Air Tractor AT-301

Air Tractor · United States · first flew 1974 · light aircraft

The Air Tractor AT-301 is a single-seat agricultural aircraft designed by Leland Snow and produced by Air Tractor Inc., powered by a 600 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine and capable of carrying a large chemical hopper for crop dusting and spraying operations. It established the design template for the highly successful Air Tractor family.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsLow-mounted, tapered
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage8.61 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

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Spot it by:

Low-wing monoplane with a large rounded chemical hopper ahead of the single-seat cockpit, a prominent radial engine cowling, and wide-chord wings optimised for slow-speed agricultural work.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Leland Snow founded Air Tractor in 1972 after his earlier Snow Aeronautical designs, and the AT-301 became the first production aircraft from the new company, entering service from the mid-1970s. It proved rugged and capable, forming the basis for the turboprop AT-400 and AT-500 series that followed.

Variants

The AT-301 was succeeded by the turboprop-powered AT-302 and later the AT-400 and AT-502 series; a floatplane conversion was also available for some models.

Where you'll see it

Widely used by agricultural aviation operators across the United States and exported to numerous countries for crop protection work; many remain in active service decades after production.

Related aircraft

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