Air Tractor AT-501

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AT-500 family
Type	Agricultural aircraft
Manufacturer	Air Tractor
Maiden flight	1986

The Air Tractor AT-500 is a family of agricultural aircraft that first flew in the United States on 25 April 1986. Of low-wing, taildragger configuration, they carry a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit. Compared with their predecessor, the AT-500 family mostly feature a wingspan increased to 50 ft (15.2 m), and an additional fuselage stretch of 22 in (56 cm). In turn, this allows for a larger chamical hopper. Almost all variants have a second seat for a passenger or observer.

[edit] Variants

• AT-501 - piston-powered version with Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine
• AT-502 - single-seat version
• AT-503 - main production version with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine
  • AT-503A - dual-control trainer version of AT-503 with shorter AT-401 wings

[edit] Specifications (AT-503)

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger and 500 US gal (1,890 L) chemicals
• Length: 32 ft 6 in (9.91 m)
• Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
• Height: 9 ft 10 in (2.99 m)
• Empty weight: 4,120 lb (1,820 kg)
• Gross weight: 9,200 lb (5,000 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45R turboprop 1,100 hp (820 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 180 mph (290 km/h)
• Range: 620 miles (1,000 km)

[edit] References

• Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 31-32. 

[edit] External links

• AT-502 in Action at Milford, Nebraska AT-502

[edit] Related content

Designation sequence

AT-300 - AT-400 - AT-501 - AT-602 - AT-802