The Ayres Thrush, formerly the Snow S-2, Aero Commander Ag Commander, and Rockwell Thrush Commander,
is an American agricultural aircraft produced by Ayres Corporation and more recently by Thrush Aircraft.
This single-seat monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration is one of the most successful and
long-lived agricultural application aircraft types in the world, with almost 2,000 sold since the first
pre-production prototype Model S-2 was first flown in 1956. Originally powered by a radial piston engine, most
examples produced since the 1980s have been turboprop-powered. In 1953, Leland Snow constructed his
first crop-duster Model S-1 before graduation from Texas A&M University. The Texas A&M College
Aircraft Research Center is known from the AG-1 Agricultural plane that was designed by Fred Weick in 1950.
The AG-1 might be considered as the mother of all modern crop-sprayers in the world. The prototype Model S-1
(N5385N c/n 1001) was extensively tested in South America before the improved Model S-2 reached production.
Production of the S-2B by Snow Aeronautical Company started in 1958. North American Rockwell acquired the
design and production-rights of the S-2 series in November 1965. The S-2R was marketed by the growing Aero
Commander Division of Rockwell. In Marh 1970, Rockwell moved the entire product line from Olney,Texas to Albany,
Georgia. In November 1977, Rockwell sold the productionrights for their agriculture aircraft to Ayres Corporation.
Ayres Corporation subsequently sold the aircraft in many variants with different engines, including the Pratt
& Whitney PT6 and Garrett turbine engines. Ayres Corporation went bankrupt in 2001. As a restart, the
rights of the Thrush Commander were transferred via Quality Aerospace to the newly established Thrush Aircraft
Incorporated. In the fall of 2019, a new management team implemented a necessary restructuring of the company,
resulting in 113 employees losing their jobs. The now healthy Thrush Aircraft LLC produces and sells the spray
aircraft mainly as fire-fighting aircraft. The ICAO Aircraft Type
Designator for the Ayres S-2R-T331 Turbo Thrush is SS2T
The 1976-built Rockwell Thrush Commander 600 was registered N5632X in the USA before it was registered PH-TOY in the Netherlands.
On 28 April 1978, the aircraft was registered PH-TOY as a Ayres S2R Thrush Commander with M.J. van der Meulen-van Tienen, Oostwold.
On 15 February 1980, after the 600 hp radial engine was replaced by a Garrett TPE331 turbine engine, the registered aircraft type
was changed to Ayres S2R-T331 Turbo Thrush. The Ayres S2R-T331 Turbo Thrush PH-TOY was operated as a cropsprayer by Vliegbedrijf Tom van der
Meulen out of Oostwold (Oldambt). As the other aircraft of Tom van der Meulen, the Turbo Thrush was over the years wellknown with its signature
'tom vliegt voor U'. On 28 March 1981, Ayres S2R-T331 Turbo Thrush PH-TOY was damaged in an accident at Thorpe Abbots, UK. After repair the
aircraft returned in service. On 11 February 1986, the registered type changed to S2R. On 22 May 2006, the PH-TOY was registered with T.K. van
der Meulen, Dronten. On 25 April 2008, registration PH-TOY was cancelled as exported to the USA. On 2 Juni 2008, the Ayres S-2R was registered
N241WD with Scott Kyle J, Fort Morgan, Colorado. On 16 May 2010, the aircraft was destroyed in a fatal crash when it hit a power line while crop
spraying near Rushville, Nevada. On 19 May 2002, Ayres S-2R Turbo Thrush PH-TOY was seen at Oostwold airfield (EHWO) in service with Aero Service.
