Check this out!! My old Weather Station got fried by a lightning strike, wasn't nearly this nice and adaptable. Now I want THIS ONE!! GREAT for us back yard Meteorologists, and Pilots alike, let alone local governments, and Agriculture!! Wow!!
The Way of the Future: Embracing Technology in Agriculture
Recently, I was visiting with my father as he was reminiscing about the days of hovering over crops and pulling down warmer air with a helicopter. This was so the crops would not freeze during cold winter snaps. The growers and farmers, he recalled as he sipped his drink while sitting in his favorite Lazy Boy recliner, would light fires on the edges of the blocks and as the smoke rose it would hit a ceiling of inversion showing where the warm air was located. This was important as when we went up in the helicopter we knew at what altitude the warm air was. Then we flew the helicopter to that altitude and pushed the warm air toward the surface.
He also recalled, for safety, that he would have two people in the helicopter, this was to keep each other awake. I then recalled the frost job that we flew a couple of years ago. That was one of the worst years that my father has seen in over 40 years in agriculture. I remember one night our Huey helicopter flew 12 hours straight. We started after 7 PM and did not stop until after sunrise.
Some of the challenges we faced were getting fuel and reading the temperature on the in cockpit thermometer then communicating to the ground to the farmer what the reading was. That was the year my father figured out how to text message because we were short a radio. One text stated that my brother wanted me to get out of the truck to see if there was frost on the ground. I did not have to go far before I slipped and fell flat on my face from the frost. I did not realize how cold it had gotten. When I looked around, there was a thick layer of ice. Another problems we faced was that the pilot would have to communicate what part of the block was colder than the other. When pilots are up in the air on frost missions they are not the only helicopters up there. I have witnessed about 40 in an area at a time. There are times where it is necessary to wait for the other helicopters and farmers to finish communicating before you are able to communicate with your contact on the ground. Sometimes it gets pretty interesting up there with communication and trying to avoid each other in the air.
While browsing the booths at a recent agriculture trade show, I stumbled upon something amazing. Weather stations, this is not new to agriculture or aerial application, but this station caught my interest. It was a weather station that not only displayed the temperature and record, but even has the capability to call you when the temperature reaches a certain setting. This is vital for you know when you have to get the crew up and get the helicopter in the air to start pulling the warm air down. These weather stations also has flashing lights that will blink faster as it gets colder and It also sounds an audio alarm warning you as well. All that was needed was someone to fly the helicopter for frost season!
I obtained information on the station and product line and shared it with my father. He was just as excited as I was. Then I found out that the State of Florida was offering a 75% rebate on the main unit itself for agriculture. So we started distributing for this line of weather stations, and this is new for us - a company that has been strictly aerial applicators; however, I feel it is important to not cling to the past if we are to embrace the future. It is amazing how technology has come such a long way in the 46 years that my father started this company. Today we have changed our name from Howe Enterprise to Application Dynamics and we are embracing the future. www.applicationdynamics.net
© Copyright 2013 Application Dynamics LLC. All rights reserved.
The Way of the Future: Embracing Technology in Agriculture
Recently, I was visiting with my father as he was reminiscing about the days of hovering over crops and pulling down warmer air with a helicopter. This was so the crops would not freeze during cold winter snaps. The growers and farmers, he recalled as he sipped his drink while sitting in his favorite Lazy Boy recliner, would light fires on the edges of the blocks and as the smoke rose it would hit a ceiling of inversion showing where the warm air was located. This was important as when we went up in the helicopter we knew at what altitude the warm air was. Then we flew the helicopter to that altitude and pushed the warm air toward the surface.
He also recalled, for safety, that he would have two people in the helicopter, this was to keep each other awake. I then recalled the frost job that we flew a couple of years ago. That was one of the worst years that my father has seen in over 40 years in agriculture. I remember one night our Huey helicopter flew 12 hours straight. We started after 7 PM and did not stop until after sunrise.
Some of the challenges we faced were getting fuel and reading the temperature on the in cockpit thermometer then communicating to the ground to the farmer what the reading was. That was the year my father figured out how to text message because we were short a radio. One text stated that my brother wanted me to get out of the truck to see if there was frost on the ground. I did not have to go far before I slipped and fell flat on my face from the frost. I did not realize how cold it had gotten. When I looked around, there was a thick layer of ice. Another problems we faced was that the pilot would have to communicate what part of the block was colder than the other. When pilots are up in the air on frost missions they are not the only helicopters up there. I have witnessed about 40 in an area at a time. There are times where it is necessary to wait for the other helicopters and farmers to finish communicating before you are able to communicate with your contact on the ground. Sometimes it gets pretty interesting up there with communication and trying to avoid each other in the air.
While browsing the booths at a recent agriculture trade show, I stumbled upon something amazing. Weather stations, this is not new to agriculture or aerial application, but this station caught my interest. It was a weather station that not only displayed the temperature and record, but even has the capability to call you when the temperature reaches a certain setting. This is vital for you know when you have to get the crew up and get the helicopter in the air to start pulling the warm air down. These weather stations also has flashing lights that will blink faster as it gets colder and It also sounds an audio alarm warning you as well. All that was needed was someone to fly the helicopter for frost season!
I obtained information on the station and product line and shared it with my father. He was just as excited as I was. Then I found out that the State of Florida was offering a 75% rebate on the main unit itself for agriculture. So we started distributing for this line of weather stations, and this is new for us - a company that has been strictly aerial applicators; however, I feel it is important to not cling to the past if we are to embrace the future. It is amazing how technology has come such a long way in the 46 years that my father started this company. Today we have changed our name from Howe Enterprise to Application Dynamics and we are embracing the future. www.applicationdynamics.net
© Copyright 2013 Application Dynamics LLC. All rights reserved.
