INSIGHT


from Sebastien Widmer, pilot


THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN THIS MISSION IS STRONG KNOWLEDGE OF THE TERRAIN. You must know all the potential obstacles, by spending many hours on the ground and visiting the plots. There’s a lot of computer work to define a treatment circuit, because you must start spraying at a precise point and follow a flight plan until the end of the spraying session.


People from vineyards follow us on the ground to make sure that roads are blocked in certain areas where traffic is heavy. The pilot must be aware of currents, for example: if there’s a wind descending the terrain, the pilot will start work at the bottom of the vines and then continue up to the upper plots to avoid flying into the spray and dirtying the aircraft windows. If the windows are smudged, you must be able to fly up to 25 minutes before returning to the filling site without a clear view outside, which is risky and not comfortable. The position of the sun is also decisive for flight itineraries; you can’t work with the sun in your eyes when you’re so close to the ground.


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