Skies over Atlanta were abuzz with ag planes last weekend

The yellow airplanes, which seemed to be making circles every 15 minutes or so in the Atlanta skies daylong Sunday, were doing just that. Their task was to fertilize trees from the air.

Three airplanes in rotation would land at the Atlanta Municipal Airport and be loaded each with some 2,300 pounds of crop fertilizer. The airplanes would take off and, following very precise guidance data, fly over exact areas of trees and drop their cargo.

Flying back to the airport, each airplane would land, taxi up to the parking area where the loading truck with its long tube-like arm would reach out and fill the airplane’s tanks. The process would take about 15 to 18 minutes and would be continuous throughout the day.

The airplanes are AT-802 Air Tractors, said pilot Ryan Muysenberg.

“The 802 is an agriculture aircraft that can be adapted for firefighting or be an armed version as well. They are the workhorses of what we do and are set up with

“The 802 is an agriculture aircraft that can be adapted for firefighting or

be an armed version as well. They are the workhorses of what we do .... When the airplane hits the designated area, the computer tells the tanks to open and when to close at the end of the area.”

— Ryan Muysenberg

the latest and best technology you can get. “When the airplane hits the designated area, the computer tells the tanks to open and when to close at the end of the area,” he said.

The AT-802 carries a chemical hopper to hold the fertilizer between the engine firewall and the cockpit.

Three airplanes and crews were operating in the Atlanta area this day while three other crews were in the Leesville, Louisiana, area and others were in Arkansas.

Muysenberg asked that a good word be put in for the National Agriculture Aviation Association (NAAA), of which he is a member.

“The NAAA advocates for the industry of ag aviation which is made up of businesses and pilots that use aircraft to aid farmers,” he said. “It’s important because we only have some 3,000 ag pilots in the nation. Without professional ag pilots like me and others, the amount of abundant fuel, fiber and food would not be available to the growing population we have today.”

Staff photo by Neil Abeles ■ The airplane looks small but it’s actually an Air Tractor A-802 turboprop, which is a powerful airplane. It is lifting a 2,300 pound load into the air at the moment.

Staff photo by Neil Abeles The long arm of a loading truck is streaming fertilizer into the airplane’s hopper, which then disperses the fertilizer over tree plantations. This action is taking place at the Atlanta Municipal Airport last Sunday.

Staff photo by Neil Abeles The yellow airplanes seemed big and heavy in the Atlanta skies Sunday as they made landings and takeoffs every 15 minutes or so throughout the day. The airplanes were participating in a tree fertilization program.