Since I seem to have stirred a little interest, I'll try to enlighten
those who care to read it. I'm one of those fortunate few who get to do
stuff that many can't even dream of or imagine with helicopters. An old
friend of mine, corporate helo pilot with 12K+ hours did some ag flying
with me and when we got done told me..."Rock, I fly helicopters and
have since Viet Nam. However, I have never seen a helicopter worked the
way you do! You don't fly them, you WORK them!"
I'm proud of my ability as a pilot and take even greater pride in
taking my equipment to full TBO in spite of the harsh working
conditions we operate under. The full power demands of both the
equipment and pilots is hard to imagine until you watch a day of it.
This season I'll fly 500 hours +- in 3 1/2 months. From first light to
last light depending on weather and workload. A couple days ago I flew
12 hours and it kicked my old ass hard. Today was lighter with only 7
hours flown. I'll do it again tomorrow weather permitting. There will
be more of those long days before the season is over too.
I began my "Ag" flying down in South America in 1966 when they needed a
pilot to fly. Didn't know a damned thing about it but they were wiling
to teach me just because there were not that many available pilots. I
was there teaching the Ecuadorian military pilots aerial recon photo
with a twin (Beech 80 Queen Air) and had free time. So, thats how it
all began.
If anyone is interested in what a typical day of ag work is, let me
know and I'll be as specific or as casual as you'd like. I figure I'll
retire after next season and there have to be some replacements in the
pipeline ?????
CheerOl Shy & Bashful