TOP-DRESSING BY AIR IN N.Z. IS INEXPENSIVE
Although a few farmers in the Bay of Plenty have tried out aerial top-dressing of their farms this new system has not been adopted unanimously throughout the district. One , reason is the lack of aerodromes and suitable aircraft and another the results of Government trials have still to So far aerial topdressing has proved a definite possibility and it should be a boon to Bay hill country farmers if not too expensive. Up to the present it has been proved that less capital is required to become an aerial topdressing operator than to be a taxi proprietor" or an earth-moving contractor. Within the last few months, qualified pilots have bought up light aircraft and fitted them with special hoppers.
Much Work About At a cost of 25s a ton they find that farmers offer more aerial topdressing work than they can cope with, states a Wellington message. About a dozen plane owners are members of the New Zealand Aerial Work Operators’ Association and more are operating outside this newly formed body. For sums ranging from £3OO to £6OO qualified pilots have been able to buy light planes, mostly de Havilland Tiger Moths. Now the supply has run out, the remaining machines of this type being needed either by flying clubs or the air force. This sum is much less than the amount required for the purchase of taxi‘with licence, or a bulldozer. A taxi business changes hands at any time from £6OO to £IOOO, or more, according to the conditions of the car. Even a calfdozer costs £IOOO and a bulldozer considerably more.
No restrictions are placed in the way of the aerial work operator, and he is merely required to be a qualified pilot and to have a certificate of airworthiness for his machine. Cheaper Than Trucks
Light plane operators have demonstrated that air dressing is cheaper than spreading super from either truck, pack horse or by hand, and a more even distribution is made.
The shortage of suitable planes has prompted fliers to look further afield, and it is now learned that the United States Civil Aviation Administration is encouraging a design project to produce a suitable plane for aerial topdressing, cropdusting and similar work. - 9
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 97, 13 February 1950, Page 5
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375TOP-DRESSING BY AIR IN N.Z. IS INEXPENSIVE Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 97, 13 February 1950, Page 5
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