This Kamov Ka-26 was manufactured in 1976 in Kumertau, Russia. It started agricultural flights in Hungarian Air Service until 1989 than first self-employed agricultural-aviation company bought her, and she was flying Eastern Hungary, stationed in Tiszacsege. After this corporation fall into small parts she has been moved to Pápa to a small aviation company, works with two Kamov Ka-26s.
HA-MNO has been stopped in 2008 and she was standing in one place for 5 years.

2013 early spring I got a call from my friend, that an agricultural helicopter is going to spray liquid fertilizer near Szomor, we should check it out.

That was a very big surprise for us to find HA-MNO in the farm. It was early in the morning and there was light frost. There was thin layer of ice on the rotorblades, so after the team arrived they had to clean them with brush.

The mechanic twisted the engines with a wrench, because during the night in radial engines the oil flows down into the lower cylinders and the temperature is low, the oil become solid so it has to be moved. During the twist the rotors are rotating because of the solid oil the clutch can not be released.
The chief mechanic starts the engines. At the beginning of the startup the pilot is running with the blades to make it easier to start the engines (because of the solid oil).

[ Ссылка ]

During the take off we can see how powerfull can be a Kamov Ka-26 in could mornings, it goes up like a rocket! : )

[ Ссылка ]

The liquid fertilizer helps the growth of the plants and it is absorbs faster than the solid fertilizer. It has high specific gravity so it is quite hard the helicopter to take off with full fuel and chemicals.
At first the pilot checks out the hovering ability at full load and if it is correct, he continues the take off.

[ Ссылка ]

This helicopter type is very good for agricultural flights, because the rotor blades are making big, consistent vortexes. The vortex moves the chemicals in ways that it can reach every parts of the plants.

[ Ссылка ]

свернуть