how to become an agriculteral pilot
- Thread starter Jacob Blakey
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MauleSkinner
Touchdown! Greaser!
He's very perceptive.
RyanShort1
Final Approach
If you want to be an AgriCULTeral pilot - you should probably study up up how to manipulate farmers and ranchers, be charismatic, and tell folks what they want to hear - and come up with some feel good scheme to make them WANT to give you money.
But, we know what you meant. I'd suggest you find an older instructor that flies tailwheel and has a good reputation as a good "stick" and try to learn the basics of stick and rudder flying really well.
But, we know what you meant. I'd suggest you find an older instructor that flies tailwheel and has a good reputation as a good "stick" and try to learn the basics of stick and rudder flying really well.
Gucci Pilot
Pattern Altitude
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Gucci Pilot
The one guy I know that does it went to Ag Flight, the same place @James331 recommended. He flies for a pretty big aerial application company in the Midwest flying the 802. Looks like a pretty good program. As James said most Ag planes are tailwheel so you will want a lot of tailwheel time. Instrument rating never hurt anyone but if you are solely wanting to do ag and nothing else, might as well skip it.
I have now heard this both ways:
- If your resources are limited, spending your money on another 100hrs of tailwheel time is going to do you more good than the IR
vs.
- The insurance companies like to see an IR before you can get into a turbine as there are occasional losses of crop-dusters during ferry flights.
The limited (VFR) commercial can get in the way of picking up other flying gigs that may come around to build time. Aerial mapping, survery, flying around some lawyer in his Cirrus etc. If the career plans are not 'Ag or bust', obtaining the IR is a necessity.
James331
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James331
All the AG guys that we put forth into the world didn't build time outside of AG.
I know some of the more, well, austere type of dusting wants a IFR and sometimes also a CFI, I think the SEAT jobs want it too, but most all of the normal AG guys I've come across don't have their instrument, heck many AG planes don't even have a AI.
If you have the extra cash and time I'd get your instrument, but I wouldn't be in a huge rush initially as a greenhorn, most all the jobs which want IFR tend to be higher time jobs too.
I know some of the more, well, austere type of dusting wants a IFR and sometimes also a CFI, I think the SEAT jobs want it too, but most all of the normal AG guys I've come across don't have their instrument, heck many AG planes don't even have a AI.
If you have the extra cash and time I'd get your instrument, but I wouldn't be in a huge rush initially as a greenhorn, most all the jobs which want IFR tend to be higher time jobs too.
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