The flying road gritter

[McColm]

 I haven't come across any business that uses aircraft to grit the roads when ice or snow is forecasted.
Weight and distribution are probably the key factors, plus low level flying in built up areas. I know that the military has a set limit of 150 feet and a special licence is needed to fly lower such as the Buccaneer not too sure if this applies to civilian or commercial aircraft.
In the whiffing world bombers or cargo aircraft. Something slow and steady avoiding cities and large towns. Motorways and A roads would be temporary closed to avoid any damage to vehicles and reopened when the aircraft had passed overhead.

[Weaver]

Would have thought a crop duster would be highly appropriate - you could get an Air Tractor or something of that ilk and paint it up in Highways Dept colours...

[Weaver]

A helicopter is the other option:



You couldn't use spray bars of course: you'd probably have to have a wedge/pyramid-shaped hopper with a rotary 'grit flinger' on the bottom of it. Since you only need one crew and payload weight will be a big issue, the ideal things would be a converted gunship (hopper each side) or a skycrane type (hopper as a slung load). A KMAX could do either.

[rickshaw]

I think an airship would be the best vehicle for this...   

[McColm]

Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming

[PR19_Kit]

A Belphegor, but you'd get complaints about the noise level. 

[zenrat]

I can picture a Hercules flying down the M1 at just above stalling speed while gangs of unhappy squaddies shovel grit out the back like locomotive firemen in reverse.

[Weaver]

Of course the problem with a helicopter is it's limited grit capacity. You don't want to keep landing to refill, so that raises the prospect of air-to-air grit replenishing. You can't pump grit under pressure and gravity is by far the most effective moved of it, so your helo would have to have a very long (to clear the rotor), very wide diameter, upwards-angled replenishing chute with a conical, open-topped funnel at it's end. The 'tanker' (a C-130 seems favorite) would have a relatively simple delivery pipe, although keeping it aligned with the funnel might require flying-boom-style steering fins and an operator.

[Weaver]

I can picture a Hercules flying down the M1 at just above stalling speed while gangs of unhappy squaddies shovel grit out the back like locomotive firemen in reverse.

It needs to be painted yellow, have an orange flashing light on top and the word 'SPREADING' printed on the inside of the flaps and the underside of the wings...

Dapol do a railways workmen set in 1/76th, although they might have trouble keeping their pipes lit on the open ramp of a C-130.

[McColm]

Got an Airfix AC-130H in the stash and a flying boom. Might paint it in Top Gear colours, and ditch the flame thrower

[Weaver]

Crop duster kits: