I have already pruned it some for cuttings, but I am thinking of doing a little more The tree is about 7' tall and I am trying to decide if I just want to top it off or wait to do an airlayer.  I really like the idea of an airlayer. 

The  red marks are where I am thinking of pruning it some more.  The yellow circle is where I would do an airlayer.  The light blue circle on the bottom is a sucker I think I'll dig out.

Any suggestions?

Do the air layer.
I personally love terminal bud cuttings and air layers.
And if you where to trim it anymore just trim the one to the LEFT in the pick just enough to get one 6in cutting.

That's a perfectly reasonable plan.  I'm assuming the sucker has its own roots, right?  Time to get a booth at the Farmer's Market   :)

I haven't dug around the sucker yet - I have to admit I've been slacking off a little LOL.

I assume you mean the top left branch? 

Why not the lower left?

When should I start the air layer?

JoAnn, why not to airlayers? Make sure you leave at least 2 nodes on the botom of the airlayer, it will help more branches. (more fruiting ground reacheable branches.  what kind of tree is it? 

This is the LSU Purple.  I suppose I can do air layers on the others also!  Would you believe it didn't occur to me?! LOL 

Air layers!  I did 2 on my infant tree last summer.  Worked great!

Jo-Ann you can do an airlayer wherever you want but I suggest if your going to take another cutting make it the one on the left bottom so you still have plenty of other branches to airlayer and as far as the sucker just pile up some dirt around that one branch and it will sprout roots in the dirt you supply and then you can cut it if theres no roots now. I personally like doing airlayers with the terminal bud branches this way you really have an instant tree. 

When would be a good time to start the air layers? 

In Spring as the buds start to swell.

At  least in one of those long branches, you can actually make a couple of airlayers and have 2 immediately new trees, without the fuss and challenges of rooting cuttings...

Bob - thank you!  I will be ready for those swelling buds!! :)

Grasa - Yup!  I do have a few I can do!

One more thought on this - will I be sacrificing fruit for the air layers?

I like air-layering for varieties difficult to root but LSU purple is one of the easiest to root: I just get a pot, fill it with mulch, water it and stick the cuttings into it, then just keep it wet. I have 99.9% success.
Sal

Well, you will be the one reporting.  I did some airlayers on my tree in between crops, and it did not matter for the main crop at all, in fact, I move them with the airlayer... main crop rarely ripens, so of course, they did not.  But I don't think they altered. the good thing if you cut lower, you will have more fruiting branches.

Hi JoAnn,
     Missed your post earlier in the day, so I'm just getting back to you now.  In response to your reply #13, you were concerned about sacrificing fruit for air layers.  I have found out that as you prune the tree more severely (an air layer is a type of pruning) you actually stimulate more growth next season, therefore more fruit.  If you take several air layers off that center trunk as Grasa suggested, you will in effect be removing the center trunk completly.  This is a goog thing because it opens up the center of the tree for more sunlight and air flow for next season.  Your tree winds up with a "goblet" shape which allows you access to the center of the tree for easier fruit harvesting and easier year end pruning.
    All my trees have the center trunk completly removed after the first year.  Here is a video of how I have pruned all the trees in my little backyard orchard.  Look for the goblet shape in all of the trees.
Enjoy, here is the link:     

Great video Vince.  Makes me want a fig hedge.