Talk:Aerial application

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Help expanding this article wanted. See below, From WW talk page,(skip to the end for the guts of it)...

aerial topdressing

I'm not sure why you've created this New Zealand-specific article when crop dusting has been around since April 2005 - a fact you must know, since you've edited it. It's the exact same topic; why didn't you redirect to crop dusting and expand the article there? The industry was created in the U.S. in 1921, not in New Zealand in 1946, so I'm unsure why you've chosen to focus on such a specific section of it. Finally while you've edited everything else about the topic to point to aerial topdressing, that article doesn't return those links - what about linking to crop dusting or agricultural aircraft? I think we should merge aerial topdressing into crop dusting and de-nationalize it a lot - if that won't work for you, maybe move it to "Aerial topdressing in New Zealand" and add a brief mention of NZ in the crop dusting article? -eric ✈ 01:18, 25 August 2005 (UTC)

Topdressing c.f. crop dusting

My understanding is crop dusting pre-dates top dresing, but the two are not the same thing. Topdressing concerns the delivery of fertilisers only, where as crop dusting initially referred to the use of insecticides and fungicides, but has since - in the U.S. at least - come to include the spread of fertilisers.

See discussion pages on both articles. WW.

Okay, I see where you're going with this. I've moved crop dusting to aerial application, the modern term used in the United States and Canada. Crop dusting is the colloquial term that most laymen use - if someone sees an ag plane, they always will call it a crop duster. I'm on and offline lately, and working with some other folks on a variety of articles, but I'd like to work with you on expanding aerial application by merging the basics of your aerial topdressing with some of the history at agaviation.org. The NZ history should stay in its own article, with background and some choice bits merged into the main article - then we can reference that from the more generic entry. Sound good? I'd like to do this right. -eric ✈ 04:24, 26 August 2005 (UTC)

Aerial Application

The combination idea sounds good. As you say, we should do it right - I am afraid I was sticking to the narrow area I knew and may not be too much use outside it.

It would probably be a good idea to get a bit more background info about the development of crop dusting in the U.S. than just the web site; (if NZ can generate two books about the history of top dressing, I am sure there's something out there about crop dusting). There is also the question of what should be included; other geographic areas have strong independent history, (for example the Soviet block), and other forms of aerial application, (for example 1950s / 1960s anti-malarial mosquito spraying operations) and if we really wanted to be thorough, the reasons why some places didn't develop their own industry, (e.g. why wasn't there a market for European agricultural aircraft designs).

I can do some ground work on all of that, but nothing really professional for a couple of months, and there are probably other people better qualified, if you know any likely volunteers... Winstonwolfe

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Winstonwolfe"

[edit] In a fix

Can somebody who knows what they're doing (I don't) fix the redirect so "cropdusting" comes straight here? (It doesn't now.)

Also, the article says "The first known use of a heavier-than-air machine occurred on 3 August 1921". I've heard claims for as early as 1918 (but can't source them...). Can somebody check & confirm? Trekphiler (talk) 08:53, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Aerial application vs. sprayers

I´m from Europe and I don´t see any aerial application since the rise of sprayers with working widths up to 120 feet that are able to work more precisely. What´s the situation in other parts of the world? 84.173.211.23 (talk) 23:16, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

In NZ Aerial application predominates due to 1. large area to be covered and 2. hilly terrain, however the sprayers are available (and ironically last year I drove past a field in a river valley being used as a makeshift runway by a couple of Cresco turbo props dressing the surrounding hills... but there was a large wheeled sprayer for the relatively flat 'runway' itself. Winstonwolfe (talk) 07:45, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

"Aerial application of crop protection products is an essential tool in the American farmer's ability to produce the safest, highest quality, most abundant and lowest cost food supply in the world."[1] I also read a while back that satellite positioning is used for exact placement of helicopter delivered farming substances in response to computer image evaluated infrared crop images detailing location dependant crop health levels. WAS 4.250 (talk) 21:56, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the link even though this is lobby information. This US Associaton provides also links to the sister organizations Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia and the Canadian Aerial Applicators Association. The question remains whether aerial application is still more efficient in those countries or whether it´s advantageous just due to the topology like in NZ. 84.173.213.59 (talk) 14:52, 2 February 2008 (UTC)