Air Tractor AT-503

1 × Turboprop Unpressurized Low Wing • Conventional

Range Map

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+ cargo

Payload vs. Range

Occupants:

Fuel on board

Cargo

Range

Cargo is additional payload after occupants and baggage.

Adjust payload

full tanks

Available Range / nm

Mission capable. This load flies with full fuel.

Fuel reduced by . left aboard for nm range.

Over max payload by . At this load it cannot lift a single occupant.

Trip Preview

Mission Profile

Used market

136

KTAS

Cruise Speed

430

Max Range

Service Ceiling

Occupants

4,691

lbs

Wet Payload

Endorsements & ratings:

High-Performance
Tailwheel

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the Air Tractor AT-503

Type certificated 1986 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet

Overview

The Air Tractor AT-503 is the tandem two-seat member of the AT-500 series, type-certificated in 1986 and built in far smaller numbers than the single-seat AT-502B it shares an airframe with. Where the 502 is a pure one-seat applicator, the 503 adds a second cockpit with dual controls, a configuration Air Tractor developed for the U.S. State Department’s coca and poppy eradication contracts and for advanced ag-pilot training. A 1,100-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45R hauls a 500-gallon hopper out of short dirt strips, and the welded 4130 steel-tube fuselage with removable aluminum panels is built to be washed down and inspected between corrosive chemical loads.

The 503 is a niche airframe to buy, and the reason to want one is the second seat. For a training operation, a government applicator, or any mission that needs an instructor or observer alongside the working pilot, it does what a single-seat tractor cannot. Buyers who only need to put chemical on a field choose the cheaper, more numerous AT-502B instead; those who need a tandem cockpit on a heavy-lift turbine ag platform have few alternatives, which is why the 503 holds its value despite the thin fleet.

Key Features for GA Buyers

Tandem dual-control cockpit. The defining feature: a second seat with controls for training, observation or lead-plane work, rare on a heavy ag turbine.
1,100-shp PT6A-45R. A 5-blade Hartzell and the large -45R turbine lift a 500-gallon hopper off short, unimproved strips at the 10,480-lb ag gross.
Wash-and-inspect airframe. The 4130 welded-steel fuselage and removable skin panels are designed for the corrosive reality of chemical application.
State-contract pedigree. Built for narcotics-eradication spraying, the 503 and 503A airframes carry the heavy-duty provisions those missions demanded.

Trade-offs

Thin fleet, narrow market. Few were built, so parts, finance and resale are all shaped by the small population and the Restricted-category limits.
Restricted category. Certified for agricultural and special-purpose work only; no for-hire passenger transport or flight over congested areas.
Heavy, high-power tailwheel. At 10,480 lb on 1,100 shp it is a demanding taildragger to fly loaded and low, and a serious checkout for any new pilot.
Out of production. No new 503s are built; the used market is small, and the airframes that surface are usually high-time eradication or training veterans, so a thorough pre-buy inspection earns its cost.

Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Height: 10 ft
Length: 33 ft
Parking area (ft²²): 2,362 ft²

Max Takeoff Weight: Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 10,480 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 8,000 lbs
Useful Load: 5,830 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 170 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed: 136 KTAS
Never-Exceed (V_NE): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 156 KIAS
Max Structural Cruise (V_NO): Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 128 KIAS
Approach Speed: 77 KIAS
Stall, Clean (V_S₁): Source: manufacturer figure 72 KIAS
Range: 430 NM
Rate of Climb: 1180 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle: 2,362 ft
Landing over 50 ft obstacle: 2,460 ft

Engine

Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Air Tractor AT-503 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.

1 × Turboprop Low Wing In production

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