Technology

Our primary application aircraft is an Air Tractor 301. It’s a 1350 litre capacity aircraft with a 600 HP radial engine. We can run this aircraft on Automotive Fuel which allows us a significant saving over the cost of running Avgas.

Our AirTractor is equipped with JARBA booms. This spray boom was invented and developed by Jones Air, a very progressive aerial cotton spraying company in St George QLD. The JARBA system incorporates a FarmScan on board spray controller and maintains a constant flow rate per hectare, regardless of ground speed. It also maintains a constant droplet size, regardless of airspeed. (It does this by rotating the nozzles into or out of the airflow.) Application rate and droplet size are critical to ensuring an effective job and minimising drift, which is importantly going to keep your neighbours happy. We are unique in North Queensland in using this system.

Our second application aircraft is a model known as the Eagle. The Eagle was designed and built during the energy crisis at the beginning of the 1980s. Its extraordinarily long wing span and choice of engine enable it to cover more hectares per litre of fuel with a very wide, even spray pattern with minimal drift. We commenced operations with the Eagle in April ’09 and are finding it a very effective platform. The Eagle is rapidly becoming our platform of choice.

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