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Rival operators.

Tom Watson was the biggest fleet owner of Beavers in the world. 52 in number during the mid ‘70’s when spreading fertilizer was at it’s peak. He stepped up from Tiger moths and it was every ag pilots dream to work for Tom, who traded as Air Ag in NSW, Superspread in Victoria and Robbies in S.A. The Tiger had a 120hp engine and useful load of up to 4 cwt (I think). The Beaver, a 450hp supercharged Pratt and Whitney Wasp junior. It regularly carried 24cwt. Beaver pilots expected all other pilots to salute them. I suspect they mostly were offered the bird.
Ray Mackay was a former manager of Superspread and took up a business opportunity in Western Victoria and traded as Fieldair. One could say without contradiction, there was no love between them. Ray operated Pawnees which couldn’t match Beavers but they were good little spray planes. Superspread bought Callair’s for a spray aeroplane. In 1980 Ray went toTexas and acquired the local and Pacific distribution rights to sell the new Airtractor 301, then he introduced it to the rice sowing season. It is powered by a Pratt and Whitney 600hp wasp. This was in direct competition to the Beaver.
Ray delighted in telling everyone about his new “Beaver eater”. Superspread retaliatedby calling the Airtractor the “Scaretractor”. Superspread had never upgraded a single piece of machinery and were about to be left behind. Furthermore Fieldair were early in introducing the GPS. At the time $25k a piece and quite unreliable but they improved to end up a good product.
The story continues on but I have told what I was intending. My competitor was infact Fieldair and I sold to them in ’95. They had been good competitors and helpful with spare parts for my Airtractor (purchased from them in 1982) even considering I had taken considerable work from them.
I always thought it important to acknowledge gentlemanly conduct with business competitors. I also acknowledged I made my living from farmers and thanked them for their business. Even today and long out of business I will ask them if they like the paint job on my Model A’s and when they say “yes” I point out to them that it was they who paid for it. One piece of prudent advice given to me by friend Bob Caldwell of Williams California was never to drive a better car than your clients. Good advise Bob but I was never able to afford an upgrade. The restoration of the Tourer, pictured, cost the equivalent of 2 new motor cars.