Becoming an ag pilot.

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Noah P Itterman

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Noah of Itter
Hi all, my name is Noah and I'm very interested in becoming an ag pilot. I've done a lot of research on the subject but I just have a few things I hope you guys can clear up. I know that it is crucial to get an apprenticeship with a pilot or company to start learning the trade, but is it better get all the required flight training first or is it better to get right into the apprenticeship? Also do ag pilots buy thier own aircraft? I have a little over an hour flight time. However, I have flown a bit with the Civil Air Patrol but,unfortunately, I can't log that time .
 
With just one hour of flight time, you have a long way to go. Get your private and then your commercial. Along the way get as much tailwheel time as you can. Also read Part 137 to get familiar with the pertinent regulations particular to ag ops. That's for starters.
 
It isn't a bad idea to go ahead and get your commercial applicator license in whichever state you are planning on being in. It isn't terribly expensive, and will help you at least get in the door on a loading crew at an ag-aviation operation. As for the flying part, once you get in the door somewhere, express your interest in becoming a spray pilot, and you may get lucky and they may sponsor you for an ag school like Flying Tigers or Ag Flight.

Worst case you are getting some valuable aviation and chemical handling experience that you will absolutely need anywhere in the industry.
 
SkyDog58 said:
With just one hour of flight time, you have a long way to go. Get your private and then your commercial. Along the way get as much tailwheel time as you can. Also read Part 137 to get familiar with the pertinent regulations particular to ag ops. That's for starters.
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I do have a very long way to go. I will definitely take a look at the regulations. Thanks for the info.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
It isn't a bad idea to go ahead and get your commercial applicator license in whichever state you are planning on being in. It isn't terribly expensive, and will help you at least get in the door on a loading crew at an ag-aviation operation. As for the flying part, once you get in the door somewhere, express your interest in becoming a spray pilot, and you may get lucky and they may sponsor you for an ag school like Flying Tigers or Ag Flight.

Worst case you are getting some valuable aviation and chemical handling experience that you will absolutely need anywhere in the industry.
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Is the commercial applicator license different in each state? Like do have you to get a license for each state you operate in?
 
Visited this place when I was looking for a CFI for my private cert.
It didn't work out with my schedule, but if I was a young man wanting to make a career in Ag Aviation I would take a hard look at this school.

http://www.rigginflightservice.com/classes/
 
Reach out to this industry organization and see if they can answer some questions:

https://www.agaviation.org/

I sat in on an ag pilot presentation at Oshkosh last year and there seemed to be a need to replace older pilots with some younger folks. Seemed rewarding for someone young and willing to learn, be mobile, and work hard.
 
Don’t do it!!! Seriously, flying AG is total BS. Run like hell and find a career in aviation that will serve you well, your life/health ain’t worth beans in AG. These words will be ringing in your ears within three seasons or less, F flying Ag!!! Not sure how to say this with more emphasis, but don’t believe the hype, it is 110% a bunch of dudes that need to pump themselves up as captain badass who promote the job. It does require massive skill to stay alive, and massive ignorance to stick with it...Good luck finding honesty in this industry, but you just got an earful!


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I guess it takes POA for me to find the first ag pilot who hates his job ;-)

Lots of reasons not to do it:
- like anything in agriculture, very seasonal and weather dependent.
- in attractive markets, the chemical companies push into the business with employed crews rather than local operators
- you may die
- money is not steady
- not family friendly
- you may have to travel and live in motels to make a living
- you may die
- did I mention it's seasonal ?

Lots of reasons to do it:
- a possible entry into fire aviation
- good money if you can follow the bugs and fungi or combine it with fire aviation
- not family friendly ;-)
- It's seasonal. Work six months in Iowa and the plains, spend the rest of the year as ski-bum or running from your creditors/ex-wives.

The problem is how to get your foot in the door. Everyone complains that they can't find pilots yet nobody is willing to give you the time of day until you have a thousand hours of turbine tailwheel time. Some of this is driven by insurance requirements, some of it is simply unwillingness to invest into training for someone who is going to jump ship to work for a competitor the moment they have the hours.

I knew a 16 year old kid who got his private alongside with me whose plan in life was to be a spray pilot. He was from some small farming town in ND but had no connections in the industry. Instead of saving for college, his dad bought him a Champ and a fuel card. He had racked up hundreds of hours of tailwheel time by the time he graduated HS. In ln addition , he worked for a local custom applicator to get hands on experience with the chemicals side of the business. He obtained his limited commercial, did one of the spray schools and was hired right away, but that is because he had done his homework. I don't think he stuck with spraying. Last time I heard about him he had gotten himself a college degree and is flying the ATD for one of the majors.
 
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Duster said:
Don’t do it!!! Seriously, flying AG is total BS. Run like hell and find a career in aviation that will serve you well, your life/health ain’t worth beans in AG. These words will be ringing in your ears within three seasons or less, F flying Ag!!! Not sure how to say this with more emphasis, but don’t believe the hype, it is 110% a bunch of dudes that need to pump themselves up as captain badass who promote the job. It does require massive skill to stay alive, and massive ignorance to stick with it...Good luck finding honesty in this industry, but you just got an earful!


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You sound like you talk from experience, are you an ag pilot? I guess I never really thought about health factor. Thanks for the input anything is helpful as I try to find a suitable/adventures career in aviation.
 
Noah P Itterman said:
You sound like you talk from experience, are you an ag pilot? I guess I never really thought about health factor. Thanks for the input anything is helpful as I try to find a suitable/adventures career in aviation.
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You could always try it, and if you don’t like it, it’s not like you wasted your time and can’t change into another aviation related job.

I’m not an ag pilot, just an older guy with career advice.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
You could always try it, and if you don’t like it, it’s not like you wasted your time and can’t change into another aviation related job.

I’m not an ag pilot, just an older guy with career advice.
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Well any advice welcomed
 
Yes, it is what I do for a living. If you are not a farmer, I highly recommend doing something else.


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What do you fly Duster? Say a Piper Pawnee...I always thought those looked cool.

Grew up in Arkansas and spent many hours on rice, soybean, wheat, milo and cotton fields either driving a tractor or on the wrong end of a shovel. Back in the day I can remember "flagging" for the crop duster. Stand there with a white flag, let him fly over, walk 19 paces, rinse and repeat. My very first airplane ride was in a Stearman crop duster.
 
OK, here's what you need to do. Go down to the local toy store and buy a big sack of marbles. Get in the plane and find a convenient field. Fly down low over the left side of the field and try to drop a marble out the window directly at the end of the row. When you get to the far end of the field, drop a second marble. Make a tight turn and repeat, dropping a marble as close as possible to the one from the previous pass. Keep doing this until your sack is empty.

When you've lost all your marbles, you're ready to become an ag pilot.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Back in the day I can remember "flagging" for the crop duster. Stand there with a white flag, let him fly over, walk 19 paces, rinse and repeat. My very first airplane ride was in a Stearman crop duster.
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Duster said:
Yes, it is what I do for a living. If you are not a farmer, I highly recommend doing something else.


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I’d love to hear more if you’re willing to share. What do you love and hate about the job?

I’d hate time away from family. I’d love the off-season, if my wallet could afford it.

But I could realistically see myself losing focus for a split second on the job thinking about what I needed to do back at home or after work and making the final mistake...
 
Duster said:
Yes, it is what I do for a living. If you are not a farmer, I highly recommend doing something else.
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I agree. My observation has been that the successful ag guys were all farmers to begin with, or at least came from a farming background.

jssaylor2007 said:
It makes a hell of a lot more money than farming.
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I would say that statement is far from absolute.
 
mondtster said:
I agree. My observation has been that the successful ag guys were all farmers to begin with, or at least came from a farming background.



I would say that statement is far from absolute.
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There are outliers in everything, but in general an ag-pilot is making very good money.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
There are outliers in everything, but in general an ag-pilot is making very good money.
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That is highly dependent on location and how much they can/will travel. It also depends on if they are the owner/operator or if they're just the pilot. With the exception of one guy (who has other sources of income) all the guys I know who have tried owning and operating are either dead or have bailed out. There are far too many risks and expenses to make "very good money".
 
Noah P Itterman said:
Hi all, my name is Noah and I'm very interested in becoming an ag pilot. I've done a lot of research on the subject but I just have a few things I hope you guys can clear up. I know that it is crucial to get an apprenticeship with a pilot or company to start learning the trade, but is it better get all the required flight training first or is it better to get right into the apprenticeship? Also do ag pilots buy thier own aircraft? I have a little over an hour flight time. However, I have flown a bit with the Civil Air Patrol but,unfortunately, I can't log that time .
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I'm fairly new but it's a great career field if you like to fly a lot of hours and love agriculture. I would suggest finding someone with a two seat ag plane and taking a ride for a load to see how you like it. It's a lot more work than it looks like just watching from the ground, especially when it gets hot and windy. I wouldn't necessarily recommend spending the money at an ag school but that would be one place you could get a demo flight. If it's something you want, buy you a Citabria or something like that and build a few hundred hours and get real comfortable with a tailwheel. Find an operator and start working on the ground loading and getting familiar with that part of the operation. Farm kids have an advantage as the flying is only a small part of the business. Got to know your different crops, be able to tell the difference in the air, know your chemicals, etc. There are very high paying seats in some parts of the country (I know some that make over $300k) but those don't come around right away. If you are in an area where you fly a good part of the year though, you can make a decent living. If you are somewhere that only has a few week long season, you'll need something else or travel. Good luck!
 
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