Aerial spraying planes spotted over Plano

Residents living in the southwestern part of Plano near the Dallas border may have seen some aerial spraying Friday night even though Collin County opted out of the plan to crack down on area mosquitoes.

Plano resident Frank Hinckley, who lives near Plano Parkway and Mira Vista Boulevard, said he saw a plane fly over back and forth over his neighborhood six times in a "grid-like" pattern shortly after 9:15 p.m. Friday while walking with his dog toward Steeplechase Park.

Hinckley, a former American Airlines pilot, said he observed the plane flying 300 feet above ground in a straight path over Wayfarer Drive, its navigation lights illuminating a "fog-like" mist emitting from the wings that became visible against the streetlights upon hitting the ground minutes later.

"I could taste something on my tongue, and it smelled kind of like a poison," he said. "It may be that one of the neighbors had poisoned their yard or something, but I'm pretty sure that it was coming from the airplane."

The spraying plan was launched Thursday at the behest of Dallas County, which had lost 11 residents to acute illness caused by West Nile Virus and a total of 270 human cases of the disease. Another round followed Friday, and three more treatments covered the Dallas area Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Geoffrey Heinicke, environmental health manager for the city of Plano, said Monday the city has received three or four reports of spray planes appearing in Plano skies, though none of the reports describe material being released from the aircraft at the time of the sighting.

Coverage maps released by the city of Dallas show Friday's aerial spraying occurring only south of President George Bush Turnpike in Dallas, with the planes looping back toward the coverage area over Hinckley's neighborhood but not releasing any pesticides.

Laura McGowan, a spokeswoman for Clarke, the company Dallas County hired to perform the spraying, said the planes often release the material up to two miles away from the intended destination, using the speed and direction of the wind to carry the microscopic droplets to the targeted area without landing directly below the point of release.

"It can take between five and 20 minutes for the droplets to actually come near the ground," she said. "They're so small they really float, and that's why we don't spray when the wind speed is less than a mile an hour, because we want to make sure the droplets are moving and getting to where they need to be."

McGowan also said it is nearly impossible to see Duet, the chemical sprayed from the aircraft, coming from the wings at night due to the extremely small size of the droplets. The chemical is odorless, tasteless and approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency, she said.

Plano City Manager Bruce Glasscock said Tuesday the city opted out of the spraying partially due to resident concerns regarding the safety of the pesticides. He also said the city had no prior knowledge that the planes might release the pesticide over Plano with the intention of it landing in Dallas.

"At no time did they ever tell us they would do a release over Plano," he said.

Heinicke said Wednesday that the city contacted Dallas County's liason with the Texas Department of State Health Services, who said the planes' computerized equipment senses the wind speed and direction before releasing the pesticide, minimizing the chances of any material landing in Plano.

"We knew there were going to be some flight patterns over the city, but the application method wasn't shared with us," Heinicke said. "That would have been helpful for us to have known that so we could answer some of those questions and calls when we get them from the public."

Collin County Judge Keith Self said while some reports have come into the commissioners court of spray planes flying over Collin County, it is not uncommon for such aircraft to release pesticides away from the intended target due to wind conditions.

"They're certainly close to the cities that are spraying, Richardson and Dallas, and I have to assume that they are not lost," he said. "So I suspect it's all in their calculations."

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...