Botucatu, Brazil  the Ipanema agricultural aircraft reached 1,200 units delivered. In 2011, 58 of the aircraft were sold in Brazil and the Mercosur region, for an increase of 45% over the previous year.

“The evolution of the Ipanema, with its new technologies, has transformed the airplane into a symbol of aviation sustainability,” said Fábio Bertoldi Carretto, Embraer’s Ipanema Sales Manager. “The product’s reliability has been proven, throughout more than 40 years of uninterrupted production. Studies are constantly made to improve the aircraft, which is now powered by ethanol, focusing on customers’ needs and the sustainability of agribusiness.”

“The main advantages of the Ipanema, over land-based spraying machines, are its lower operating cost, greater output, and less environmental impact,” said Bruno Ricardo de Vasconcelos, owner Director of Sana Agro Aérea Ltda. “The airplane is very adequate for the needs of companies like ours, which seek to offer customers a competitive edge in the spraying business.”

 This alternative source of renewable energy is derived from sugar cane. The Ipanema agricultural aircraft has about a 75% share. It is used mainly for crop dusting, which avoids crops being crushed by machinery tires and makes the operation more flexible. It can also be used for fighting fires, seeding rivers with fish, and spraying pesticides to protect against insects and larvae.

Source: Embraer