Thank goodness he set it down OK

Didn't make the local TV news that I know, but did make the daily newspaper. We drove past it, and wife remarked that Andersen Girls Orchard had a plane in their driveway. Thought it might be something they were doing for the publicity at the time... WRONG!
This plane has been over our place for several days, over a week. We live about 12 miles (as the crow flies) right off the end of the runway of the Lakeview airport and often we're in the flight path between airport and the fields. Mercifully, this pilot flies a little higher when in transit, so we don't feel under attack. (Others may fly far lower!) Got one heckova engine in this one. He was working over a field several miles south of us the other evening, out of sight from here. I was wondering is someone was doing bombing runs with a WWII twin engine bomber - WHATTA RACKET.

Wife and I took a trip yesterday, 60 miles south - no farming going on except a couple farmers spreading barnyard fertilizer on the high ground. Now, my question what would they be applying this time of year? Only thing I can think of would be urea, and that doesn't make much sense to me.. (I'm thinking of trying to get on a field with a cultivator this afternoon- we'll have to see how it goes. - this is mid-Michigan!)

Newspaper article speaks for itself.

http://thedailynews.cc/2015/04/10/crop-dusting-pilot-makes-successful-emergency-landing/
Drop in here

I saw that online the other day. I wonder if they'll draw a crowd when they're ready to take off on the road with it.
It'd kinda startle you a little if you were to see it coming in I'll bet.

I don't know the timing in your area. I have a coop spreader sitting in the lane right now as I iust put starter on an 80 that needs to be seeded. May be starter. I spent the morning yesterday running barnyard waste to the top of the hill. I'm not sure why, but the apron chain always quits when the spreader has just been loaded. It is NEVER when it is even half empty. I got it fixed but not without catching some of the cargo on fire with the torch.

Propeller spinning at 41,000 RPM??? The writer must have gotten N1 and the prop confused.

He is lucky all right. Looks like a powerful plane. Don't know if it was a good idea taking off with a motor making metal. He will need to dust a lot of fields to pay for that rebuild. Stan

Lakeview has a crop duster operation that does the whole local area. Could be seeding this early. See them overhead all the time. Thats one of their turbines. I think they have some radial engine jobs also. Where are you located? I live at Woodruff Lake airport not too far north east of Lakeview.

Do you know Jay Vandyke? Both of my boys used to work for him.

I don't think so but with my memory I could have met them and forgot. They used to seed from our field from time to time but not now. The trucks that load the seed do too much damage to our grass field.

Jay owns Green Light Performance on Backus Road.

We have several duster outfits around the area. Seeing a plane set down on a two lane road isn't unusual here. Don't think it would bring much of a crowd either. Those "air tractors" are indeed powerful. Designed to carry 500 gallons of water to mix with chemicals on the fly. They don't contaminate the holding tank. Takes less than 1/4 mile to take off on a smooth runway, better into the wind.

Our fire department was given a two hour tour so to speak, at one of the crop duster's places. The purpose was to show us what to do in case of a crash and rescue situation. These planes are unique and very expensive, as the article indicates. Yes, that engine will cost a lot to rebuild, but the airframe is pretty special, and of course, the pilot has some value too!

I was passing through Stephenville Tx about 3 weeks ago. Came upon an accident scene, firetrucks, police cars, the usual... Until I got close enough to see, there on the side of the road, an upside down airplane!

Not something you see everyday!

Found out later it was a professional rodeo rider, his wife, and their dogs, that were in town for a local rodeo. They had left the airport, lost power, turned around to get back to the airport. Didn't quite make it, hooked the power lines with the landing gear, flipped upside down half in the road, half in the front yard of a house. The dogs were injured worse than the people, but all survived.

Ray, Thanks for posting the link to the story. I pass Anderson & Girls every morning on my way to work, and when I drove by Tuesday, I wondered what happened. I knew it wasn't put down there just for show and tell, but that's all I knew.

Interesting article. Good ending. BUT, let me inform you all that the prop on that plane or any other plane does NOT turn at 41,000 rpm, not even close to that. More like 2000 + or -.

I guess a few years ago the sprayers were behind so they were sticking anyone with an aviation license in the planes. They told one guy he was flying too high and not getting good coverage. Came back with milo hanging from the landing gear.

Another time two guys tried spraying adjacent fields not knowing the other was there. After a very near miss the one that almost hit the other told him about it. "Never saw you how close were you?" Told him what brand of cigarettes he smoked that day.

Legend has it one time, someone forgot there was a pivot ahead of him and went under it. He went under with the wheels on the ground or there was a low spot there. If he did.

Talked to guy about 35 years ago, his plane was being repaired, vacuum pump was off, mechanic told him it was ok to fly as it had a backup, vacuum pump that was off had an oil feed, so he took off, didn't get very far before he ran out of oil. This was over Albany NY he landed on I 787 said he just looked for a space between the cars. I saw the newspaper story.

(quoted from post at 07:58:07 04/12/15) Propeller spinning at 41,000 RPM??? The writer must have gotten N1 and the prop confused.

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Those planes are called Air Tractors, the engine they use are turbo props. so 41,000 rpm would not be unheard of, the plane itself costs about $750,000 while the engines run in excess of $1,000,000. around here they buy the plane and then lease the engine, HP ratings on the engine is 1000+hp

The engine is probably a PT-6(which I have some experience with) but regardless of prop or turboprop, all turn roughly the same speed(2200-
2500 rpm). 41,000 would refer internally to the turbine speed. I assume the writer googled it or something and got confused.