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.
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