spray tank and nozzles for crop dusting

[bushpilot]

Wondering if any Helio has had a tank and spray nozzles for crop dusting installed. I have a small job for a spray plane and would like to have a Helio for recreational use also. I am considering purchase of a H-295.

[Doug Johnson]

FAA records show a couple helios have been outfitted with a 200 gal spray tank but of course the records don't show how successful this was.

The owner of Helio c/n 1279, N920AS is Alan Thornton El Campo, TX who is also the president of Independent Dusting Service inc.

If you can track him down he may know something useful to you.

There is also Eric Derek and friend of Flagstaff AZ that bought the AG Rat'ler fuselage without wings that may be doing something with it. It is a low wing Helio and the only one built, it was intended to be a spray plane with a 400 gal hopper.

Maybe you can track them down.

Hopefully someone else can give you more info on spray plane stuff because that is about all I know.

[bushpilot]

Thanks Doug, will try to communicate with those fellows.

[Jason Stephens]

Quite a few of my friends over the years were crop dusters.  I would guess the main challenge would be how big a boom you could fit and where.  You don't see too many high-wing sprayers for this reason and the Helio doesn't have any wing struts or anything else non-wing or fuselage to attach too.  With a narrow boom it would take a lot longer to cover the field. 

[Doug Johnson]

I did a little more research, c/n 587, N87758 is the only plane left that was tested for use as a spray plane it is owned by Robert Monberg of Porth pole AK maybe he has something in the paperwork the shows the results of testing in the restricted experimental category.

There is nothing in the FAA file just the application to place it in experimental restricted category and the experimental certificate.

I talked to an acquaintance that years ago did some spraying about a spray boom on a high wing and he said he could visualize something like a jury strut used on an aircraft with a strut that was came down from the wing at the outboard hard point area that was hinged to let an aerodynamic spray boom tube (similar to a wing strut) with a flexible coupling at the fuselage move up and down as the wing flexed. probably not for high speed spraying. And he would talk to an aeronautical engineer before he applied for the experimental restricted categry.

here are a couple pictures of the experimental AG plane

link to ag plane where these current pictures of the ag plane are and the post about them under Wrench https://flyhelio.com/smf/index.php?topic=1254.msg4789#msg4789

This a/c was intended to have 'Helio Stallion' gearlegs to let it sit higher for better spray boom clearance.

[bushpilot]

Interesting info- Thanks.  I had thought about mounting a self supporting boom to the frame similar to some I have seen on helicopters.