Air Tractor AT-502 (Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engine) N4531K (sn 502-0102) - Glades AG Service Inc. Photo taken Oct. 31, 2010 Belle Glade State Mun. Airport - Belle Glade, FL - USA (X10 / KX10) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

The Air Tractor AT-500 is a family of agricultural aircraft that first flew in the United States on 25 April 1986, manufactured by Air Tractor Inc. Of monoplane low-wing, taildragger configuration, they carry a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit. Compared with their predecessor, the AT-500 family mostly feature a wingspan increased to 50 ft (15.2 m), and an additional fuselage stretch of 22 in (56 cm), allowing for a larger chemical hopper. Almost all variants have a second seat for a passenger or observer.

Variants

Air Tractor AT-500
Prototype.

Air Tractor AT-501
Piston-powered version with Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine.

Air Tractor AT-502
Single-seat version. Pratt & Whitney PT6A series engine

Air Tractor AT-502A
Single-seat version. Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45R engine. Engine SHP: 1,100 @ 1,700 RPM

Air Tractor AT-502B
Single-seat version. Pratt & Whitney PT6A-15AG engine. Engine SHP: 680 @ 2200 RPM

Air Tractor AT-503
Main production version with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine and two seats.

Air Tractor AT-503A
Dual-control trainer version of AT-503 with shorter AT-401 wings

Air Tractor AT-504
Spray plane and trainer version with Pratt & Whitney PT6-34AG engine and two seats (side-by-side cockpit seating).

Specifications (AT-503)

General characteristics
Crew: one pilot
Capacity:
1 passenger
502 US gal (1,900 L) chemicals
Length: 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Height: 9 ft 9½ in (2.99 m)
Wing area: 288.0 ft2 (26.76 m2)
Empty weight: 4,650 lb (2,109 kg)
Gross weight: 10,480 lb (4,754 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45R turboprop, 1,100[2] hp (820 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 220 mph (340 km/h)
Range: 800 miles (1,287 km)
Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (10,975 m)
Rate of climb: 3,500 ft/min (1,067 m/s)