[url=https://flic.kr/p/6F8dUo][/url]Farm Plane by Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M, on Flickr

For those unfamiliar with the back story, when "crop dusters" were first used, they were converted versions of other aircraft. The Sterman biplane trainer was a favorite base. AG-1 was the first plane built specifically to apply Ag chemicals from the air. It was built at A&M by Fred Weick, of Piper Aircraft. It was the prototype for what would become the PA-25 Piper Pawnee.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_A%26M_College_Ag-1



So it's fair to say that it was a historically significant aircraft. Does anyone know what ever happened to it? Is it in a museum somewhere, a warehouse at A&M, or did it get scrapped out?

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Andy, just as a sidebar, the AG-1 airframe used to hang on one wall of a hangar at the old Bryan AFB near Bryan/College Station, Texas; the AFB was administratively under the control of Texas A&M University, and still is. George Aldrich came to the campus several times in '64/'65 to measure and take pictures of the AG-1 in preparation for publication of his AG-1 Duster stunter. I started college at Texas A&M in 1965 and helped move some of the AG-1 parts during the measuring. The AG-1 parts were hung right next to the original Fred Weick Ercoupe airframe, which is now at the Smithsonian. Steve_P.

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https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1757827-Build-Thread-UMX-Texas-A-M-AG-1-from-Air-Trails-1952

This says it collided with a powerline in 1953 and was mostly destroyed. ( the pilot walked away)

It's a very cool story, thanks for bringing it to my attention.

And, even more. Go to page 11 for an account of the crash.

PDF file

Looks like it is a taped interview of Weick, so lots of good aviation nerd stuff. And on page 17....

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Mr. George Wing in the Los Angeles area......He then desired to expand this activity to include the production of the agricultural airplanes themselves and he purchased the blueprints and reports for the .AB'-1. After the Ag-1 crashed, he desired to purchase the wreckage. It was therefore put up for bids, which he won, and the wreckage was shipped to his plant in Torrance, California, where he used it together with the drawings and technical information on the Ag-1 as a guide n designing a similar but more powerful agricultural airplane.

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And an earlier thread on the plane

https://texags.com/forums/49/topics/2605736

I grew up watching "Air Tractors" as we called them dust our fields and the fields around ours. That's what got me interested in flying. Got my license while at A&M. If I ever win the lottery, I want to build a Stuka and turn it into a cropduster, just because.