Originally Posted by
KA350Driver
Dustr, thanks for the info
John,
Because I have a good job right now but it’s not a long term gig. I’m just looking for gouge on aerial application because it’s something I could see myself enjoying but want to make sure it’s something I’m willing to invest time and money into pursuing.
You're going to need some very solid stick and rudder skills. This isn't something that you'll learn in a few hours at an ag school. Today most operators will want to see you graduate an ag program somewhere; be careful where you go because new "schools" crop up every year and disappear a couple of years later.
Ag aviators are flying farmers; you're expected to know the crop, the threats to the crop, and the basics of crop cycles, weeds, insects, and aircraft maintenance. You'll be flying from short airstrips, working around powerlines and obstacles constantly, and there may come a point where flight above 500' AGL makes you nervous. At some point in your ag career, there's a high probability that you're going to strike something: powerlines, standpipe, etc.
Seats in the south such as Dustrpilot described that give a ten month season are permanent seats; they're held onto by the same pilots for a long time; often life.
Entry level ag airplanes are few and far between today. There was a time when Cubs with Sorenson belly rigs, and small ag airplanes like the Pawnee were available as a starting point; today nearly everything is turbine, and the Air Tractor 802 makes up the aircraft in the field. It's harder to get someone insured in an 802 if they have no ag experience. That means the good seats, the 10 month rice seats, aren't available to entry level pilots, generally speaking. You'll be looking for something in an Ag Cat, or something along those lines, and most likely be spraying row crops in corn or wheat.
You can go bang on hangar doors, but it's unlikely you'll find anything. I do recommend that you go sit down with operators, as many as you can, and chat. Ag operators don't hire off resumes; they hire by handshake in a hangar. Watch the ads in Trade A Plane, and get a subscription to Ag Air Update.
You'll need licensing to dispense economic poisons in the state where you'll be working.
Don't look at ag flying like a fun summer gig you might like to try. You wouldn't take that approach to an airline career. Ag is very much the same, but unlike the airlines, ag is not an entry level job, it's harder to get into, and success in the industry is tempered by survival not seniority.
How do you feel about flight under powerlines?