Agricultural aircraft pesticide application

In many countries, however, the use of agricultural aircraft has significantly diminished over the last 20 years. With some, the very mention of agricultural aircraft or crop dusting (an incorrect term) spawns a reaction and fear of widespread pesticide drift. In Europe, the use of agricultural aircraft has declined rapidly over the last 20 years. The number of aircraft in the UK has been reduced from more than 100 aircraft in the mid-1970s to about a dozen today. So what are the facts, and how can application using airborne platforms be optimised ... 

Table 6.1 Some advantages of using agricultural aircraft for pesticide application...

Fortunately, in comparison to the number of missions flown by agricultural aircraft, the incidence of significant drift incidents is low. It is the responsibility of all applicators to ensure that the aerial application of pesticides is optimised to avoid any off-target movement of pesticide which could have the potential to cause adverse economic impact or damage to the environment. 

So what is the future of agricultural aviation The author remains confident that aircraft provide a viable and efficient means of pesticide delivery in a wide range of environments and situations. How then should aerial application be managed to reduce the potential threat of off-target damage and spray drift ... 

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