We have been designing and building ultralights and ultralight type aircraft since 1980. I got my start working on the tooling for the 747 project, in 1968. I also worked for Cessna in the twin engine aircraft plant. This was in Wichita, Kansas – Called the air capitol of the world – which’s where I grew up. When ultralights came on the scene in the late seventies I bought several different ones. The quality was so bad I built my own, and applied aircraft norms to its construction. Shortly I was in the ultralight business and except for a few consulting contracts and a few years doing export work, I’ve been building little planes for twenty years.

The aircraft we have now is the result of twenty years of evolution always building something that flew or handled better than the last. Always as inexpensive as possible, while still keeping safety and quality. We have been working on the quest for the perfect Ag ultralight or light spray plane since 1983.

The design we have now is the goal we were seeking. It does every thing needed to spray crops economically, safely and environmentally correct. This plane has a loaded stall speed of 29 mph. Our test pilot solo can fly it 16 mph. Cruise speed is 75 to 80 mph with the single engine and the twin will cruise 80 to 90 mph. Spray speed is 50 mph. The engine system of the aircraft is modular, You can swap engines in 20 Minutes.

The twin, which is now our flagship product, can takeoff, climb, and fly on one engine. This engine system is my own design and has none of the common twin-engine torque problems. See this web page for details. Look towards the bottom of the page for the prop layout. This aircraft has a slatted wing capable of flying at very high angles of attack. It has slotted ailerons and slotted flaps. The slotted aileron lets you keep control at very low speeds and will roll or turn the plane instantly. The slotted flaps lower takeoff and landing speeds.

What is so special about this plane is that it was designed to take care of the pilot, so he can take care of business. This plane will not stall hard or enter a spin. If you pull the control stick full aft the nose goes up and the plane descends in a gentle mush. When stalling in a turn, its nose falls through and it resumes flying. This means the pilot can watch his alignment to the crop and his height, and not worry about the plane. Basically the pilot can take care of spraying while the plane covers his backside. The pilot only has to watch his path and airspeed. All of our planes have EIS systems. That is an Engine Information System computer that monitors the engines at all times. If there is a problem, it will turn on a red light and display the problem on the screen of the instrument. The aircraft has a structure built to protect the pilot in the event of a crash. There is a tube that runs from the nose of the craft to the front of the wing. This helps in case of hitting a high line or a tree. We teach our pilots that there are two types of spray pilots, those that have hit obstacles and those that are going to. With our plane they should be able to hit a tree slow enough to survive, I have. Hitting a tree at the 120 to 140 mph speed common in large spray planes is a very bad idea.

The engine setup is called a pusher -that means it’s in the back. This lets the pilot have an unobstructed view of his work. In the event of a hard crash the engine is not going to end up in his lap. There are two models: a twin engine and a single engine. We are pushing the twin, because if you have engine problems with one the other’s going to take you home. There are only about three or four aircraft in the world that will do what this plane will, and none of them were designed as a spray platform. We like to think of this aircraft as a spray plane that can do other jobs, not as an airplane that can also spray.

In summary, we have an aircraft that weights about 900 lbs. Its gross weight is 1500 lbs. It flies 50 mph (The correct speed to spray according to NASA) and does it safely. It will not stall hard or spin into the ground. It can take off in 150 ft. it can also land in 150 ft. fully loaded. We recommend at least 900 ft. of runway, but unimproved is acceptable. That means the dirt or grass common in farming areas works well.

Dick Turner
VSTOL Aircraft Chief Designer