Demand for Crop-Dusters Soars

[OldCuby]

Since we have a number of dusters here, I wonder if this article is indicative of the current state of the occupation? It sure makes me respect their flying! No mention in the article about the danger of downwind turns!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125020758399330769.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Good video and comments too...

 

[crazyivan]

Where do I sign up!

 

[180Marty]

Just had my soybean aphids sprayed and also did a few acres of corn with fungicide to see if it increases yield. The guy that bought my Dad's business did it with his brand new 402 turbine Air Tractor. There were 5 Air Tractors and an old Cessna here at Paullina yesterday.

 

[hotrod180]

I used to see quite a few agplanes around the Skagit Flats of western Washington- some at Skagit airport, some at Barker's grass strip. They raise a variety of crops around this area, including of course a lot of flowers. (Skagit Couty has an annual Tulip Festival). Today- nothing, except one old engine-less AgCat at Barkers. I don't know if they're spraying with helo's nowadays, or if everyone's gone "green", or just what. I have seen local timberlands sprayed with helo's, to keep the alders knocked down or to kill bugs, not sure which.

Eric

 

[Steve Pierce]

Great article. Dusty is a helluva Cub pilot. First guy I ever saw water ski a Super Cub. He has his Dad's original A model along with the PA12 in the article. Aeronautical engineer, air race pilot etc. Got to know him through Nelson Ezell, knowing folks like them is what makes aviation great. I wonder if he would teach me to fly ag in trade for getting some of his treasures flying. :lol:

 

[180Marty]

I hear it's an easier task to start spraying in Nebraska and with the whole Ethanol movement there are gazilions of acres of corn to spray.

Really no more corn acres than before. We never had soybean aphids until 7 or 8 years ago but somebody imported some from China in a container to the Chicago area. Last year there was a 20 bushel difference in yield(30's vs, 50's) if you didn't spray. This year it cost me about $17 per acre to spray. Now if we don't get hail or an early frost or rain when it's harvest time, it might look like money well spent.

 

[Hardtailjohn]

I used to see quite a few agplanes around the Skagit Flats of western Washington- some at Skagit airport, some at Barker's grass strip. They raise a variety of crops around this area, including of course a lot of flowers. (Skagit Couty has an annual Tulip Festival). Today- nothing, except one old engine-less AgCat at Barkers. I don't know if they're spraying with helo's nowadays, or if everyone's gone "green", or just what. I have seen local timberlands sprayed with helo's, to keep the alders knocked down or to kill bugs, not sure which.

Eric

Eric,
I used to mechanic for them. For a long while we were on the back side of Skagit. The same guy that owned the Cats there, owns Barker now. When the first plane went out in the morning, the phone would always start to ring...noise or drift complaints. It didn't seem to matter where they were, or what they did, somebody got woke up and whined. It's all being done by ground rigs now, as they're quiet and not quite so noticeable. We found that the same people that move to the edges of fields to "enjoy the view", don't want anything to do with what it takes to have that view..... and that's the way it goes all over the place. Curt mostly used the Cats because he loved it so, but finally the complaints won out...too many high dollar houses, not enough farmers.
John

 

[mvivion]

Man, isn't that a sorry state of affairs---and all too common....

MTV

 

[btracy]

I hear it's an easier task to start spraying in Nebraska and with the whole Ethanol movement there are gazilions of acres of corn to spray.

Be better off being a scrap dealer all the plants in Nebraska are sitting idle.

 

[lowflyin'G3]

I wouldn't describe it as "soaring". The old guys are getting older and there are seats but the last three years in the mid-west was particularly good and I believe that may have cycled out for a few years.
In general we are being used less in most circumstances, not all, but most. Our most popular competition - ground rigging, chemigation, fertigation and genetic alteration.
I would use a more reserved term than "soar" myself. We'll be around for a while though.

 

[180Marty]

Be better off being a scrap dealer all the plants in Nebraska are sitting idle.

Not all of them. I'm in the one in Jackson, Nebraska and it's making a little profit producing about 50,000,000 gal a year. The Air Tractors just got back in the air a few hours ago after sitting for a couple of days because of wind and rain----look out soybean aphids. I've had to spray every year lately but seed companies are trying to breed aphid resistance in now.

 

[Rob]

We pretty much sprayed the last of our corn (headline wise...) early this week, but are still plenty behind with the aphids / beans...
I agree with G3... work is out there, but "soaring" is probably a stretch... best I can tell, all of the "I" states are down compared to last year in terms of spraying...
The article was ok... but paints an excessively pretty picture of an industry that is probably more misunderstood than most. And it will probably draw more airline types out of the woodwork, only to be disapointed when they discover it isn't at all what they had imagined...
BTW...had the author had an opportunity to fly in a two hole ag plane for a few days with a competent pilot and a full hopper he would have had plenty to say about downwind turns

 

[180Marty]

Rob wrote

We pretty much sprayed the last of our corn (headline wise...) early this week, but are still plenty behind with the aphids / beans...

So where are you----- in NW Iowa? One of the 502's here at Paullina is from Louisiana.

 

[Scruffdog]

Talking to an ag pilot here in CA about this and that and the state of the business, he says that he feels he is part of a "dying profession." I remember when the sky was filled with Stearmans during rice season. So many, that they looked like dragonflys. Now, there is an airplane here and there and few and far between. Very few operators in the Sac Valley any more.

 

[Rob]

Hi Marty,

I've been basing out of Rockwell city, been stretching a bit past Pocahontas on the north, Jefforson.. ish on the south, almost to Iowa falls on the east, and Sac or maybe a bit beyond to the west... Got to be some of the longest ferries I've had to do for work, but the work's been good 8) We have 2 502s and 2 500 Thrushs here...
Did you get any of that hail last weekend? It mowed down a swath a mile wide here, and missed our airplanes by about 2000'
Been nice to spray in the daylight for a change, but I could do without all the wind turbines in the fields I will go under highlines all day long just fine, but something about a 100' blade swinging around over head makes this kid nervous...

Take care, Rob

[/img]

 

[Widebody]

We're still old school here, with modern GPS guidance and plenty busy.

Working off the farm

An around we go

Just another pass 3 wide

Time to reload

Taxiing In

We rarely put 3 in the field together but when the conditions are right,
it's alot of fun

Brad

 

[Steve Pierce]

Reminds me of the old Stearman duster days spreading 3-4 abreast.

 

[180Marty]

Rob wrote

I will go under highlines all day long just fine, but something about a 100' blade swinging around over head makes this kid nervous..

You just need to time the pass so the blades are at 2,6, and 10 o'clock when you go by. No hail here--knock on wood but some areas, not far, all around me.

 

[Mark Cav]

Do you spray into the wind or in this case when the wind is left to right. I would think the pilots behind might be getting the spray in there cockpits?

 

[lowflyin'G3]

Love the pic's guys!
Widebody, that looks like a helluva lot of fun! My mentor used to work two Pawnees together at night in Arizona in the 70's. I used to enjoy those stories.

 

[lowlevelops]

Do you spray into the wind or in this case when the wind is left to right. I would think the pilots behind might be getting the spray in there cockpits?

I don't know about these folks in the Pawnees, but when we used to run multiple airplanes in the field, you always had to work up wind. Its been my experience that if you tried to work downwind the guys in the back can't see out the W/S for more than a few seconds.

I think there will always be a place for airplanes in agriculture, I just think its going to be a smaller place as time goes by. We used to have 4 airplanes running, now we have two airplanes and self propelled high wheels. The ground rigs don't seem to be as noticeable as the airplanes....which is good and bad. Airplanes flying around making noise is always good advertisement to attract a neighbor farmer, but it is also bad when mixed with the "urban sprawl" which typically leads to the next drift claim.

 

[Widebody]

Do you spray into the wind or in this case when the wind is left to right. I would think the pilots behind might be getting the spray in there cockpits?

I don't know about these folks in the Pawnees, but when we used to run multiple airplanes in the field, you always had to work up wind. Its been my experience that if you tried to work downwind the guys in the back can't see out the W/S for more than a few seconds.

Yup, the ag guys know it's always upwind. unless your squeezing. Like I said it has to be ideal conditions. We work alot of dual but not very much triple. This particular evening was perfect. We were race tracking a 960ac. field and finished in 90 minutes loading time included(loaded off road a half mile from field). I was #3 with never a drop on the wind screen. Ya have to have some fun in this game, as the stress can wear you down. I haven't been around here much this summer because of the busy season. Hope all the ag guys are having a good one!! It makes the winter season and super.org a lot more enjoyable. Good to see ya around again G3.

Fly Safe,
Brad

 

[Mark Cav]

I went on the Fling Tigers Aviation.com Site to look at Training. My Pilot Magazine has a page showing Basic Ag Training , 9,500.00. This sounds OK to me. Oak Ridge,La.

 

[lancef53]

My hat is off to the guys that spray for a living, you are earning your money.

I have a friend from high school that sprays for a living here, he gets in his turbine cat in may each year and gets out in the fall, and doesn't touch a plane in the offseason. After seeing him buzzing around on a bright sunny 85 degree day, I can see why!!!

I will be happy to pay the $7 and watch him do what I can't do with my rogator.

 

[WWhunter]

Brad,

Awesome pictures!!! That is just too cool. Looks like a minny Reno air race.

 

[Steve Pierce]

Another cool video.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=422591

 

[dougc905]

Tempting. Is 46 too old to begin? I could get 14 good years in!

 

[moneyburner]

Wow! Inspiring photos!
I wanna do dat!

 

[cpthazard]

I'm 63 and flew my first turbine this summer. I don't claim to be an Ag Pilot that would require skill and daring, spraying Mosquito's is dangerous enough, just stay above the highest obstacle and avoid running water and bee hives. People get pissed if you miss their place and that is something that came naturally to me....buzz em...right down town USA at a safe altitude above the highest obstacle...antennas, Church Steeples, Ham Radio Towers. The GPS devices employed these days make it much easier to cover an area than the old rely on your memory technique ever did. West Nile is providing a boom to properly equipped Ag Planes, season is short but you only get paid when the switch is on...all the hard dirty work all day long is so you can get in that airplane in the evening and turn on the spray pump...a real wake up call for a career gubbermint man. If the picture gets posted it's of my Cub and SAS's Ag Cat owned by my good friend Dave Sheppard of Ft.Bridger, Wyo.

 

[stretch]

apparently it's not always easy to see genius's over that nose......