Thought some of you would appreciate reading this - "These Daredevils Don't Dust Crops, They Plant Them":

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/us/11rice.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Went to a car show in Oroville in the Sac Valley yesterday. Driving Hwy 99 at 6 a.m. I made husband pull over for a minute to watch one of these guys .... I see them dusting all the time on I-5, but could tell from the manuevers that this guy was doing something different; couldn't figure it out .... then the N.Y. Times of all places ~ explained it to me this a.m.

When I was learning the business I rode in the back of that Thrush for about 200 hours. It was with the pilot before Danny (now retired) but in the same plane. Dual cockpit ag planes are rare.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Brings back memories of my humble beginnings.
G-

No video I've seen crop dusters all the time along the interstates I have travelled on, but with my trips up and down I-5 I've never seen the rice planting pilots (maybe I have and just thought they were crop dusting). I'll pay more attention next time . Thanks for the info.

lowflyin'G3 wrote:When I was learning the business I rode in the back of that Thrush for about 200 hours. It was with the pilot before Danny (now retired) but in the same plane. Dual cockpit ag planes are rare.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Brings back memories of my humble beginnings.
G-

You don't still have any connections that might get me a chance for a "ride" do you???? (Tell em' I make killer chocolate chip cookies that I'd bring as a thank you ~ and I didn't LOSE my cookies ~ flying inverted in a Pitts!)

58Skylane wrote:No video I've seen crop dusters all the time along the interstates I have travelled on, but with my trips up and down I-5 I've never seen the rice planting pilots (maybe I have and just thought they were crop dusting). I'll pay more attention next time . Thanks for the info.

I know ~ video would have been nice huh? Dumb me had the dead battery still in my video equipped digital (I heard about that all day at the car show too )

And ditto on the "never seen the rice planting pilots" on I-5. This guy was definately doing something "different" ~ as the article described, unlike the slower long "drops" a duster will make; this guy came in quick and fast .... that's what caught my eye ... I thought compared to the guys I usually see, that this one was "really" having a good time! NOW ~ I get it....

We saw him as I said, on old Hwy 99 East of I-5 on the way to Chico ... but there are so many rice fields in that stretch of I-5 between Redding and 505 that I drive all the time on my way to Petaluma, that I'm really surprised I haven't seen this before myself. Will definately keep my eyes open for it now. Was pretty cool to watch (I'll keep a good battery in the camera from now on too )

I guess I better learn to read . I missed the old hwy 99 part. Anyway, I've been getting into a good habit of carrying my camera (and charged battery) with me on every trip (personal or business) now. You just never know what you'll see .

Probably not possible unless special arrangements were made with the FAA and insurance companies.
We're not supposed to have riders while in a dispensing operation and thus the aircraft is only insured for one seat.
They allowed this to slide with me as I was breaking into the ag business at the time and worked for them on the ground.
As far as taking video or pictures of us unannounced here is some insight/tips;
Due to the possibility of you being a greenie looking to sue you must know that most of us are immediately concerned when someone stops and starts shooting with a camera if we aren't expecting it. To the point where some will fly away even when not finished just so you'll leave then come back and finish.
Most importantly PLEASE be aware of the wind direction and how you are oriented to it in relation to how he is working. In other words don't stop on the DOWNWIND side of the field to shoot pictures because now the pilot will have to worry about drifting chemical on a human. I had this happen once, I had to pull up and circle and finally fly away from the field out of sight before coming back after the guy left. Most of us burn between 50-75 gallons an hour of fuel and it's getting too expensive to be flying around waiting for someone to leave the vicinity of the field.
Also be aware of your position in relation to the field and wires, I have had an occasion where I was flying a field parallel to a road where a guy had parked to watch. No problem. When I was finished and wanted to clean up or "trim" the ends I couldn't do it because he had parked abeam the end of the field and I wanted to go under the wire to trim it where he was parked. I couldn't go over him and under the wire safely so I ended up flying away so he would leave and then coming back to trim that pass under the wire.
Finally so you'll know what you're seeing;
If you see us at power pole height with the spreader (the little wing under the center of the plane) on we are either seeding or putting out dry fertilizer. There are also a few granular insecticides and herbicides but their use is limited. It's most likely seed or dry fertilizer like Urea or Potash.
If you see us between three and eight feet off the ground with the booms (the little airfoils along the trailing edge of the wings that hold the spray nozzles) on we are spraying liquids. This can be fungicide, herbicide, insecticide, liquid fertilizer, or a combination of them. This is where you want to be most aware of the wind direction and your position. We will be.
Finally a word about patterns; most people think in terms of back-to-back where one pass is put right next to the previous. However most of us "racetrack" a field (it is easier on the body and sometimes a faster turn) this is where one pass is down the side of the field and one pass is down the middle of the field. In essence there are two setups going at once and you just keep going until you get to the other side of the field AND close up the middle. Basically an oval that keeps moving across the field.
Occasionally you will see a guy "squeeze" a field, that is starting on each edge and working towards the center until your last two passes are right next to each other in the center.
I hope some of this helps you out. Most of us would be more than happy to help somone get some pictures at an opportune time just please be cautious when unannounced and we are working.
It makes us nervous.

Thanks for the post...Very enlightening....

Tailwinds,,,

Thanks for the post G3...very interesting.

One of my instructors was a ad-pilot and he offered me a ride. I really wanted to take it but didn't have time right then. I can't remember what plane he had but it was a round engine and the jump-seat faced backwards...seems like it was a Dromeder

I cringe at all the "devil may care" verbiage and references in that article. Also at the fact that apparently these guys put a reporter in a seat, which is not only illegal, but pretty dumb to boot, as G-3 implied.

Agricultural aviation has come a long ways in improving its level of professionalism. There are still some cowboys out there, and there's no doubt that ag aviators regularly expose themselves to higher risk than the average GA pilot, but airplane designs have improved, environmental systems for the pilots have improved, turbine engines and their tremendous power have been introduced, etc.

Finally, the cost of the equipment has increased to the point where you just can't afford to be a real hot dog with 3/4 million dollar piece of equipment. Due to chemical handling issues most operators now operate from airports or airstrips instead of working from county roads and fields, which has decreased landing and takeoff accidents.

I'm not a sprayer, but I have a great deal of respect for a precision flying job, and the people who do it day after day. I hate to see those folks characterized as kind of gonzo wild men. The precision and skills involved far exceed many other kinds of aviation. Just cause they fly low does not necessarily imply that they are nuts.

MTV

My dad was a crop duster for about thirty years,starting with a cutback J3 and had a 600 horse Thrush for awhile, and was pretty cautious---never bent an airframe but had several engine problems landing in a field or made it back to the airport. One time back in the early 70's he was spraying toxaphene and DDT in Virginia. He had a call from a black lady wanting to know how to get in touch with his "surance" company since she was turning white. A few years ago here in Iowa a guy hit a wire so needed an exchange prop and power section on his 502 turbine. I helped the Covington mechanic put it back together and after roaring around on the ground full bore ahead and then reversing big time he took off and within 30 seconds was doing hammerheads about 300 ft above the ground. The mechanic said " that guy really has faith in my work" and "he must be crazy". This guy was from down south and used to doing fertilizer work on rice. Like everything else, everybody is not the same.

As always ~ I love the perspectives and information you all end up offering. Learned a lot reading the responses to this ... and promise I won't be a pain for the pilot should I some day decide to pull over and take some video.....

Also unfortunately totally understand about the "can't go for a ride." When I observed the CDF Training @ RDD I REALLY wanted to go up in an AV-10 ... no could do for the same reasons.

Although they let me sit in it