The new Air Tractor AT-504 ag aircraft is a side-by-side trainer that has full capability for aerial application. The ranks of experienced ag pilots are being thinned by age so it is essential that new, younger pilots be trained in the demanding flying of aerial application. But the high-performance agplanes from Air Tractor and others are single-seat airplanes. The operating margins are so thin in the industry that few, if any, operators can afford an airplane dedicated to pilot training, so the new AT-504 can do both.
The AT-504 is based on Air Tractor's workhorse AT-502B with Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop power. The cockpit is widened to allow room for two pilot seats with the necessary controls. The trainer has the same speeds and flying qualities, and very nearly the same carrying capability, as the standard airplane so it can do essentially the same work. The first AT-504 is being delivered to a large sugar cane grower in Indonesia. For more information, call 940/564-5616.
