INTERNATIONAL
On Target by Ted Delanghe
Along with this new generation of aircraft came a new generation of the Tiede family
A 10 | agairupdate.com
In the modern ag aviation world of turbines, GPS navigation, 500-gallon plus hoppers, flow control and digital readouts, we tend to forget that it has not always been that way. In 1966, a newly minted pilot by the name of Ralph Tiede bought a Piper Pawnee and started Target Airspray, a fledgling aerial application business near Strathmore, Alberta, about 20 miles due east of Calgary. It was all eyeball, stick and rudder flying, ground flaggers and with a 45-foot swath and 120-gallon loads, a whole lot of takeoffs and landings on runways, roads, fields, or just about anywhere that could accommodate the Pawnee. Given its small size, that indeed meant just about anywhere. The business grew in size and so did the aircraft. Ralph partnered with Neil McClain, first with two Cessna 180s, followed by an S-2D Snow, granddaddy of the Thrush and Air Tractor families of aircraft that would soon follow in its footsteps. Designed by Leland Snow in the mid ‘50s the S-2
was one of the first aircraft designed from the getgo solely for aerial application, featuring a P&W R1340 600 hp radial, a 300-gallon hopper and an ultra strong airframe. Affectionately called a tractor with wings, it ushered in a new era in the design and operation of ag aircraft. Along with this new generation of aircraft came a new generation of the Tiede family, with son Darren born to Ralph and Joan the same year Ralph started flying. Given those major events, not to mention growing up around aircraft, it is no surprise that Darren would sooner or later be in the ag aviation business. After earning his Commercial Pilot’s License, Darren began his spraying career in 1988. Following in the Tiede tradition of having two major events coincide, he married Cheryl that same year. Once again the Tiede family and Target Airspray continued to grow in tandem with Darren and Cheryl having four children: Ben, Diana, Kathleen and Evan. Soon Ralph and Darren were
