Ayres

Slagorde · Vliegtuigfabrikanten · Verenigde Staten

Ayres

Ayres Corporation

A Thrush crop-duster dealer bought the factory, armoured the aircraft for the US war on drugs, then bet the company and a Czech aircraft maker on a FedEx feeder freighter, and lost.

Defunct 2001Status
7Vliegtuigen geregistreerd
1Luchtmachteenheden die met dit type vliegtuigen vliegen
Photo: Olachue / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
LandVerenigde StatenOprichtersFred AyresHoofdkwartierAlbany, GeorgiaStatusDefunct 2001
Het verhaal

Ayres: the company and the aircraft that made its name

The dealer who bought the factory

Fred Ayres made his name selling and modifying the Thrush, Leland Snow’s rugged single-seat crop-sprayer that had passed from Snow Aeronautical to Rockwell. His company specialised in fitting turboprops to Thrush Commanders. On 23 November 1977 Ayres bought the whole business: Rockwell’s Albany, Georgia, factory and the production rights. Under Ayres the Thrush gained two-seat and turboprop versions, plus the Bull Thrush and a Polish-engined Pezetel Thrush, and by 1981 the company was even running a school for crop-dusting pilots.

Armoured crop-dusters

The Thrush’s strength and load-carrying made it useful for a darker kind of spraying. For the US State Department Ayres built the Narcotics Eradication Delivery System, a Turbo Thrush with an armoured cockpit and engine to survive ground fire over drug crops; nine were sold between 1983 and 1985. In 1989 it developed the V-1-A Vigilante, a PT6A-powered Thrush with FLIR and six pylons for up to 1,200 lb of weapons, but no military customer came forward. A 1993 deal to sell ten Turbo Thrushes to Iran was blocked by sanctions.

The Loadmaster gamble

In 1996, encouraged by Federal Express, Ayres began the LM200 Loadmaster, a single-propeller freighter driven by two coupled turboprops and designed to carry 7,500 lb of parcels. To build it, Ayres bought the Czech aircraft maker LET in September 1998. The programme drained the company. In 2001 creditors foreclosed, Ayres went bankrupt and the Loadmaster was cancelled. Thrush Aircraft bought the Albany assets in 2003 and still builds the Thrush, of which almost 2,000 have been sold since 1956.

A Thrush crop-duster dealer bought the factory, armoured the aircraft for the US war on drugs, then bet the company and a Czech aircraft maker on a FedEx feeder freighter, and lost.Ayres · verified 2026-10-03
In één oogopslag

Ayres in numbers

Het bedrijf

Kortom
Thrush maker 1977–2001

  • Owned and run by Fred Ayres; began as a Thrush distributor and converter
  • Bought Rockwell’s Albany, Georgia, Thrush factory on 23 November 1977
  • Bought LET of the Czech Republic in 1998
  • Bankrupt in 2001; assets to Thrush Aircraft in 2003

Productie

Het meest bekend om
Thrush

  • S2R piston and S2R-T Turbo Thrush crop-sprayers
  • NEDS armoured narcotics-eradication Thrush, 9 sold
  • V-1-A Vigilante armed Thrush, 1989
  • LM200 Loadmaster freighter, cancelled 2001

Vandaag

Nu
Opgeheven

  • Thrush still built in Albany by Thrush Aircraft
  • Almost 2,000 Thrushes sold across all makers since 1956

De cijfers

NEDS Thrushes sold to the State Department
91983–1985
Thrushes sold (all makers)
almost 2,000
Loadmaster design payload
7,500 lb
Het vliegtuig

Every notable Ayres aircraft

Vliegtuig Rol Eerste vlucht Gebouwd Status Opmerking
Ayres S2R Thrush Agricultural aircraft In productie Radial-engined versions incl. S-2R 1340 and 1820; built today by Thrush Aircraft
Ayres S2R-T Turbo Thrush Turboprop agricultural aircraft In dienst PT6A powered
Ayres Bull Thrush Agricultural aircraft Gepensioneerd
Ayres Pezetel Thrush Agricultural aircraft Gepensioneerd Polish PZL-3 radial engine
Ayres Thrush NEDS Armoured narcotics-eradication sprayer 9 Gepensioneerd US State Department
Ayres V-1-A Vigilante Close air support aircraft 1989 Gepensioneerd No customers
Ayres LM200 Loadmaster Feeder cargo aircraft Gepensioneerd Launched 1996 for FedEx; cancelled 2001
Wie vliegt ermee?

Ayres aircraft in the world’s air forces

1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Ayres types. Geen van hen heeft er nog een in gebruik.

Luchtmacht In dienst Voorheen gevlogen
Luchtmachtvleugel van de Belize Defence Force Ayres lijster
Plaatsen, mensen, archieven

Where Ayres built, who led it, what it achieved

Fabrieken

  • Albany plant · Albany, Georgia — Built by Rockwell in 1965; Ayres 1977–2001; now Thrush Aircraft
  • LET Kunovice · Kunovice, Czech Republic — Owned 1998–2001

Mensen

  • Fred Ayres · owner
Tijdlijn

Ayres, year by year

1956

Leland Snow’s Thrush first flies

1977

Ayres buys Rockwell’s Thrush factory at Albany

1981

Crop-dusting training school in operation

1983

First armoured NEDS Thrush for the State Department

1989

V-1-A Vigilante developed

1993

Sale of ten Turbo Thrushes to Iran blocked by sanctions

1996

LM200 Loadmaster launched with FedEx encouragement

1998

Ayres buys LET of the Czech Republic

2001

Creditors foreclose; bankruptcy and Loadmaster cancelled

2003

Thrush Aircraft buys Ayres’ assets

De stamboom

Before and after Ayres

Kwam eerderRockwell Internationalsold the Thrush line and Albany plant, 1977Lees de pagina van Rockwell InternationalKwam daarnaLaat Kunovicesubsidiary 1998–2001Lees de pagina over Let Kunovice
Vragen en antwoorden

Everything people ask about Ayres

What did Ayres Corporation build?
The Thrush agricultural aircraft, in piston and turboprop versions, from 1977 until 2001.
What was the Ayres Loadmaster?
A planned single-engine-configuration cargo aircraft for parcel carriers such as FedEx, cancelled when Ayres went bankrupt in 2001.
Did Ayres own LET?
Yes. Ayres bought the Czech manufacturer LET in September 1998 to support the Loadmaster programme.
Is the Ayres Thrush still built?
Yes, by Thrush Aircraft of Albany, Georgia, which bought Ayres’ assets in 2003.

Vervolg de rondleiding

Around Ayres

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Geverifieerd op 3 oktober 2026.