More than 1,600 members of the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) descended on Knoxville, Tennessee, the first week of December 2022 for the organization’s Ag Aviation Expo and Trade Show.
I bet most of you have never even heard of the NAAA before, but the organization represents members of a vibrant segment of the aviation industry that’s literally off the radar: The low-flying pilots who are a more critical part of the food on your table than you probably realize.
But beyond the existence of their version of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) or National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) — and their role in your dinner roll — there’s a whole lot most of us in aviation don’t know about the folks we share the sky with.
Here’s a quick list of five big things (and a bunch of related little things) that most pilots don’t know about crop dusting and crop dusters.
They don’t really like to be called crop dusters, although being well-mannered country folks, they are too polite to correct you. Instead the bigwigs prefer “aerial applicators,” while the rank-and-file are happy with the less formal “ag pilots.”
Well, first off, “crop duster” is inaccurate. No one has dropped powder on crops from an aircraft in decades. The herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers are all liquids.
And then there’s the image thing. Over the last few decades the industry has focused on increased training, professionalism, safety, and the mentoring of younger pilots by veterans, and the old tag of “crop duster” in some minds conjures images of wild men or drunks like Randy Quaid’s iconic character from the movie “Independence Day.”
As Jon Smith of AG Aviation School, told me, “there’s no room for wild men in this business. We’re flying million-dollar airplanes.”
Ag planes cost a $1 million? Yes, even $2 million — or more — depending on the model.
The Cessna and Piper of ag planes are Air Tractor and Thrush Aircraft. Models from either one will set you back considerably more than a fully tricked out turbo Cirrus SR22.
And they are BIG airplanes, especially given that most are single seaters.
Air Tractor brought one of its 502s to showcase at the trade show. It towers over you, has a wingspan of 52 feet, and is 33 feet spinner to tail.
The company had to have the wings and tail removed to get it in the door of the trade show floor at the Knoxville Convention Center.
It’s not the biggest model the company makes, but it still weighs 4,500 pounds empty, and has a useful load of over 5,400 pounds. Inside the cowl is a Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop, this one belting out 750 horsepower.
Interestingly, I chatted with some folks from Dream First Bank, a 100-year-old financial institution in Kansas, and it has started financing ag planes. They told me that they like the fact that unlike, say, a crop combine, there are federal rules that mandate aircraft maintenance, which keeps their collateral in good repair.
Wait a minute, did you say that there are schools for crop dust… err… aerial applicating?
Yes, ag pilots can learn on the job under 14 CFR § 137 or there are a number of schools that teach the skills.
Not only that, but ag pilots are pretty much the only pilots required to have honest-to-God continuing education — not just flight reviews or line checks.
In all, 27 states require continuing education credits to renew state commercial applicator licenses.
To that end, the expo packed in two dozen educational sessions over four days ranging from nozzle flow and pressure control, to next-gen precision GPS, to a seminar on dealing with relationship issues and their possible impact on pilot decision making and safety.
You airline-bound guys and gals (that’s ag talk) complain about having to work a couple of years as CFIs before flying for the regionals.
To get your first “seat,” as an ag flying job is called, many operators require new pilots to work one or two seasons as part of the ground crew, learning all phases of the operation before moving into the airplane.
But then the logbooks get fat quickly. One new ag pilot I talked to logged 700 flight hours in his first season, while industry vets have hour-counts that would make even the most senior airline captain blush.
Want to ban chemicals? How does starvation sound?
The ag folks are sensitive to the bad rap the industry gets from some quarters and are quick to point out that crop plants “compete” with 30,000 species of weeds, 3,000 species of nematodes (worms), and a whopping 10,000 species of plant-eating insects — and that’s not even counting plant diseases and fungi.
Without ag fliers putting their butts on the line in what’s probably not the safest job on the planet, the globe’s food supply would be pretty grim.
How grim? Going outside of the ag folks just to avoid any possible bias, I did some research and found that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that, even with current crop “protectants,” that fully 40% of the world’s crops are lost each year to this onslaught of weeds, worms, and weevils.
Meanwhile, University of Bonn scientist E.-C. Oerke and his team of researchers at the prestigious Institute for Plant Diseases have estimated that without pesticide use, that number would increase to 70%.
As we can just barely feed everyone on the planet as it is, can you imagine what would happen?
But while much is unique in ag aviation, I also found that a lot of familiar faces from our higher flying part of general aviation also support the segment, and were present at the sizable trade show, which featured around 150 vendors.
Hello, Aircraft Spruce, Hartzell, Sensenich, Shell, and Whelen. Assured Partners, the insurance arm of AOPA, also supports ag fliers, as do several specialty insurers. The Concorde battery folks were there, as was Dresser, the tire retread shop beloved by flight schools.
And of course, there were all kinds of companies selling ag-specific things I’d never imagined or could even grasp, but one thing I saw and fell in love with at once was the AgLaser laser altimeter system by Mindrum Lasers, an instrument that installs in an under-wing inspection port and precisely measures AGL altitude.
I gotta get me one of those…
William E. Dubois is a NAFI Master Ground Instructor, commercial pilot, two-time National Champion air racer, a World Speed Record Holder, and a FAASTeam Representative.
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I’m an old 84 year old retired ag pilot / crop duster. I was a crop duster because I put out many tons of ‘’Old Black Joe’’ powder. I’ve got over 12,000 hours of ag time, had my own operation, owned Stearman, super cubs, pawnee’s, ag wagons, ag cats, snow’s, and thrush commanders. I’ve sprayed and dusted over a million plus acres and my only claim to fame is I never had a ground crew or pilot injured.
It’s been a great life, made a lot of money and married a Norwegian cutie. Is life good or what.
Hello,
I am writing a modern-day screenplay. I have scene where a cropduster, or aerial applicator, is used. Which seat flies the plane? Can it be flown from both seats?
I had the opportunity to tour the Air Tractor manufacturing facility in Olney, TX. There are several Ag airplanes at my local airports. And, my local glider club has a number of Ag-planes that we use for aerotowing. The majority of these aircraft are single seat aircraft. The few that are tandem-seat are mainly used for training. And, there is a small number that are used for military purposes. In which case, there is a full set of controls for each seat.
AG pilots can also make big money. 6 figure money. The Dad of one of my friends growing up owned a flying service. Great guy.
When I was a kid we had a crop duster use our hay meadow as a staging area and runway in SE Kansas . He had a Cessna Ag wagon and an old Boeing Stearman BiPlane . His name was Carl Hobaugh an old WW 2 pilot. I’ve seen this guy fly so low to the ground he would have weeds in his land gear. Loved those years an air show every summer . But I believe it will be a bygone era soon as Drones will soon replace airplanes for applications.
Mr. Johnson, your ignorance is robust. Perhaps you should read the article again and pay attention to what was written. You obviously are unaware that most ag chemical companies are divisions of pharmaceutical companies. The “poison” that you say we spray on your food is no different than the meds you take when you feel bad. The chemicals we spray on the food and fiber produced in this country make it more productive and more healthy. Read your history books. Back in the days before medicine, the life span of people was in their forties. Because of modern medicine, as well as “medicine” for food and fiber, lifespans around the world have risen substantially. The reason pharmaceutical companies have ag chem divisions is because medicine for people as well as medicine for plants and animals are often derivatives of the same compound. The chemicals we spray on food sources make them more healthy. That equates to healthier food on our tables. If the medicine and pesticides were taken away and we reverted back to the way things were before modern medicine and modern agriculture chemicals, the food we consume today would be much less healthy. Disease in people and animals, as well as plants would be much worse than it is today. The agricultural aviation industry plays a key roll in the production of healthy food and fiber. That is a fact. I am thankful for modern medicine and modern chemicals because it definitely makes life better for everyone.
Please stick to shilling for aviation and not other industries. It’s about money, not food. Try growing your own without chemicals and see how much sprayers and farmers care about poisoning your ‘food supply.’ At least the old spray pilots never told people it was for their own good. It was a flying job.
Thank you for a very informative article of an overlooked aviation career.
I had seen an AG Pilot in action, albeit on Foreflight, on the Eastern shore of Maryland, and found it fascinating.
If possible, please write more about this unique segment, if possible.
I’m sorry to see the Ag Cat overlooked!
There are hundreds of these Very Versitle and Safe Agriculture Aircraft in use today!
Most have been Converted to Turbine Power, bothe PT-6, & TPE-331 Garrett Power, From 500-1,000 hp!
These Extrodinary Aircraft were Especially Designed for Ag Flying by the Engineers Of the Grumman Aerospace Corp in the 50’s!
They have produced the Excellent Safety Record, Unmatched by Anyother Design! Gerald Breckenridge, 20,000 Pilot, with over 9,000 hrs applying Herbicides & Fertilize to Arkansas Rice Crops since 1969! Our Companies have Designed Many Of the Improvements found in today’s Production Aircraft today! Probably the most Appreciated is the Patented Non SHIMMY Tailwheel Design. Even Featured in PROVDA, the Russian Magazine!
870-217-1803
Well, first off, “crop duster” is inaccurate. No one has dropped powder on crops from an aircraft in decades. The herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers are all liquids”
In Australia & New Zealand superphosphate is spread from the air and is is a granulated fertiliser, not a liquid.
Crop Dusting has been changed to Aerial Applications. Crop Duster has been changed to Aerial Applicator or Ag Pilot. Ag Pilot is more generic whereas Crop Duster was referred to in the old days when crops were dusted with a powder. Yes, we are still using solids today using a spreader. But I think an “Ag Pilot” is just describing someone better who is applying a liquid or a solid. “Duster” does not reflect applying liquids well.
It’s an old term used by people in their era. Let it go! Secretary – now = administrator’s assistant
Teacher – now = educator and other names
Janitor – now = custodian actually I think there is a new term??
Garbage man ….
On and on … We can go in circles for weeks about the food chain. The insects /pollinators/ bees etc that are poisoned and die have left our natural world on the brink of dire changes coming for the entire planet.
Let alone the wildlife, birds who prey on caterpillars and insects etc, who take that poisoned food to the nest and kill themselves and babies and of course the native plants etc.
that doesn’t even begin to bring up the cancers to farmers and their families who spray their fields, the wells and streams and land effected by chemicals. We are, because of all we need and do to our natural world to feed us and the world puts us, between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I’m not for or against ‘spraying’ but we better find some different solutions. Good luck to us all
It is nice to see ag pilots get the respect they definatly deserve. How bought the next time you see one using a public airport go thank him for helping produce the worlds food supply. and maybe see if you could help him do just that.During the growing season It is the most important form of aviation in the United States .
Thanks so much for this great article 😊 I appreciate the hard work that you do to feed the world. Very well written!
Well done and your work is appreciated by all as it is very important to th food chain and you are the bravest of pilots!
Sorry, not “Crop Dusters” is a politically correct euphemism pushed by the NAAA because some college grad thinks it sounds better to the public. Yes I was in the industry.
Given the $1 million+ price tag for Ag planes, can they please put a radio in them and communicate at airports like us non-ag pilots?
Most of them do have readio’s installed and monitor them. In my area, they listen and talk with local GA pilots when using the same airport as we do!
A longer and more detailed story about ag flying in the future would be an enjoyable read This is very good insight of the AG Pilots job. THANKS Again.I am offended you impugned the good name of Russell Casse. He is an excellent pilot, and he saved the palnet from the Aliens. Show some respect.
I’ve always preferred “Crop Duster” over any other nomenclature yet the only dust I ever spread over a crop was the residual the came with a load aerial broad cast soy beans or ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The approximate cost of the Stearman with a 245 hp. Jacobs rotary engine was $3500.00. In 50+ years I’ve piloted over a dozen different types of single and twin engine GA aircraft. None have even come close to the pure enjoyment I had while I was CROPDUSTING in that old converted Army Air Corp trainer……with the possible exception of my soon to be retired 1945 J3 C85. Im proud to say I was a “CROP DUSTER”.
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