Olney, TX
Leland Snow, 1956
For over 40 years, Leland Snow has been manufacturing agricultural aircraft: first the Snow, then the Thrush, and since 1972, the Air Tractor. These planes have played a major role in the history of agricultural aviation. Over 2000 Snow-designed and manufactured aircraft have rolled off the Olney, Texas assembly line and into the hands of operators throughout the world.
Design work on Snow's first ag-airplane, the S-1, began in 1951 and was test flown in 1953. It was used for dusting and spraying in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and in Nicaragua until 1957. This was followed by the S-2A and S-2B which were the first models built when Snow moved to production facilities in Olney, Texas in 1958.
Snow sold his company to Rockwell - Standard in 1965 and was appointed a Vice-President of the Aero Commander division. During this time, the S-2R was developed and named the Thrush. The first 100 Thrushes were built at the Olney Division before the plant was closed and the Thrush production moved to Georgia in 1970.
Snow resigned from Rockwell and spent the next two years designing the Air Tractor. Construction began in 1972 on the AT-300, which later became the AT-301. Air Tractor's first turbine model, the AT-302, was introduced in 1977.
Today, Air Tractor produces about 100 planes a year, with an extensive product line that includes 400, 500, 630, and 800 gallon capacity planes powered by Pratt & Whitney piston or turbine engines. Whether utilized for spraying, seeding, fertilization, or firefighting work, operators choose Air Tractor because it is regarded as one of the most productive, highest quality, and cost effective ag planes on the market.
