Saturday, August 06, 2011

Dust in the Wind

Or more accurately, crop dusting on a hazy Saturday morning.

Crop Duster 1

It was surprising to hear an airplane buzzing the house at very low level this morn. Normally, only the rare C-130 will buzz the place about once a year or so and the local light planes keep higher. So I went outside to check out what the racket was about and was very surprised to see a bright yellow crop dusting plane circling round.

Crop Duster closeup

An opportunity for photos, I thought! I rushed back into the house and grabbed the Canon S1IS that is for general use and ran out. Change batteries it said. No spare batteries charged at the moment, of course.

cropduster2Crop Duster Sprays

Back in I went and got the big Canon DSLR. Being in a hurry, I didn’t bother to put the big telephoto lens on it. Switched to sport mode as I’m beyond rusty and took a few shots. Results weren’t what I wanted and I knew I had to risk the plane departing to get the 55-250mm lens.

Fortunately for me, more passes were made and I got some better shots.

Crop Duster Spray Bars 2

The spray bars which dispense the chemicals dropped are one of the most intriguing features on these specialty planes.

Crop Duster Spray Bars 3

I assume the thick wings hold the chemical tanks, but can’t say for sure.

Crop Duster Profile

The profile reminds me of early racing planes, but with a much higher canopy. That’s needed for winding your way through the weeds.

Crop Duster DivesCrop Duster PassCrop Duster Spraying FieldCrop Duster Under the Trees

Amazing how low they fly to spray.

Crop Duster Spray BarsCrop Duster bottom

Well that was fun. I never did get to an airshow after getting a decent camera and telephoto lens, so at least I know they work!

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