Helicopter Blow Dryers

I would’ve guessed that this was cost-prohibitive, but apparently not:

At this time of year, Washington state’s cherry growers have their local helicopter pilot on speed dial.

They are not taking triumphant joy rides over their ripening red crop, or conducting aerial surveillance of their picking force. Instead, they are paying $600 a day for the helicopter to blow dry their cherries.

While wind and birds pose problems, rain is a disaster: as the Seattle Times explains, “all it takes is a summer shower to swell the fruit, already fat with juice, until its skin splits.”

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