"The aerial distribution trials have proved that fertiliser can be dropped from aircraft successfully within the desired limits of accuracy, provided the ballistics of the fertiliser are reasonably uniform and the aeroplane has satisfactory performance under the conditions of terrain involved."
D.A. Campbell, New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology Volume X 1948.
Mr John Lambert of Hunterville signed a letter to his MP in 1926, suggesting aircraft be used for topdressing. But it was A.H. Prichard with the Public Works Department, who gave the practice credibility when in 1939 he sowed seed from the air at Ninety Mile beach, flying a Miles Whitney aircraft. Then the RNZAF at Ohakea became involved with trials, adapting a reserve petrol tank on a Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber into a fertilizer hopper, which Wings magazine described at the time as 'turning swords into ploughshears'.
By the end of 1953 thirty-eight firms were in business operating 160 aircraft, of which 146 were Tiger Moths, annually applying roughly 400,000 tons of fertiliser to 4,000,000 acres of pasture. Over twenty years, livestock units almost doubled.
Today, with confidence returning to the pastoral sector, farmers are again looking to the future and building up soils through aerial applications of lime and superphosphates. Kevin Patchett, pilot and manager of Aerial Work Nelson and Golden Bay limited agrees work is picking up a bit.
"It's been a good year work wise and we are a bit up on tonnes, but it's been really tough the last few years, it's just been survival. It's only now that we can replace some plant."
Kevin said that if they were going to be here in the future, then they had to start doing something now. The overall costs of fertilising can be high by the time farmers buy it, truck it and fly it on, and it's a long term commitment by them, and Kevin feels the same way. "We're staying, and now's the time to show farmers our commitment. We have enjoyed a lot of support from Golden Bay, they are great guys to work for, it's a fantastic area to work in, and we feel privileged to be here"
For two years now Kevin has flown a GA200 aircraft. A 250hp plane with just over half the horsepower of a Fletcher FU24, yet it carries 85% of its load, and burns half the amount of fuel. "1990's technology verses the 1950's really, and a very, very good aeroplane," Kevin described it.
And just before Christmas, Kevin purchased a new Merlo P28.7-EVT loader. Customised for its new role by Marlborough Tractor Services in Renwick with the addition of a 1600 litre fuel tank on the back, it can provide the GA200 with over 30 hours flying time. Previous machines have been 10 tonne trucks with loading gear on the back, which apart from being difficult to manoeuvre on the often tight confines of the loading pad, have very restricted vision.
Cameron Orr, has been the loader driver for the past seven months, and he describes the machine as totally different, "a lot faster, a lot smoother, and visibility is pretty incredible. You can do 100 tonnes in a day, and it feels like 10 tonnes compared to the old loader."
There is a perception outside the industry that it is a dangerous occupation, flying a heavily laden plane where to get the best results you need to get as low as possible to the ground to minimise drift, often with no visible horizon line. But Kevin says it is as dangerous as you want to make it. "If that is in the back of your mind, you shouldn't be doing it. You have to have a lot of confidence in the aeroplane, and good training is the key. I've had very good training. But you do get a fright from time to time," he said.
