This collection consists of 82 scanned photographs and four DVDs relating to Tri-Rotor Spray & Chemical's aircraft and operations.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 82 scanned photographs and four DVDs relating to Tri-Rotor Spray & Chemical's aircraft and operations. The scans of the photographs were produced by the National Air and Space Museum's Archives Division, from originals lent by, and returned to, Mr. Larry Smith. The DVDs were made from four VHS-C format tapes of crop spraying runs also lent, and returned, to Mr. Smith. The following aircraft are represented: Bell UH-1B; Air Tractor AT-400A and AT-602; Hughes 269C; Hiller UH-12E; Ayres Corp. S2R-G6 and 660 (S2R-T660); Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee; Cessna 340A; and Weatherly Aviation Co. 620A.
Arrangement:
Arranged by type of media.
Biographical / Historical:
Tri-Rotor Spray & Chemical, a division of J & L Smith Farms, is a crop spraying business run by Larry Smith based in Ulysses, Kansas. Tri-Rotor was started with the purchase of a Hughes 269A in 1978 as a way to get crop spraying on Smith Farms done in a timely manner. That first year a neighbor came by and said, "It looks good, could you do mine?" and so started Tri-Rotor's expansion. In 1979, Tri-Rotor purchased a Hughes 300-C that they kept for four years, during which time they sprayed between 7000 to 12000 acres a year. In 1982, they bought a Hiller H-23E, and started to enlarge their fleet in response to demand, buying two additional Hiller H-23Es and one spray coupe ground rig. In 1988, they sold one of the Hillers and purchased a Bell 204B. After a fatal accident in the Bell during May of 1989, Tri-Rotor switched to turbine airplane spraying and bought their first Air Tractor AT-400. Currently Tri-Rotor has three Air Tractors AT-402s and one AT-602, one Ayres Corporation 660 Turbo-Thrush, one Bell OH-58 Kiowa, one Hiller 12E Soloy, one Hiller H-23E (Model 12E), and four ground rig machines. They spray in Texas and Kansas, and have a business in Arizona where they spray predominately lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cotton and alfalfa. In Arizona, Tri-Rotor also sprays for mosquito control and noxious weed control for the State. They are preparing to be involved in tamarisk control on the major watersheds to increase and improve ground water and to be involved in fire fighting with the US Forest Service. Currently Tri-Rotor employs 50 personnel and sprays approximately 450,000 acres per year. They also sell chemicals directly to farmers.
Provenance:
Larry Smith, Gift, 2004
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of 49 scanned photographs relating to Sylvia Achter and her aviation career. The scans were produced by the National Air and Space Museum's Archives Division, from originals lent by, and returned to, Ms. Achter.
Biographical / Historical:
Sylvia Achter (b. 1968) has amassed over 3000 hours of commercial flying hours, including over 800 agricultural spraying hours. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, she graduated from Lethbridge Community College in 1989, and is currently taking distance education courses from Oregon State University. From 1995 until 1997 Achter was first a flight attendant, and then a charter line pilot, with First Air / Ptarmigan Airways (Northwest Territories). From Ptarmigan Airways, Achter moved to NTair Inc. (Prince George, British Columbia), where she was a scheduled and charter line pilot. She then worked from 1998 until 2000 as a charter and medevac airline pilot for Alkan Air (Whitehorse, Yukon), and also as a charter line pilot for Centennial Flight Center (Edmonton, Alberta). From May of 2000 until June of 2002, Achter worked at ranches, feed yards and Can-Am Horse Transport before becoming employed in March of 2002 by Tri-Rotor Spray and Chemical, a Division of J & L Smith Farms, located in Ulysses, Kansas. Over her aviation career, she has flown the following aircraft: Beech Super King Air 200; De Havilland DHC-7 Twin Otter: Piper 30, PA-31-350 Navaho Chieftain, PA-44 Seminole, and PA-18 Super Cub: Cessna 340, 337 Skymaster, 206 Super Skywagon, 182P Skyland, 172 Skyhawk, 152/150, and 188A Ag Wagon; Air Tractor AT-402; and Ayres Thrush S2R 550. She is a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA), and has a Kansas Pesticide Applicators License.
Provenance:
Achter, Sylvia., Gift, 2003
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Aerial application equipment / prepared by Charles E. Hardy ; prepared for U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Equipment Development Center, Missoula, MT ; Robert B. Ekblad, project leader
