Flying Horse Ltd in conjunction with Heli-Highland Ltd and PDG Helicopters are recognised as world experts in bracken control.
Bracken Spraying in Scotland
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Bracken is a very invasive weed that is covering large areas of Scotland and Northern England. It harbours Ticks which carry the Louping Ill virus and the plant itself is considered carcinogenic. The complicated root system undermines buildings and stone walls. It also covers large areas of valuable grouse and pheasant hunting grounds.
The problem with controlling bracken is that there is a very short time span in the plant’s life where spraying is effective. Also the denseness of the plant and the difficult terrain it grows on makes ground spraying not only ineffective but in some cases dangerous as the ground sprayer cannot see potential hazards. Aerial spraying is the only way that large areas of bracken can be controlled safely and efficiently.
Dave Latham of Flying Horse Ltd is a recognised expert in Aerial Spraying. With over 10,000 hours flying time and an extensive knowledge of spray techniques he is the pilot of choice for your bracken spraying.
Kenny McGillivray of Heli-Highland Ltd is the man who makes it all happen. With over 25 years experience on bracken control Kenny’s knowledge is unsurpassed.
As Operations manager Kenny is responsible for the logistics of spraying thousands of acres in Scotland, England and Ireland. With only a six week period when the bracken is fit to spray this takes a lot of organising!
Of course the most important machine in aerial spraying is the helicopter and that’s where PDG Helicopters come in. They provide the AS350B2 Squirrel Helicopter with state of the art spray gear and the latest DGPS technology. PDG Helicopters are the largest onshore helicopter company in the UK and as such provide excellent operational assistance from their various bases.
Using such a large machine has obvious advantages: being able to carry a larger spray load means less ferrying to and from the load site. We can do the job quicker and more efficiently than the small machines other operators use. We use the down draft from those big rotors to push the chemical right into the bracken, resulting in a far better kill.
We also use DGPS and a pilot who knows what he is doing.
What is DGPS?
DGPS stands for Differential Global Positioning System. This uses satellite technology for positioning and mapping of where you have been. So the pilot uses the DGPS for guidance in the spray block and at the end of the job a map of what has been sprayed is produced which can be downloaded and overlaid onto your farm map.
This guidance system is only a tool to assist an experienced pilot as it only shows where you have been. The pilot needs years of experience to be able to fly a spray block accurately, efficiently and above all safely.
For spraying enquiries in the Northern Hemisphere please contact Kenny on +44(0)7790018529 or email helihighland@lineone.net
For spraying in the Southern Hemisphere please contact Dave on +64 (0)3213 1200
Or email flyinghorse@xtra.co.nz
