Vol. 15—1961 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

495.
'lilne M:..J.Eflication
In our area of operations we have about six or seven weeks in which
to accomplish our aerial spraying. Normally, we can expect to commence
01-eration about the rriiddle of .l1ayand to complete the work not later
than the end of June, the time varying with the acreage to be treated
and the number of helicopters in use. vJeather conditions playa vital
~art in how long may be reauired to carry out a spraying operation.
winds in excess of five or six miles per hour prohibit spraying. Rain,
of course, will bring the work to a standstill. 110St all of our
spraying is conducted between dawn and 10:00 a ,a, and from 5:00 p.m,
until dark. \'lith a decent break in the weather, however, one helicopter
can spray 1,600 to 2,000 acres in a week.
Personnel
Requirem~nts
Our personnel normally consists of two men on each control li~e,
vne being a laborer and the other a forester or woods foreman. Each
flagging crew is equipped with a mobile or por-t.ahLe radio. Another
forester stands by at the helispot to send and receive radio messages
from the men on the control lines and direct their movement. The
contractor's personnel should consist of a unit supervisor, pilot,
~echanic, chanical supply truck operator, and water truck driver.
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The entire spraying o~eration is under the overall direction of
a forester from the lnain office management section, working in coo!-,ero.tion
with the contractor and the respective district personnel.
He is tbe liaison between the contractor and our company personnel.
l.e has the authority to make any changes deemed .desirable wi thin the
framework of the contract, or to halt the operation temporarily or
permanently if necessary. Temporary stops are generally due to adverse
weather or flagging difficulty. It is to the credit of the capable,
conscientious contractors with whomwe have worked that permanent
cessation of operations during a contract has never been necessary.
In the performance of a large aerial spraying operation, there is no
substitute for experience. Timing and technique on the part of both
the contractor's personnel and the company's personnel is of utmost
importance. All must work together as a team.
nquipment R~quiraTients
In tbe rougher country over which we operate, a be.lieo ~ter is considerably
more adaptable than a fixed-wing plane. Its maneuverability
is superior to a fixed-wing plane, and it does not reouire the landjng
space of a fixed wing. A helicopter's load capacity does not compare
vath that of a conventional plane, but it makes up for this in other
ways. vfe have used helicopters exclusively in all of our aerial