Cropduster Terrorism

Technology Review Online ^ | March 11, 2002 | By Richard A. Muller

[Orion78]

PING!

[1066AD]

Interesting, but how does jet fuel compare to gasoline ?

[thegreatbeast]

The idea is that you disperse the gasoline in a atomized spray and somehow ignite it, right? Dispersing it over a small area like a stadium would require a serious goosing of the equipment in order to unload it quickly I would think. Otherwise it would pretty much be one of those spectacular fireballs that are so popular in movies.

[jetson]

What about the geneticaly altered virus's that Russian made in the late 80's. No one seems to know where 20 tons of altered virus went. A cup of the virus is enough to brew more. We need accountability of all this stuff before we makes claims like your making.

[Starrgaizr]

The biggest threat is foreign pilots. All those excited teenagers dancing for joy on 9-11 in the Arab world who are working their way up the aviation ladder towards the big 747 job for the Islamic country flagged airlines that still fly here all the time.

Crop dusters scare me when I compete for ramp space with them at rural airports. Their pilots are intimidating because they are unbelievably experienced and smirk at novices like me. The article ignores one thing: turn on the sprayers and create a dense mist of vaporizing gasoline in a pass over the crowd before crashing it in. That could hurt. The panic alone would crush many.

I love to fly but many of my fellow pilots are not doing themselves favors by arguing that G.A. is harmless and the FAA is out of line for suspending some foreign pilots' privileges without "due process." It will take just one attack for them to lose all credibility and hurt us more than facing those threats head on.

[Walkingfeather]

diesel=jetfuel

[jocon307]

"Moreover, the crop duster community is very close, small, and wary. Even before September 11, they didn't let Atta photograph their planes or even sit in the cockpits."

Yes, I've actually read and heard some interviews with these folks, they know those planes are tough to handle and I guess they are well aware that they exist in order to spread insectide POISON over large areas.

This was a very good post, I especially like the part about the teenagers, the sledgehammers, and the cookies. Ahhhh, if we could only bottle the energy of teenagers!

[Doctor Stochastic]

The Cropduster came off second best if you remember North by Northwest.

[Starrgaizr]

Think of the Indy 500 or the Kentucky Derby, perhaps -- a large open area filled with tens of thousands of spectators. A few passes would probably ignite even without crashing from ground sources. Could create havoc.

Then again, I have no idea if spraying avgas (or jet-A) from a crop sprayer would work.

[Iowa Granny]

marking for a later read

[Starrgaizr]

The AirTractor 502

For operators needing additional power for faster ferry speeds, short strip operation with big loads, or high altitude spraying, the AT-502A meets the performance requirement. The slow-turning 5-blade prop offers quieter operation in noise-sensitive communities. Aircraft is sold with customer-furnished used PT6A-45R engine.

Agricultural airplane complete with 2" spray system, streamlined booms with 38 nozzles, 2" bottom loading valve, Transland special 38" wide gate, 500 gallon fiberglass hopper, pump shut-off valve, 3-color polyurethane paint finish, 29 x I I high flotation tires & wheels with dual 3-piston brakes, electrically operated high-lift flaps with aileron droop, new 5-blade constant speed reversing Hartzell propeller, 250 amp starter-generator, 3 batteries, 216 gallon fuel tanks, strobe lights, turn windows, nose mounted landing lights, electric turn coordinator, air conditioned cockpit, windshield washer and wiper, fuel flowmeter, 5-blade ground adjustable spray pump fan, 18 gallon hopper rinse tank, Hoerner wing tips that increase wingspan to 52.0 feet, outside air temperature gauge, 8,000 pound FAA certificated gross weight.

The additional wing structure of the AT-502B allows installation of Hoerner wing tips that increase wingspan to 52 feet. Rate of climb is increased, speed at gross weight is increased, and swath width is increased for higher productivity. New hopper rinse system is standard equipment.

Agricultural airplane with 2" stainless spray system, streamlined booms with 38 nozzles, 2" bottom loading valve, Transland special 38" wide gate, 500 gallon fiberglass hopper, pump shut-off valve, 3-color polyurethane paint finish, 29 x 11 high-flotation tires & wheels with dual 3-piston brakes, electrically operated high-lift flaps with aileron droop, new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-15AG 680 SHP turboprop engine with 3-blade constantspeed reversing Hartzell propeller, 250 amp starter-generator, 170 gallon fuel tanks, strobe lights, turn windows, nose mounted landing light, electric turn coordinator, air conditioned cockpit, windshield washer and wiper, hopper rinse tank, fuel filter warn light, 5-blade ground adjustable spray pump fan, outside air temperature gauge, 8,000 pound FAA certificated gross weight.

Hopper capacity 500 U.S. gallons Engine type See Below Engine H.P. and R.P.M 680 @ 2200 Take-off weight 9700 lbs. Landing weight 8000 lbs. Empty weight w/ spray equip. installed 4297 lbs. Useful Load 5403 lbs. Fuel capacity 170 U.S. gallons (216 or 234 gal. opt.) Wing span 52 ft.

[Ford Fairlane]

actually, kerosene + additives = jetfuel

Diesel is a little thicker

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Orion78]

Face to Face With Atta

JOHNELLE BRYANT: It, it wasn't actually a crop-duster in itself that he was wanting to finance. He wanted to finance a twin-engine, six-passenger aircraft, that he could use as both a charter flights, and remove the, the seats. And he said he was an engineer, and he wanted to build a chemical tank that would fit inside the aircraft, and take up every available square inch of the aircraft, except for where the pilot would be sitting. And run the spray nozzles along the wind span. And use it as both a crop-duster plane, and as a charter plane.

[Orion78]

"The brilliance of the operation was its low risk. No purchases of explosives. No illegal weapons. Virtually no infrastructure needed."

[IncPen]

In the days following 9.11 (certainly before that week was up), I recall a radio news report that the pentagon had calculated the force exerted by the planes used in the attacks, to include the fuel and velocity therein.

The stated purpose was to offer to a court in a subsequent trial proof that the planes were indeed weapons of mass destruction.

The force, as I recall, was compared favorably in terms of percentage to the bombs used against Japan in 1945

The report was, IIRC, on ABC or CBS radio...

[Smokin' Joe]

I saw one of these spraying crops in the river bottoms near Fairview, Montana just two days ago. The pilot seemed to be quite capable of putting the product on target, flying well under 25 feet. A couple of passes spraying gasoline over a crowd in a large open stadium, pop and drop a flare, and the result would be a horrorshow. Similarly, could be used in city streets, parking areas, anywhere people gather.

I for one, am glad this is a small, highly qualified, and close-knot community--which will have more effect policing the ranks than anything.

[eno_]

A truck bomb would be simpler to accomplish the goal of injusring many people in a large crowd.

If your objective is to kill thousands, VX is the ticket. Saddam made that stuff in industrial quantities. Get ANY on your skin and you are beyond help.

[The_Victor]

Thanks for the ping. This pretty much confirms my thoughts following 9/11.