[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 138 (Tuesday, August 3, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST AERIAL APPLICATION MADE BY 
                              AN AIRPLANE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 3, 2021

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a 
very special anniversary for our country, an anniversary that 
exemplifies American ingenuity in aviation and agriculture--two 
industries very dear and important to me as well as vital to our 
planet. This anniversary is that of the first aerial agriculture 
aircraft taking flight. This type of aircraft makes it possible to feed 
not just America, but the entire globe.
  Exactly 100 years ago today, on August 3, 1921, Lt. John Macready 
piloted a modified Curtiss JN-6 ``Super Jenny'' over a plot of catalpa 
trees. Macready had a passenger that used a hand-crank 10 dispense lead 
arsenate from a rudimentary hopper, which helped eradicate insects that 
were harming the crucial crops. Crop-dusting, now also known as aerial 
application or agricultural aviation, was born.
  Today's agricultural aviation industry consists of 1,560 aerial 
application businesses that make aerial applications in all 50 states. 
The average agricultural pilot has approximately 25 years of 
experience. These pilots treat 127 million acres, or approximately 28 
percent of cropland, each year. That means that just under a third of 
the food, fiber, and bioenergy produced in the United States today 
receives an aerial application. Not only does agricultural aviation 
feed our population--but it protects forests and eradicates disease-
carrying pests. The industry's ability to constantly evolve to the 
technological needs of the nation over the past hundred years is why 
aerial applicators have remained so important for a century.
  Certainly, the future will be filled with unimaginable advances just 
as the past has. Lt. Macready in 1921 likely never could have imagined 
flying a massive aircraft, led by orbiting satellites and warned of 
weather, to a specific plot of farmland. Agricultural aviation's 
history is the story of agriculture's history--which is the story of 
American innovation. It is a story of adaptation and overcoming 
challenges for the public good. We give thanks to the industry and 
those that gave their lives to the industry. Please join me in wishing 
a happy 100th anniversary to this great American invention, and in 
looking forward to many, many more anniversaries in the future.

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