots are actively working at any given time and the
pilot to machine ratio is the same then 2000 pilots = 2000 machines.

So the curious question is how many machines are there out there
being used in the AG business.

Now here is the spoiler.

Some of those pilots fly fixed wing some fly helicopters.

So how many AG helicopter pilots are there out there and of
course how many helicopters are there doing AG work.

I was under the impression that the number of bell 47 type machines
still flying period..... was very very small.

Now if turbines are being used on a more frequent basis as you say then
your comment about turbines showing up makes a lot of sense.

KEVIN.... I know your reading this.

Maybe there is a turbine job in your future after all.

Now Bart made a comment in another thread about the Safari
Baby Bell.

I understand from what I've read about it that it is about
two thirds the size of a 47 which really wouldn't matter
for AG work.... I would think.

Payload would be the issue...... Don't know is Stu is floating around
these days ( he owns one ), but does anyone here know if the payload
on one of those machines would be comparable to a Bell 47.

If if was, you would think there might be a nice little niche market
for Safari to fill that could help them sell machines for decades to
come.

Wow am I ever being wordy and curious today. All that on only one cup
of coffee.

Frank
Got out 225 acres when my agronomist drove up to tell me of a nasty
storm headed our way from Fargo. I got in 100 more when it was getting
black to the west and the base. I called and asked where the rain was
and it was at the base so i quit and headed back in. MANnnnnnI have
never seen so much cloud to ground lightening in my life. I diverted
north to go around it and the rain began flooding. Was debating landing
and waiting it out, or going on 10 miles. Then I figured the only thing
was the lightening and a hit on the ground would be just as bad as in
the air so I kept going. Managed to get mostly around the storm but it
sure raised hell nearby with winds up to 70mph and local flooding. Now
its all blown by, blue skies and we're going back to work until dark.
YeeeHawww
Rocky
Who is the guy who has the maintenance place over near the NG ramp with
that old C54? sitting there...Tom...? He flew with us from time to time
down in Delhi. Did you know the guy who crashed in Firebaugh with the
turbine thrush back in Feb? John Shanahan? He was a close friend of
mine and a good pilot. damned shame and he left a couple young
daughters.

wrote:

Frank

Who's Frank??????

Now its all blown by, blue skies and we're going back to work until dark.
YeeeHawww
Rocky

Good thing you wern't sending a special message to the Missus.

In my neck of the woods.... Alberta, the Southern part of the Province
is having it's second go around with severe flooding and parts of
numerous communities have had to be evacuated.

Up in the Northern part where I live in Edmonton we have sunny skies
today but also a slight possibility that parts of our city could be
flooded because of the problems down South. Don't forget in our neck of
the woods... the rivers run North.

The only similarity between the Bell 47 and the Safari is the looks.
I would not want to do Ag work with it.

hennie

"SHIVER ME TIMBERS" wrote in message
...
wrote:

and 5K is about right.

OKAY----- Here I am playing devil's advocate.

If your the only pilot on your machine then one pilot = one machine.

If only 2000 pilots are actively working at any given time and the
pilot to machine ratio is the same then 2000 pilots = 2000 machines.

So the curious question is how many machines are there out there
being used in the AG business.

Now here is the spoiler.

Some of those pilots fly fixed wing some fly helicopters.

So how many AG helicopter pilots are there out there and of
course how many helicopters are there doing AG work.

I was under the impression that the number of bell 47 type machines
still flying period..... was very very small.

Now if turbines are being used on a more frequent basis as you say then
your comment about turbines showing up makes a lot of sense.

KEVIN.... I know your reading this.

Maybe there is a turbine job in your future after all.

Now Bart made a comment in another thread about the Safari
Baby Bell.

I understand from what I've read about it that it is about
two thirds the size of a 47 which really wouldn't matter
for AG work.... I would think.

Payload would be the issue...... Don't know is Stu is floating around
these days ( he owns one ), but does anyone here know if the payload
on one of those machines would be comparable to a Bell 47.

If if was, you would think there might be a nice little niche market
for Safari to fill that could help them sell machines for decades to
come.

Wow am I ever being wordy and curious today. All that on only one cup
of coffee.

Hennie Roets wrote:

Hey Hennie..... Nice to hear from you again.

So is today the first day of winter over there in your neck of the
woods.

Today's the longest day over here.

So out of curiousity.... What sort of AG operations do they
have over in South Africa and Africa in general.

Is it a big or small industry.

You know me..... I'm curious, so I'll ask you if you feel up to doing a
little narrative about your flying activities, what sort of things do
you do in the aviation industry, etc., etc., etc.

No, we are slap bang in the middle of the winter. So far it was not to bad.

There is a lot of fixed wing ag operations going on with almost no
rotorcraft AG work.
A friend of mine had a Enstrom with which he did some AG work.

They use helicopters a lot in game capturing operations mainly 300's R22's
and the odd Jet Ranger.

Not a very big industry , I posted some figures on licences and aircraft in
another thread about a week ago
under "Is this forum still operating".

I am mainly a recreational pilot. Fly my R22 over weekends. We also do a
helicopter trip once a year to
some nice locations in South Africa. This year we got invited while flying
past "Waterloo" who is the main
military airfield in South Africa to do a fly past along the runway. We
were 5 helicopters ranging from a R44,
R22 , Bell 47 and two Kompresses which is a Italian experimental.
Rocky might still remember the place. In the earlier years they locked you
up if you even got to close.

I also did a bit of game capturing helping my brother who is in the hunting
business.

I am also involved in experimental aircraft, just finished a all metal 2
seater low wing aircraft using a converted
Suzuki car engine (1600 cc 16 valve) that I converted to electronic
ignition and fuel injection. We already did
a few test flights and everything seems to be OK.

Want to get that out of the way because I have a Helicycle turbine project
on the way.

Regards

hennie


"SHIVER ME TIMBERS" wrote in message
...
Hennie Roets wrote:

Hey Hennie..... Nice to hear from you again.

So is today the first day of winter over there in your neck of the
woods.

Today's the longest day over here.

So out of curiousity.... What sort of AG operations do they
have over in South Africa and Africa in general.

Is it a big or small industry.

You know me..... I'm curious, so I'll ask you if you feel up to doing a
little narrative about your flying activities, what sort of things do
you do in the aviation industry, etc., etc., etc.

Sorry the military airfield is "waterkloof" and not waterloo

hennie

Hennie Roets wrote:

No, we are slap bang in the middle of the winter. So far it was not to bad.

What an interesting post.

So are you in the aviation field full time or do you actually
have a day job.

Because with your description it sure sounds like aviation
could keep you busy full time.

I am in a full time job as well. Me and a Partner are in the radio
communication business.
However that job tend to interfere with the aviation one

Regards

hennie

"SHIVER ME TIMBERS" wrote in message
...
Hennie Roets wrote:

No, we are slap bang in the middle of the winter. So far it was not to
bad.

What an interesting post.

So are you in the aviation field full time or do you actually
have a day job.

Because with your description it sure sounds like aviation
could keep you busy full time.

Hennie Roets wrote:

I am in a full time job as well. Me and a Partner are in the radio
communication business.
However that job tend to interfere with the aviation one

Well I used to be in television broadcasting myself many years ago.

Ahhhhhh the good old days.