Just Part of what we do

A lot of you know that I've been in the Air Force Reserves for many years now and I figured I post up some of the things we do out in the world..... We have a mission that came too us moving up from Rickenbacker AFB in Columbus back in the early 90's We retro fitted our aircraft which were relatively new at the time and started in to the business of of an Aerial Spay mission. I'm posting a clip of a mission that they are currently on down in Florida. We also spray in Va, SC, ND, ID, and Utah. We have a few different spray missions but the bulk of it is mosquito control, as well as a defoliant and also do a oil dispersant as well.....


[video]http://www.local10.com/news/Spraying-underway-for-mosquitos-in-Homestead/-/1717324/15473066/-/jv65epz/-/index.html[/video]

Jim, as far as I'm aware of it's an insecticide working on the adult mosquitoes it may work on the larva but they may be an after effect, we spray it at a rate of 1 ounce per acre @ 200 knots approx. It's pretty hi tech stuff these days with all the avionics tied into the spray system and using GPS and grids. They do a lot of testing with cards on the ground showing coverage and of course we have entomologists who work for us as well that get into the nitty gritty of the bugs biology. Can't remember the companies name but they do work with them on a regular basis as far as upgrading methods of applications. We go as far as working with a university down in Texas that has a wind tunnel that we have a mock up of a boom that the spray comes out too see what configuration and nozzles too be used and airspeeds too get too for optimum performance. I used too work in the shop that maintained the systems but have since moved on too more stable work enviroment... Lots of traveling in the spray business and it got old pretty quick especially when hurricanes and floods pop up it gets really crazy then..... Just about every hurricane in the last 40 years there has been a spay bird on it after the first few days..... I was on hurricane Andrew and Floyd and we were gone for months afterwards....

Here is some footage from the gulf oil spill, which the mission was called Deep Water Horizon.... They were down there for about 6 weeks....


[video=youtube;MTTRxjCgFU0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTRxjCgFU0[/video]

This is what happens when you get somebody with an idea but no common sense, lets pull an aircraft that is 40+ years old and not inspect it like it should be and ask it too do what a newer aircraft can do.... It's not pretty and god rest their soles.... But there is so much too look at before anything like this is attemted and it's not about the money all the time....

[video=youtube;4bDNCac2N1o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bDNCac2N1o&feature=related[/video]

Jackalope said:

Pretty kick ass man. far more advanced than the fogger truck they drove around when I was a kid. Cool stuff :smiley_coolpeace:

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That's back in the day when they sprayed a chemical Malathion in the foggers at dusk.... They would tow it behind city/county pick up trucks up and down the roads..... Stuff worked for years....

http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/health/mosquitoes/malathion4mosquitoes.htm

Hoytmania said:

J you ever worked with or coincided with the 179th out of Mansfield? They fly right over my place all the time. I know there is talk about closing them, this is the second time they are talking about it on like 9 years.

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Used too know a couple of guys over there years ago, but they all retired and youngins moved into their posittions.... They are losing their aircraft but aren't closing the base.... The Civil Engineering squadron will stay open there as well as a couple of squadrons.... Just no air planes and the loss that comes with that....

Hoytmania said:

That is going to leave a lot of airport for just a few small planes. I believe Lahm has the second longest runway in the state. I know they have had some special planes land there a few times, Air Force 1, and that monster plane from Russia landed there once also.

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Yeah the Russian plane is a little bigger than our C-5 but not a whole lot and they can use pretty much the same runway..... When we were in Kyrgyzstan back in 04 we saw those on a daily basis.....

Take a look at this one Joe..... Battle of the flying barges.....



[video=youtube;79gLwqrl_oI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79gLwqrl_oI[/video]

Jackalope said:

To be an Aerospace engineer for the Airforce, you need to remember one rule..

"Nothing is too heavy or big to fly! Nothing! Just design bigger wings and more engines! lol"

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They proved it with this one.....


[video=youtube;wrIRKY8o-ww]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrIRKY8o-ww&feature=related[/video]


The F-4 proved if you mount enough HP on a rock it'll fly..... :smiley_clap: