AERIAL APPLICATION COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Shear Viscosity - ✔✔Resistance to flow when fluid layers slide past each other.
Affects spray rate and droplet size
✔✔oil carrier - ✔✔Oil used to dilute pesticide; helps spread and stick to target.
✔✔Volatile - ✔✔evaporates easily at normal temperatures
✔✔Co-distillation - ✔✔a pesticide evaporates along with its carrier like water or oil even
if the pesticide isn't very volatile, because it makes contact with hot surfaces
✔✔thermals - ✔✔rising warm air currents (caused by sun-heated surfaces)
✔✔Temperature Inversions - ✔✔when cool air is trapped near the ground by a layer of
warmer air above *avoid spraying*
✔✔factors that reduce wind shear effects - ✔✔appropriate airspeed and proper nozzle
orientation
✔✔how to minimize target drift - ✔✔use larger droplets, low boom sprayer, avoid windy
conditions and high temperatures, low humidity and avoid spraying during temperature
inversions
✔✔Ideal wind for spraying - ✔✔3-10 mph
✔✔Nozzle Orientation Effects: 0 degrees - ✔✔pointed straight back, larger drops and
less drift
✔✔Nozzle Orientation Effects: 45 degrees - ✔✔medium sized droplets
✔✔Nozzle Orientation Effects: 90 degrees - ✔✔pointed directly downward- smaller
droplets, more drift
✔✔Higher Release Height and Smaller Droplets = - ✔✔More drift risk
✔✔Application Techniques: Buffer Zones - ✔✔Leave untreated swaths (1-2+ width of
swath) along downwind edges.
Come back to treat when wind shifts directions
✔✔Application Techniques: Flight speed and droplet sizes - ✔✔fly at optimum speed,
match with pump pressure to maintain larger droplets
, ✔✔Application Techniques: Application height - ✔✔8-12 ft above crop for minimal drift
✔✔Smoke generators - ✔✔used to visualize air movement at application heigh
✔✔Corrosion-Resistant Materials - ✔✔Stainless steel, brass, plastic, fiberglass, Teflon.
✔✔Corrodible materials - ✔✔steel, iron, and aluminum
✔✔Sign of leaking - ✔✔pesticide residues on belly of aircraft
✔✔What do spray pumps do - ✔✔maintain the pressure system, can also power tank
agitation system
✔✔Centrifugal pump - ✔✔Most common
High Volume, low Pressure
Output: 200+ gal/MIN
around 5000 rpm to operate
✔✔Fan Driven Pumps - ✔✔under aircraft, in propeller slipstream
✔✔Why do motor-driven pumps need extra capacity? - ✔✔To offset pressure loss from
friction and run anti-drip valves
✔✔What happens if a pump is undersized? - ✔✔Reduces swath width, causing poor
coverage and wasted fuel/time
✔✔Interior Baffles - ✔✔internal dividers designed to reduce liquid movement (slosh)
during flight
✔✔Fiberglass - ✔✔Less weight, but it absorbs pesticide liquids if scratched, which
contaminates future tank loads. is easy to repair
✔✔what are the dual uses of tanks - ✔✔hold liquids for spraying and hoppers for dry
material
✔✔Emergency dump valve - ✔✔quickly release load
✔✔Tank Vents - ✔✔prevent vacuum that would stop flow
✔✔Visual Gauge - ✔✔Shows liquid level
✔✔Hydraulic agitation - ✔✔uses spray liquid returned to tank to keep mix stirred
✔✔Purpose of filters and screens - ✔✔Protect system, prevent nozzle clogs
2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Shear Viscosity - ✔✔Resistance to flow when fluid layers slide past each other.
Affects spray rate and droplet size
✔✔oil carrier - ✔✔Oil used to dilute pesticide; helps spread and stick to target.
✔✔Volatile - ✔✔evaporates easily at normal temperatures
✔✔Co-distillation - ✔✔a pesticide evaporates along with its carrier like water or oil even
if the pesticide isn't very volatile, because it makes contact with hot surfaces
✔✔thermals - ✔✔rising warm air currents (caused by sun-heated surfaces)
✔✔Temperature Inversions - ✔✔when cool air is trapped near the ground by a layer of
warmer air above *avoid spraying*
✔✔factors that reduce wind shear effects - ✔✔appropriate airspeed and proper nozzle
orientation
✔✔how to minimize target drift - ✔✔use larger droplets, low boom sprayer, avoid windy
conditions and high temperatures, low humidity and avoid spraying during temperature
inversions
✔✔Ideal wind for spraying - ✔✔3-10 mph
✔✔Nozzle Orientation Effects: 0 degrees - ✔✔pointed straight back, larger drops and
less drift
✔✔Nozzle Orientation Effects: 45 degrees - ✔✔medium sized droplets
✔✔Nozzle Orientation Effects: 90 degrees - ✔✔pointed directly downward- smaller
droplets, more drift
✔✔Higher Release Height and Smaller Droplets = - ✔✔More drift risk
✔✔Application Techniques: Buffer Zones - ✔✔Leave untreated swaths (1-2+ width of
swath) along downwind edges.
Come back to treat when wind shifts directions
✔✔Application Techniques: Flight speed and droplet sizes - ✔✔fly at optimum speed,
match with pump pressure to maintain larger droplets
, ✔✔Application Techniques: Application height - ✔✔8-12 ft above crop for minimal drift
✔✔Smoke generators - ✔✔used to visualize air movement at application heigh
✔✔Corrosion-Resistant Materials - ✔✔Stainless steel, brass, plastic, fiberglass, Teflon.
✔✔Corrodible materials - ✔✔steel, iron, and aluminum
✔✔Sign of leaking - ✔✔pesticide residues on belly of aircraft
✔✔What do spray pumps do - ✔✔maintain the pressure system, can also power tank
agitation system
✔✔Centrifugal pump - ✔✔Most common
High Volume, low Pressure
Output: 200+ gal/MIN
around 5000 rpm to operate
✔✔Fan Driven Pumps - ✔✔under aircraft, in propeller slipstream
✔✔Why do motor-driven pumps need extra capacity? - ✔✔To offset pressure loss from
friction and run anti-drip valves
✔✔What happens if a pump is undersized? - ✔✔Reduces swath width, causing poor
coverage and wasted fuel/time
✔✔Interior Baffles - ✔✔internal dividers designed to reduce liquid movement (slosh)
during flight
✔✔Fiberglass - ✔✔Less weight, but it absorbs pesticide liquids if scratched, which
contaminates future tank loads. is easy to repair
✔✔what are the dual uses of tanks - ✔✔hold liquids for spraying and hoppers for dry
material
✔✔Emergency dump valve - ✔✔quickly release load
✔✔Tank Vents - ✔✔prevent vacuum that would stop flow
✔✔Visual Gauge - ✔✔Shows liquid level
✔✔Hydraulic agitation - ✔✔uses spray liquid returned to tank to keep mix stirred
✔✔Purpose of filters and screens - ✔✔Protect system, prevent nozzle clogs
