Fly first
Build the certificates and the tailwheel time. Most operators want to see real stick time before you go near a hopper.
Careers
So you want to be an ag pilot?
A highly specialised occupation that asks for talent and skill in many areas — low-level airmanship, agronomy, chemistry, machinery and a great deal of judgement.
What the job asks of you
More than stick and rudder.
Aerial application is flown a few feet off the crop, in the dark and in the heat, around wires and terrain, with a load that changes the aircraft’s handling every minute. It also happens to be a licensed chemical application job with a great deal of regulation behind it.
Get licensed
Pesticide applicator certification is handled by each state’s department of agriculture, and it is not optional.
Learn the ground
Loading, mixing, containment, calibration and record-keeping. Many pilots start on the ground crew for a season or three.
Keep current
P.A.A.S.S. and Operation S.A.F.E. pattern clinics run every year — including at this convention.
Where to start
Organisations & starter reading
These are the national bodies and publications that put together careers material for people coming into aerial application.
Training
Ag flying schools
Dedicated ag flight training, from transition courses to full starter programmes.
The work, on film