Bradley
Reed
Reed Aviation, Inc.
IOTA, LA—My father started Reed Flying Service (RFS)
in the rice country of south Louisiana in 1968 with one
Ag-Cat. I was raised in the business and started helping
out at a young age. Flying at 14 and ag flying at 18, in
1988 at 24 years old, I purchased RFS’s assets from my
father and started Reed Aviation, Inc.
I operated two A-model 1340 hp Ag-Cats our first year.
During that year, we lost one of the Ag-Cats. Going
against traditional financial wisdom of the day, we
replaced it with a turbine AT-400, operating it and one
Ag-Cat the second year. The AT-400 worked so well, the
third year we sold the remaining Ag-Cat and replaced it
with a Turbine Thrush S2R. The fourth year at Reed
Aviation, we switched completely to Air Tractors, the
AT-400 and a new AT-502. Continuing to improve our
capacity and efficiency, the sixth year we operated the
AT-502 and a new AT-502B. Now Reed Aviation is working
the AT-502B and an AT-602.
The primary crop we treat is rice. We also treat
sugarcane, soybeans, a little wheat and other minor
crops. With rice applications, precision is important.
Human “flaggers” were used as course markers in the
early days. They were time consuming, mostly inaccurate,
hard to see and overall inefficient.
The plane, loader truck, product, farmer and flaggers
would all be scheduled to arrive at the airstrip at a
certain time to plan out each individual application.
The pilot would review a map of the field or fields in
order to figure out the best way to fly them versus the
best way for the field to be flagged. Obstacles would be
identified; clear vision both for the pilots as well as
the flaggers would be determined and the path and drift
due to wind would be recognized.
The flaggers would then synchronize their steps in order
for the pilot to determine how many steps each flagger
was required to make to cover three feet. The flaggers
set up in the fields, which in most cases was a long
process causing much delay especially if several fields
were involved. If multiple fields were flown the pilot
generally had to circle or wait on the ground while the
flaggers changed fields. Once the flight pattern had
been determined and the flaggers had set up the field,
there was very little opportunity to change; you were
stuck with what you had. If you realized that it was a
bad way to fly the field, you just had to make do, as it
would be an almost impossible, uneconomical and daunting
task to change.
Back in the days of smaller aircraft, farmers wanted two
airplanes in one field in order to get the flagging job
done quicker. But two aircraft were highly inefficient
with one almost always waiting on the other. The two
different styles of application and pilot skills and
inadequate communications made for a less than perfect
application job.
Efficiency has always been my driving force. The move to
turbine-powered aircraft solved a lot of the
inefficiencies of working two aircraft on the same job,
opening up a totally new way to schedule our business.
With the advent of GPS systems, I had visions of the
freedom that would now be in our hands as pilot
applicators, to end the use of human flaggers and all
the restrictions they presented us. The job would now be
able to be flown as we saw fit for the best possible
application results and for efficiency.
I was taken aback however, when I learned that the
systems being presented (early 1990’s) did not allow
the full freedom of flight management that I had
envisioned. A preset pattern was still necessary as was
the direction in which the individual passes had to be
flown. One look at an installed system with all its
wires and boxes was also a disappointment and an
unimpressive sight. Having also an integral part of the
guidance system outside amongst all the corrosive,
dusty, dirty and sometimes wet elements made me recoil.
The maintenance that would be required to keep it
operational was of great concern.
Then there was the moving map screen that would either
take up an inordinate amount of panel space and block a
large part of the hopper window or be put off to the
side of the panel causing the pilot to look down into
the cockpit. I thought this would be very inconvenient
and unsafe. Reaching around the cockpit trying to push
buttons, especially in rough air, seemed like a bad
idea.
Even with all this trepidation, I ordered two systems
believing that this was better than flaggers and as good
as it gets. However, a pilot working for me at the time
later attended a National Agriculture Aviation
Association trade show and saw a totally different type
of GPS system. It had only three parts to it, a display
that fits to the top of the dash panel inside the
cockpit, a Processor/GPS box and the pistol grip with
only two buttons required to operate it. It was simple,
clean and logical. Its software allowed a pilot to fly
the field any way he wanted, no preset patterns, no
requirement for fixed direction of each individual pass.
And instead of little dots of light, there was a road
line that was flown on a computer screen in almost
line-of-sight view. This made for a great intuitive
visual reference to extend the line into infinity making
accurate course keeping with a quick instrument scan.
There it was, the total simple package, simple to
install, simple to learn and operate, a DynaNav GPS with
its revolutionary DynaViz guidance. (www.dynanav.com)
Reed Aviation bought two units in 1995 and we have never
looked back.
With more than 12 years of flying the DynaNav GPS, we
feel the unit lends itself to both safety and
efficiency. Using a five-way button on the pistol grip
and another push of the Accept button, scrolls a menu on
the computer screen within the pilot’s line of sight
to accomplish 100% of the tasks available to the pilot,
even in a working turn.
Once the base line is established, the pilot dictates
the flight paths at anytime or anywhere during the job.
Fly the long side of the field first to reduce the load
then hit the short side with a light load; next load
same thing. Tackle dangerous obstacles how and when you
want. Do the tricky part of the field first, middle or
last or a combination of, it doesn’t matter. Fly part
of the field one way then turn around and fly it the
other. Run out on a pass then finish it up next, later
or whenever and from either direction; the DynaNav picks
up where you left off. Come out of a turn, lined up on a
line other than the one you wanted, doesn’t matter;
fly the one ahead of you, no go around and no lost time.
A push of the tophat switch puts you into the moving map
to use for dress-ups or mop-ups, right there in your
line of sight.
At last, complete freedom for a pilot to make
applications as efficiently, effectively and safely as
possible.
My pilots that have made the transition from light bar
to the DynaViz have done so with great ease. The
simplicity, freedom and ease of use are what most of
them find impressive. When asked further about ease of
use, the pilots list the simplicity of intercepting the
line (pass) as the unit’s best asset followed by the
ability to easily stay on line. A pilot can fly the
aircraft at his pace that is most productive and safe
without the worry of the system being behind him or at a
loss of accuracy.
Over the years, DynaNav has upgraded, improved and
refined both hardware and software to make their systems
the most dependable piece of equipment on my aircraft.
A case in point is the new Roadway View that is an
animated centerline with outside boundaries that
projects the visual image of a roadway similar to that
being traveled by an automobile. The idea is not to
reinvent the wheel by having the pilot fly a line that
acts upon a situation unique to him and his GPS, but to
take an everyday experience and incorporate it into an
image that the pilot can easily recognize and interpret.
I can attest to the success of this new concept from
DynaNav having tested it for the past three months with
Reed Aviation.
Having operated DynaNav GPS systems for over 12 years
has and continues to be a rewarding experience. If
hardware or software service is required, DynaNav is an
example of how companies should conduct business. Direct
access and openness for new ideas or constructive
criticism have been their hallmark with Reed Aviation.
