(NGC)- Pics of crop dusters

[Gliderjohn]

We are having a wet spring which brings mixed blessings. One of the negatives is leave rust on the wheat due to all the moisture. So...hope the expense of dusting pays off.





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The yellow one has been flying for over 10 hours today.
GuzziJohn

[Lannis]

We've got a couple thousand acres of loblolly pine lands around us, some of which has just been replanted.

A plane JUST like that one has been zooming down below the treetops, zooming back up in a tight "chandelle", and doing it again, over and over.   I don't know what their "loiter time" is, but it seemed hours that he just flew and flew.

You'd have to enjoy it to do it, I don't expect it pays a lot compared to other piloting .... ?

Lannis

[Guzzistajohn]

Those guys have some brontosaurs balls. How they keep from missing power lines amazes me.

[Lannis]

Its very hard work physicaly and pays very good 'cause its probably the most dangerous thing an aviatior does as in flying very low. (by its very nature)

Allot of the ag stuff done at night. They rig with powerful lights on the aircraft.

Its usually cooler, and less wind at night and much easier to see power lines.

Fun but fatiguing and risky.

:-)

My wife's cousin used to own and fly the county's only crop-dusting plane.   He'd spray the tobacco fields across the road from our house, and I swear that he used to fly UNDER the telephone wire at the end of the field, although that may be my time-fogged memory.   I know that his plane would disappear into little swales that you would think could never hide a Stearman, but it did.

When he was done, he would land on the road in front of our house (back when there were fewer than 10 cars a day) and taxi over to Mr. Trent's, I suppose to get paid, and then whip back up into the air again .... Pretty sporty, I always thought.

Lannis

[Guzzistajohn]

Its very hard work physicaly and pays very good 'cause its probably the most dangerous thing an aviatior does as in flying very low. (by its very nature)

Allot of the ag stuff done at night. They rig with powerful lights on the aircraft.

Its usually cooler, and less wind at night and much easier to see power lines.

Fun but fatiguing and risky.

On the ranch we had about 100 ac of feed crop and had an old Piper ag plane that did the duty for several outfits. It was fun to fly.

I've watched them quite a bit down in the delta country of Arkansas on the rice fields, I'm guessing they don't text and fly : )

[Guzzistajohn]

Those Arky pilots go under the wires ---Friggin' crazy!

[Guzzistajohn]

Much better than thru 'em!

dang skippy!

[harry h]

Hey, I fly one!

[Lannis]

Hey, I fly one!

Does that one "work for a living" or is it just for fun?   Don't see many off-duty ones ...

Lannis

[harry h]

Does that one "work for a living" or is it just for fun?   Don't see many off-duty ones ...

Lannis

Definitely for fun, it's remote control! 

[harry h]

They make good toe planes for sail types. The ole Pawnee, rugged machine.

That one had me fooled Harry! Looks the business!

I used to drive from LA to San Francisco quite a bit and would stop and watch the crop dusters for hours.  Those guys have skills...  Flying tractors.

[Lannis]

Definitely for fun, it's remote control!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmZSkWBJwBU

[Gliderjohn]

From kirby1923:

They make good toe planes for sail types.

Guess it depends on the size of the sailplane whether you need a big toe plane or a little toe plane.
GliderJohn

[Murray]

VH-TUG is a thing!

[Two Checks]

Those guys have some brontosaurs balls. How they keep from missing power lines amazes me.

Its easy to keep from missing them. Much harder to keep from hitting them....

[Lannis]

Its easy to keep from missing them. Much harder to keep from hitting them....

Hey, I could care less ... I mean ....

[Two Checks]

After chili and beer I can crop dust with the best of em.

[KiwiKev]

Back home top dressing planes were quite common, crop dusting not so much.

They started using old DC3's to spread fertilizer at one stage. This in quite steep hill country must have been skilled pilots .


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[charlie b]

We had a couple of the bigger ones at the 'unnamed' hanger for a while.  One was painted flat black.  They'd fly down to White Sands Missile Range and do test drops.  Then they'd disappear for a month or so, then come back.  Figured it was those guys messing with drug crops.

That hanger also had some other aircraft parked at it for a while.  Some with no tail numbers.  One had different tail numbers every now and then.

[charlie b]

Around the Phoenix area in the old days there were quite a few duster operators.  No lack of pilots.  Many were washouts from one of the schools, either commercial or AF.  Lufthansa used to do training at Litchfield (they may still do) and Luke AFB was advanced fighter training.

[tazio]

On my motorcycle, loaded down for the trip I was taking, saw the amazing skills of this crop duster doing his thing.
Pulled to side of road as he straifed the field in one direction, pulled up hard, and did this sorta hammer-head stall and gunned it down the field in the opposite direction. Seemed a romantic endever and I felt a touch of envy.
Later I wondered if he was not looking over at me thinking the same...

[bacongrease]

 Radial Engines.

  One of the duster s at the airport had one of the old  radial engines.   sounded great. 
Others, not so much.

[Gliderjohn]

From bacongrease:

Radial Engines.

  One of the duster s at the airport had one of the old  radial engines.   sounded great. 
Others, not so much.

Have one of those in the hood too.






i want to upload my photo

GliderJohn

[cloudbase]

They make good toe planes for sail types. The ole Pawnee, rugged machine.

Our club has three of 'em.

[Bill Hagan]

Have watched them, awestruck, over the years. 

Suppose they are a dying breed -- in more ways than the obvious widow-making trade they are in -- by e.g.:

http://modernfarmer.com/2013/07/drones-drones-on-the-range/ & http://uavcropdustersprayers.com

Guess the "pilot" can still wear a silk scarf at the joystick. 

Yo, Harry H, need a job? 

Bill