It is often said that helicopters do not fly, they just beat the air into compliance… But it is exactly this strange way of staying in the air that makes them so uniquely suitable for tasks no other flying machine can perform.
What about using the down-wash from helicopter rotors to warm the air below?
Outlandish? Not at all. This is exactly what crop farmers are doing currently in Florida as it suffers through an icy cold spell.
May be it comes as a surprise but sunny and warm Florida does occasionally get hit by freezing weather, something that can devastate the state’s agriculture. Florida is the largest winter producer of sweet corn in the US.
So how is this trick with the choppers done?
The air higher up over the fields is warmer and as a helicopter moves back and forth, its rotor pushes the warmer air downwards, raising the temperature at ground level a degree or two. However small this change may be, it is often sufficient to save crops from destruction.
This is not a cheap way of fighting frost but in view of the extremely high stakes Florida growers face, the investment is worth it.
Next time you eat corn on the cob think of the extreme versatility of modern aviation…