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To keep the aircraft in airworthy condition, the company employs three full-time mechanics, along with sev- eral pilots who are also capable of turning wrenches. With Heinen’s fleet all propelled by Pratt & Whitney PT6 engines (a decision they made sev- eral years ago to standardize their inventory), the complexity in main- tenance tasks is lessened. That being said, the maintenance crew must work extremely hard to maintain nearly 100 percent operational availability dur- ing peak season as a plane sitting in the hangar doesn’t make any money.
Across the ramp from the compa- ny’s maintenance hangar, which takes up the lower level of their office build- ing, sits one of their storage hangars that houses several aircraft.
The Planes
Heinen Brothers Chief Pilot Jim Uselton has more than 35,000 hours flying ag planes and spoke to me about the company’s aircraft and general agricultural flying operations. He had just returned from a multi- day trip to Northeastern Oklahoma, where he sprayed several thousand acres of ranchland. On this day, he and his Air Tractor AT-802A were taking a well-deserved break caused by low ceilings and the imminent threat of storms.
Jim’s model aircraft (AT-802A) gained its name due to how many gal- lons of liquid (whether it be chemicals or water) that fit in the “hopper” – a nomenclature followed by Air Tractor for all its planes. As “the world’s largest single-engine ag aircraft,” it can haul 800 gallons of spray with 254 gallons of fuel aboard. The plane can fly for several hours before the tanks need to be refueled.
Although this is achievable, Jim notes that being loaded down that heavily is an exception. A more re- alistic condition would be about half fuel, which is enough for about a two- hour spraying mission. The seasoned pilot, who first cut his teeth in his late teens flying Piper PA-25 Pawnee spray planes for his dad, discusses several qualities unique to ag planes.
CIES Corporation
AOPA Finance
August 2020 / TWIN & TURBINE • 13