Photograph:
Air Tractor AT-602 VH-FAO3 (c/n 602-0442) at Ballarat, VIC in September 1997 (the late Michael Madden)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Single-seat agricultural monoplane
Power Plant:
One 783 kw (1,050 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60AG turboprop
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 17.07 m (56 ft)
- Length: 10.03 m (32 ft 11 in)
- Height: 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 31.22 m² (336.0 sq ft)
- Max speed: 350 km/h (217 mph)
- Operating speed: 241 km/h (150 mph)
- Stalling speed flaps down: 139 km/h (87 mph)
- Empty weight: 2,495 kg (5,500 lb)
- Loaded weight: 5,670 kg (12,500 lb)
History:
Another variation on the Air Tractor theme, the AT-602 was a single-seat low-wing agricultural aircraft, basically designed as an AT-502A with a larger hopper, the prototype (N6084K – c/n 602-0337) flying for the first time on 1 December 1995, certification being completed in June the following year. Designed to fit in between the AT-502B and AT-802A in the range, the AT-602 was available with three engines, the 783 kw (1,050 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-60AG turboprop, the 783 kw (1,050 shp) PT6A-45R, or the 966 kw (1,295 shp) PT6A-65AG driving a Hartzell five-blade constant-speed reversing propeller. Fuel capacity was 818 litres (180 Imp gals). The hopper had a capacity of 2,385 litres (525 Imp gals) and it was fitted with a Transland 0.96 m (3 ft 2 in) wide gatebox, a five-blade ground-adjustable spray pump fan, a pump shut-off valve, and an optional crew seat.
As with other aircraft in the series, the AT-602 had a two-spar light alloy wing with all-steel upper and lower spar caps. The fuselage was of welded steel tube with skin panels of light alloy. The undercarriage was a non-retractable tailwheel type with cantilever heavy-duty spring-steel main legs.
A number have been registered in Australia, including: VH-PTU (c/n 602-0505); VH-PTL (c/n 602-0803) with Field Air of Ballarat, VIC; VH-YRA (c/n 602-0549) with Yorke Air of Gilbertson, SA, later exported to Indonesia; VH-NUN (c/n 602-0585) of Womba Pty Ltd of Boggabilla, NSW, which later became ZK-LTM in New Zealand in April 2002; VH-DQN/-NIZ (c/n 602-1134) with Field Air; VH-NIT (c/n 602-0585) which crashed at Ballidu, WA on 22 October 2005; VH-FHA (c/n 602-0398) with Flyiton Pty Ltd of Cowra, NSW; and VH-ODO (c/n 602-0530), VH-FAO (c/602-0442), VH-NIY (c/n 602-1139), VH-NIZ (c/n 602-1134), and VH-XAV (c/n 602-1129).