Ag Aviation celebrates 100 years (August 2021)

I did know that ag aviation celebrated 100 years in 2001 through the National Agriculture Aviation Association and also as a subscriber to Ag Air Update. As sometimes happen, I admit to getting involved in other things, including some personal transitions late last summer into the fall, but that is a weak excuse for not writing about ag aviation sooner. What happened to jump start my mind was seeing a post from the  social media late last week with a link to a nice article from the NAAA linking to a nice article in the Air and Space Museum's Winter 2002 edition of Air and Space Quarterly. That is, the Winter edition of the Air and Space Quarterly has a nice article with photos on the history of ag aviation, go here to read the article. I urge you to read the article. A caveat is in order, I am never quite sure how long links like this will be active, so if you are coming here weeks or months after this post and the link does not work, I am sorry.

I know that Downstown Aero Crop Services engages in a variety of ag aviation services. I have personally seen their planes spraying cranberry fields in the Pinelands, and providing cover crop services in northern New Jersey. I have seen videos of their planes spraying for mosquitos near the New Jersey shore. Last but by no means least, Downstown has had contracts with the NJ Forest Fire Service for 54 years providing single engine air tanker services (through 2021). The fine folk at Downstown have been very supportive of my work on this blog over the years, I own them a debt of gratitude and a tip of the hat.

I leave you with a nice video from the NAAA celebrating 100 years of ag aviation, allow a little over nine minutes to watch the video.

Direct link to video from the NAAA on YouTube