Known the “father of aerial application,” Air Tractor founder Leland Snow died at the age of 80 last week, while jogging near his Wichita Falls, Texas, home. According to AgAir Update, Snow built his first purpose-built cropduster in 1953 at the age of 23 and went on to build thousands of the iconic aircraft with radial and turbine engines. His aircraft are in service around the world and are used for a variety of purposes besides spraying crops.
The Wipaire-modified Fire Boss is an Air Tractor on amphibious floats that collects water from lakes and rivers to allow rapid reloading for firefighting. Air Tractor’s latest model can carry up to 1,000 gallons of agricultural chemical or fire retardant. The memorial service for Snow was held Saturday.
