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Ayres Thrush
| Thrush | |
|---|---|
| The radial engine powered Ayres S-2R Thrush | |
| Type | Aerial application aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Ayres Corporation |
| Designed by | Leland Snow |
| Maiden flight | 1956 |
| Number built | less than 2,000 |
The Ayres Thrush, formerly the Snow S-2,[1] the Aero Commander Ag Commander and the Rockwell Thrush Commander, is one of the most successful and long-lived agricultural aircraft in the world. Nearly 2,000 have been sold since the first example flew almost fifty years ago. Typical of agricultural aircraft, it is a single-seat low-wing monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration. Originally powered by a radial piston engine, most examples produced since the 1980s have been turboprop-powered.
Contents
Design and development
The Thrush was designed by Leland Snow and first flew in 1956, and before long was being produced in series as the S-2 by the company he founded, Snow Aeronautical. [1] In 1965, the corporation and all its assets were purchased by the Aero Commander division of Rockwell, which put it into production alongside the CallAir A-9 it had also acquired, branding both unrelated (though similar) machines "Ag Commanders". When Rockwell dropped the Aero Commander brand, the S-2 was renamed the "Thrush Commander".
In 1977, Rockwell sold off the production rights to the aircraft and the production facility at Albany, Georgia, which were purchased by Ayres Corporation, a firm which had been built on retro-fitting turboprop engines to Thrush Commanders. On June 30, 2003, Ayres' assets were purchased by Thrush Aircraft, the current producer of the aircraft.
Ayres also attempted to market a militarised version as the Ayres Vigilante, intended for the Close Air Support role, but this failed to attract customers.
Variants
Snow Aeronautical
- S-2A - single prototype, powered by Pratt & Whitney R-985
- S-2B - initial production version
- S-2C - refined production version
- S-2C-600 - S-2C re-engined with Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN1
- S-2D
Aero Commander
- S-2D Ag Commander
Rockwell
- Thrush Commander 600
- Thrush Commander 800 - powered by Wright R-1300
Marsh
- S2R-T Turbo Thrush - Rockwell Thrush Commanders converted to turbine power by Marsh Aviation using Garrett-AiResearch TPE 331-1-101 engines
Ayres
- S-2R 1340 - equivalent to Thrush Commander 600
- S-2R 1820 or Bull Thrush
- Pezetel Thrush - powered by PZL-3
- S-2R-T - turboprop powered versions equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6
Specifications (Thrush Commander 600)
General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: 370 US gal (1,514 l) or 3,270 lb (1,487 kg) of chemicals
- Length: 29 ft 5 in (8.95 m)
- Wingspan: 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
- Height: 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
- Wing area: 326 ft² (30.3 m²)
- Empty: 3,700 lb (1,680 kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 6,000 lb (2,720 kg)
- Powerplant: 1x Pratt & Whitney R-1340, 600 hp (450 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 140 mph (225 km/h)
- Range: 405 miles (648 km)
- Service ceiling: ft ( m)
- Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (225 m/min)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
- Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Green, William. Aircraft Handbook. London. Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1964.
Related content
Related development:
Comparable aircraft:
External links
Template:Aero Commander aircraft
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| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ayres Thrush". |
