The popularity of helicopters for frost control has waned, as growers increasingly rely on fixed frost fans to pull in warmer air from above. But the choppers still have their place, Helicopters Hawke's Bay Frost Co-ordinator Mike Knobloch says. "Sometimes on an odd-shaped blocks it's not economic to put in a windmill or water or things like that. While apples and grape vines are most vulnerable when flowering, grapes have the potential to be damaged throughout the growing cycle. "People use frost lights - they glow a certain colour depending on the temperature and the pilot can see if there are different coloured lights through the block.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 18, 2020 20:03 UTC