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The Central-Lamson L.101 Air Tractor was a specially designed single-seater, open cockpit, agricultural biplane of unconventional appearance designed for all kinds of agricultural work including dusting, spraying, seeding, fertilizing and weed killing. It was a biplane of steel-tube construction, partially fabric-covered and powered by a Pratt And Whitney R-985 nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engine.
The fuselage, of surprisingly good aerodynamic form, was of welded steeltube covered with aluminium sheet. The equal-span wings comprise inboard metal stubs, the upper pair of which were raked upwards to give a gull-wing effect, and interchangeable wood and fabric outer panels each provided with an aileron and a large end-plate. The pilot was seated well aft, to the rear of the 15 cu. ft. hopper which had a maximum capacity of 2,000 lb. The prototype Air Tractor first flew in December 1953 and the first production machine one year later.
Distinctive features of the machine resulted from more than a decade of experience gained by Central Aircraft, of Yakima, Washington State, which specialized in "aerial farming," plus suggestions from scores of crop-dusting operators, and co-operation in design and construction by the Lamson Aircraft Company, which was based in Seattle. Claims that "production of the Air Tractor ceased in 1955" seem largely exaggerated since it seems only two prototypes were built [N31237, N31238].
More on the Air Tractor:
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954 - 3007.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954 - 3008.html
The fuselage, of surprisingly good aerodynamic form, was of welded steeltube covered with aluminium sheet. The equal-span wings comprise inboard metal stubs, the upper pair of which were raked upwards to give a gull-wing effect, and interchangeable wood and fabric outer panels each provided with an aileron and a large end-plate. The pilot was seated well aft, to the rear of the 15 cu. ft. hopper which had a maximum capacity of 2,000 lb. The prototype Air Tractor first flew in December 1953 and the first production machine one year later.
Distinctive features of the machine resulted from more than a decade of experience gained by Central Aircraft, of Yakima, Washington State, which specialized in "aerial farming," plus suggestions from scores of crop-dusting operators, and co-operation in design and construction by the Lamson Aircraft Company, which was based in Seattle. Claims that "production of the Air Tractor ceased in 1955" seem largely exaggerated since it seems only two prototypes were built [N31237, N31238].
More on the Air Tractor:
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954 - 3007.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954 - 3008.html
