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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, For nearly 60 years, Leland Snow of Olney has been a |
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state and national leader in the aviation industry; and |
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WHEREAS, Known as the father of modern crop-dusting aircraft, |
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Mr. Snow designed his first agricultural airplane, the S-1, in 1951 |
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and completed test flights on the aircraft two years later; he used |
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this pioneering plane to fly dusting and spraying flights in the Rio |
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Grande Valley and in Nicaragua until 1957; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1958, Mr. Snow opened his own aircraft production |
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facility in Olney, where he began to manufacture the S-2A and S-2B |
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aircraft; he sold his company in 1965 and became vice president of |
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the Aero Commander division of Rockwell-Standard, the firm that |
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acquired his facility; in that capacity, he helped develop the |
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Thrush aircraft; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Snow left Rockwell in 1972 to design a new |
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airplane, the Air Tractor, and by 1975, after two years of test |
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flights, the Air Tractor Company had opened a new factory in Olney |
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and delivered 20 airplanes; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Mr. Snow's company has manufactured more than |
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2,000 Air Tractors and delivered them to such far-flung locations |
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as South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and |
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South Korea; the company's planes are used for crop dusting, |
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eradicating narcotic crops, fighting fires, hauling fuel, and |
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cleaning up oil spills in coastal waters; and |
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WHEREAS, Leland Snow has been at the forefront of the |
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aviation industry for more than half a century; the aircraft he has |
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designed have been a major asset for agriculture-related businesses |
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and other users, and his company has contributed greatly to the |
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economic prosperity of his community; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Leland Snow for his pioneering career in |
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agricultural aviation and extend to him sincere best wishes for |
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continued success and happiness; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Snow as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |