Aerial fertilising at Glenbreck Forest,Tweedsmuir.
Photograph is courtesy and copyright of Forestry Commission, Forest Research, Roslin, and provided with help from Glen Brearley . FR Photo number No B6546 taken by H Turner.
The text reads as follows:
‘A sequence of aerial fertilising of Compartments 64 and 65 on Glenbreck Forest. Operations cover stacking of fertiliser bags, loading hopper, loading plane, releasing fertiliser and flying back to landing field just north of Polmood House’.
The sequence of photographs sourced are continued with four images in the attached PDF showing loading of aircraft, flying over a small house, flying over the forest spreading fertiliser and the last one of the end of a flight run over a deep valley. There is no indication of the company involved, the aircraft type or names of any personnel and any information would be very welcome.
Some of the terrain looks very challenging for good distribution of fertiliser by fixed wing aircraft but possibly only a small part of the spread area was in the steep valley. Looking at the last image when enlarged it is just possible to see some large white rectangles erected in several lines across the hill. It is possible that every 10th flight line was marked out from end to end and the pilot judged by eye the fill in flight paths between each of the the marked lines. Does anyone know?
The large vehicle loading hopper is an ingenious piece of engineering design which must have a fill lid which was securely fastened for lifting and turning. The fertiliser then ran by gravity into the secondary loading compartment for delivery to the aircraft hopper when hoisted up and turned over so that a flexible chute could be opened and the material ran directly into the aircraft hopper.
The fertiliser bags look to be of one cwt size (50kg) and are bring loaded by a team of four. These men with the exception of the lift operator/aircraft mechanic could have been engaged from the forest squad.
Can anyone remember this operation and provide any details?
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Groups: Aircraft in Forestry Work, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Groups of people, Other Vehicles and Machines
On one of the fertiliser bags in the hopper loading image "6lbs" can be seen and therefore I assume that these are the "standard" SAI 56lbs bags of "Unground Phosphate Rock". This material causes belching if ingested, either when loading hoppers for aerial application or hand fertilising from planting bags!
In the 2nd pdf image, the image was captured from the A701 approximately 100m west of the iron bridge over the River Tweed (NT108259), giving access to the Hearthstanes Estate. The older group of cottages are named as 'Hearthstanes Cottages', whilst the newer cottage, to the left in the image, now has an extension on the northern wall and would appear to be a 'Dorran' type bungalow.
I am sorry that I cannot provide information on the application company or the crew loading the hopper. But, the Land Rover in the background of the "hopper loading" image could be an FC vehicle.
Comment left on 19 January 2018 at 21:57 by Bill Rayner