I thought I recognized that Thrush, I worked from their strip several times last spring where it was parked. I don't know if it was a Willet plane or not. I could ask around though.

I am sorry to hear that. I think I have read an article about him somewhere. I had a title search done on the Thrush, and there wasn't a Willitts on it. Also Tiger told me that they painted it these colors. After they bought it. It has spent most of its life owned by an Indian Tribe in AZ. " AK Chin Tribe" It also had an STC for something called dispersment Pods. Does any body know what these are? There are still hard points wired into the wings.

Cloud seeding maybe?

They are for pheromone pods for cotton work being that it was in AZ.

Pierce had some on some Thrushes and the Ag-Cat I bought last year he owned until 1992 had them. Still had the switch panel in the cockpit and hard points under the wings.

Another place you will see them is with the upper midwest boys that do gypsy moth work.

They sling pheromone flakes that are mixed into this sticker glue at really low rates.

I am, and will still be flying good ole'175. She still has still has the pod mounts as well as the panel and associated wiring inside. Some of that may change by summer though, as a new set of wings is currently being built up for her. I am anxious and hopeful that the new wings will be ready before the summer, they have all the goodies, big butterfly, avenger, big fuel, vgs... After looking at them being built up, I am convinced that if I shed one of these, I am really doing something wrong

Rob, I see you have winglets installed and was wondering what difference in handling you notice with and without them? Also, I would have thought with the reduction in wingtip vortex that you could stretch out a bit on the spray boom, but it looks like your still in tight around 65%-75%. Can you shed any light on the subject?

I've got questions about the winglets too. I have seen in Air tractor stuff that they effect wing life times pretty dramaticly. Is it the same with the Thrush? I have also seen some were that they can really widen out a pattern May bee up to 80 feet? What is the real scoop?

Hi 1340 and gt,

well... I am certainly not the guru on ag-tips, but having flown both 400 and 500 gal Thrushs with and without the tips I will give you my 2 cents worth, please take it with a grain of salt...

Handling / flight characteristics, I can't honestly say they make Thrushs perform any better, nor any worse. I think all these old birds have been modified, and molested (not to mention bent) enough times that I think they all fly a little different, and to say the handling benefited on one bird, so it should follow suit to the next, probably wouldn't be accurate. I do think the ones I've flown with ag tips will tend to try and tuck a wing under in gusty cr@ppy air when you get too slow and tilted... but not anything excessive or unmanageable...

Patterns, Let me start by saying this particular Thrush was set up by our chief pilot this way because he was the 'go to' man for all the nasty herbicide jobs. If you have been to this part of the country you will understand just how cut up and nasty herbicide work can get... the nozzles were back to about 60% of the wing, ag tips, right shut off, etc... With the boom/nozzles as pictured there is virtually no vorticie, it looks like a white carpet rolling off the back of the wing.

I flew it over the string the way it was pictured, set at 5gpa and 65'with a 4mph wind, and the data showed 70' would have flown no problem. We did have another 500 gal Thrush there without the tips that day, but I didn't look at his printout, I will try and remember to ask him about it tomorrow. Since then I have pushed the nozzles all the way out to 75%, but have not patterned it again...

All that said, about 3 years ago, the guy I fly for once told me his biggest drift claim came from a Thrush he was flying with ag-tips on it... but then the year before last he had another (that I think was substantially bigger) and it was in a Thrush without ag tips, so who knows?

We are putting a new set of wings on that plane soon, and I don't think the ag-tips will go on (at least initially) I have enough time in that airplane to know for sure what kind of difference it will have made for me, both handling wise and spray wise...

In the end there are really only two things I really like about these things.
1) when a white Thrush flies past the house, my wife knows immediately weather it's me or Dan
2) the strobes reflect off the leading edge of the tips. this will annoy the heck out of you until you figure out how nice it is to know just where your wing really ends, when you are snugging up to things at night.

Sorry that wasn't much help I can probably post some pictures of that airplane working. you know what they say about a picture...(1000 words)

and... I gotta believe 80' out of a Thrush is wayyy optimistic.... or at least 10'-15' optimistic

Take care, Rob

1. Since you've gone to 75% are you noticing any swirl? Do you think you could go to 85%?
2. 65' could go 70' @ 60% are impressive numbers, that's where I'm at with 75% and a touch of rooster tail.
Was the non ag-tip plane at 65% or 75% when he crossed the string, and what swath was he carrying?

We had a neighbor here buy a bull thrush conversion two years ago. It had a 450 gal hopper. He claimed that he could take a full load out of his 2500' grass strip and spray at 160 mph burning 60+ gph. At annual time They discovered a cracked wing spar!!

Jeff Steggs Also told me that they finally sold their bull's because they were just to high mantaince. I don't know them very well, but I have been told that they have had every thing from cessna's to Dromiders. Now they have a 660 Thush and a Walter 510.