Almost got hit by one when I was checking cotton for % bug infestation. The cotton was tall and I was bent over to get a boll. When I started to stand up, there was a wheel coming at me. Close enough to see the tread. It was Red Dunn in one of his biplane crop dusters. I hit the ground. Not much to worry about, since Red never really put his wheels down in the cotton. The farmers wanted the dust applied as low as possible so it wouldn’t drift off in the wind. Red apparently had plans to stay alive, so he dusted from a bit above the cotton. He was never first choice for dusting.

At one other time, I went to a farmer’s house to give him the % infestation report and there was Red’s truck, with his top wing (in two pieces) in the bed. Went in the house with the report and Red was at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and I remember that his hands were shaking badly and coffee was being spilled. Red said he had set er down hard when coming back for another load, which he took on and applied, and when he landed the second time, the top wing fell off. I remember it was his red plane. He also had a silver biplane. He did survive years of crop dusting, though he’s long dead now. He wore a scarf around his neck, like Snoopy, as the Red Baron, when he flew.

Ah, the things you remember.

BTW, Newcastle isn’t West Tx.

West of 35. West texas. West of abilene. New mexico

I do my fair share of crop dusting but not near the cool factor those have

Almost got hit by one when I was checking cotton for % bug infestation. The cotton was tall and I was bent over to get a boll. When I started to stand up, there was a wheel coming at me. Close enough to see the tread. It was Red Dunn in one of his biplane crop dusters. I hit the ground. Not much to worry about, since Red never really put his wheels down in the cotton. The farmers wanted the dust applied as low as possible so it wouldn’t drift off in the wind. Red apparently had plans to stay alive, so he dusted from a bit above the cotton. He was never first choice for dusting.

At one other time, I went to a farmer’s house to give him the % infestation report and there was Red’s truck, with his top wing (in two pieces) in the bed. Went in the house with the report and Red was at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and I remember that his hands were shaking badly and coffee was being spilled. Red said he had set er down hard when coming back for another load, which he took on and applied, and when he landed the second time, the top wing fell off. I remember it was his red plane. He also had a silver biplane. He did survive years of crop dusting, though he’s long dead now. He wore a scarf around his neck, like Snoopy, as the Red Baron, when he flew.

Ah, the things you remember.

Had a 3rd cousin nose one in the ground about 4ft, wasn't much left. He left his headquarters about 8 miles north of Thrall on a foggy morning to help spray in west Texas, only made it couple miles.

That's an Air Tractor. They're made in Olney, just North of where you saw this. They use them quite a bit in that area.