Definition
A container mounted on an agricultural aircraft that holds the dry or liquid material to be dispensed during aerial application, such as seed, fertilizer, or chemicals. The hopper feeds the material into a spreader or spray system for release over the target area.
Plain English
The tank or bin on a crop-dusting aircraft that carries the load being sprayed or dropped onto the field.
Context Anchor
Most often encountered in agricultural flying, aerial seeding, and aircraft loading discussions.
Derivation
From the Old English 'hoppian' (to hop). Originally referred to a funnel-shaped container in a mill where grain hopped or shook as it fed downward into the millstones. The aviation use carries the same idea: a container that feeds its contents downward and out.
Why Pilots Care
Correct hopper loading and balance affect aircraft weight, center of gravity, and safe dispersal rates.
Intuition Check
Do not think of a hopper as a moving aircraft part or as something that makes the airplane hop. In this context, it is simply the container that holds and feeds the material being carried.
Example Sentence 1
Before the first run of the morning, the pilot watched the ground crew fill the hopper with fertilizer.
Example Sentence 2
During the low pass the gate opened and material flowed steadily from the hopper onto the field.