Project Number: 6402-22000-058-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 15, 2003
End Date: Sep 14, 2008

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to develop and evaluate a variable-rate application system for aerial application of liquid crop production materials.

Approach:
A hydraulic power system will be installed on the Air Tractor 402 spray plane to provide power for the chemical pump and boom valve. The AutoCal automatic flow control system will be upgraded to control the chemical pump so that the required application rate is maintained. The automatic flow control system will communicate with the SATLOC M-3 Swath Guidance System already installed on the airplane to receive the current ground speed and required application rate. The flowrate required to achieve this application will then be computed by the controller and compared to the actual flowrate being delivered to the spray boom. If needed, the chemical pump power is then adjusted to achieve the required flow.