Ayres Thrush

The Ayres Thrush, formerly the Snow S-2, the Aero Commander Ag Commander and the Rockwell Thrush Commander, is one of the most successful and long-lived agricultural aircraft in the world. Nearly 2,000 have been sold since the first example flew almost fifty years ago. Typical of agricultural aircraft, it is a single-seat low-wing monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration. Originally powered by a radial piston engine, most examples produced since the 1980s have been turboprop-powered.

The Thrush was designed by Leland Snow and first flew in 1956, and before long was being produced in series as the S-2 by the company he founded, Snow Aeronautical. In 1965, the corporation and all its assets were purchased by the Aero Commander division of Rockwell, which put it into production alongside the CallAir A-9 that it had also acquired, branding both unrelated (though similar) machines as "Ag Commanders". When Rockwell dropped the Aero Commander brand, the S-2 was renamed the "Thrush Commander".

In 1977, Rockwell sold off the production rights to the aircraft and the production facility at Albany, Georgia, which were purchased by Ayres Corporation, a firm which had been built on retro-fitting turboprop engines to Thrush Commanders. On June 30, 2003, Ayres' assets were purchased by Thrush Aircraft, the current producer of the aircraft.

Ayres also attempted to market a militarised version as the Ayres Vigilante, intended for the Close Support role, but this failed to attract customers.

Variants

Snow Aeronautical

• S-2A - single prototype, powered by Pratt & Whitney R-985
• S-2B - initial production version
• S-2C - refined production version
  • S-2C-600 - S-2C re-engined with Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN1
• S-2D

Aero Commander

• S-2D Ag Commander

Rockwell

• Thrush Commander 600
• Thrush Commander 800 - powered by Wright R-1300

Ayres

• S-2R 1340 - equivalent to Thrush Commander 600
• S-2R 1820 or Bull Thrush
• Pezetel Thrush - powered by PZL-3
• S-2R-T - turboprop powered versions equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engines:
  • S-2R-T11
  • S-2R-T15
  • S-2R-T34
  • S-2R-T65 - "Narcotics Eradication Delivery System" for the US State Department

• S-2R-G - turboprop powered versions equipped with AlliedSignal TPE331 engines:
  • S-2R-G6
  • S-2R-G10

Specifications (Thrush Commander 600)

General Characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Capacity: 370 US gal (1,514 l) or 3,270 lb (1,487 kg) of chemicals
• Length: 29 ft 5 in (8.95 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m)
• Height: 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
• Wing area: 326 ft² (30.3 m²)
• Empty: 3,700 lb (1,678 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 6,000 lb (2,720 kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Pratt & Whitney R-1340, 600 hp (450 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 140 mph (225 km/h)
• Range: 405 miles (648 km)
• Service ceiling: ft ( m)
• Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (225 m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Related content

Related development: Snow S-1

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence: S-1 - S-2