Crop Dusting with Helicopters

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

wrote:

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.

Yummy Yum Yum

Put me down for a triple helping and the more the merrier.

I know a few months ago I had ask for your comments about the day to
day and specifically about that truck you keep landing on.

GOT PICTURES...???????

You went into some detail and I would sure like to see a repeat.

Can't remember what sort of machine you said you were flying, and if
I can be blatently snoopy...... do you get paid by the job, month or
flight hour. What's the industry like. In a growth mode etc.

Do you work for a small company, large company, or do you work for
yourself. What sort of support do you need.... besides a good woman at
your side. Besides yourself how many people are needed to make it
happen. Do you get a lunch break.

Okay so I'm being really snoopy but I'm sure many in the group are
curious about your activities, life, and lifestyle, and some pilots
might be looking at the industry with an eye to employment.

I figure I'll retire after next season and there have to be some
replacements in the pipeline ?????

OH KEVIN.... Start sucking up Kevin.

Maybe old shy and bashful is looking for an apprentice.

Heavy sigh.... If only it could be me.

Hey
Got some pics but don't have a clue how to put them up. None are
digital. Have pics from around the world doing ag work with pyramids,
camels, baboons etc in the pics.
I now work for a large ag company with 15 ag helicopters. Any company
that operates more than 5 is considered big in the industry. At present
I am flying a TomCat MKIX which began life as an Army OH13 (MASH) and
everything that wasn't needed for ag work was taken off. It resembles a
baby Cobra now with tanks on the sides and spray booms.
I have a nurse rig truck with 3 750 gallon tanks for water and mixing
chemicals. It carries 300 gals avgas plus chemicals. My loader is a
local guy and usually at the LZ by about 0500. We take on chemicals,
water, avgas, the night before and ready to go at first light. I don't
know what fields I'll spray typically until about 2100. I seldom get to
sleep before 2200 and up at 0400. This goes from early June to
mid-Sept. I may fly 12 hours and on other days none (weather grounded).
we have a schedule for the potatoes and spray each field on five days
intervals.
The only time I get a break is when the truck goes to get water or
chemical. I make a sandwich to carry along and eat when my stomach
growls, usually about 1000. I refuel each hour while on the truck,
clean chemical off the windscreen, take a deep breath and hit it again.
Typical load lasts about :06 and I'll normally land on the truck 10x
per hour.
Normally ag pilots get paid by the acre sprayed on a percentage basis.
I've found over the years it works out to about $100 per flight hour
and I'll end up the season with about 50K and the rest of the year off
to do whatever I want.
Its a tough demanding kind of flying and of course with the attendent
dangers. I've had one accident when I ran out of fuel in a Pawnee back
in '68 and did $3K damage to the aircraft. I've had at least 5 engine
failures with helicopter and all were at less than 100'agl. All were
taken care of with successful autos into different areas and no further
damage to the machines.
Gotta run as the FBO is closing and I need to get out of their office.
How about this to whet your appetite...100 low level passes each hour
at about 6'agl, 200 pull-ups and turnarounds with each one being a
precision maneuver to return to the field at same airspeed/altitude and
within a foot of desired line for the spray run? We move over 50' each
pass for proper spray coverage. The turnaround time from spray
off/spray on is :06 seconds.......
Really gotta run....
More tomorrow
Rocky

wrote:

More tomorrow

Yummy Yum Yum.... Can hardly wait.

Well, last night I washed down the helicopter with a pressure washer,
did the same with the nurse rig, headed for my LZ which is co-located
at the plant/company I am spraying for. Its about 100 yards from the
30' travel trailer I stay in for the season. We changed the oil for the
50hr, I greased it and did a close inspection, headed for the trailer
to do the paperwork for the day. Took a shower and had time enough to
fry some spuds, sausage, and a couple eggs for dinner. read for a
little, called my wife and chatted for a while, then went to bed about
9. The agronomist I work with called about 845 to give me todays
schedule and it was only 350 acres. then he gave me the bad news that a
few days ago I got some herbicide drift into some 2" corn and killed
aobut 15 acres. Don't know how much that is gonna cost me yet but it
will wipe out my year end safety bonus of 1500!
Up early today, headed over to do the herbicide work on the same field
where I had drifted from, saw the burned corn and it looked terrible.
The sprinkler pivot was on which stopped me cold anyway, but the wind
was not favorable either so we headed for a couple of 1/4 section
pivots which amounts to 250 acres of planted potatoes. Did fungicide on
them which is not terribly critical for drift like herbicide or
pesticide. About half way thru the job, the wind began gusting 10mph
which is the outer limit for us. I was about to shut down when the wind
slacked off and I elected to continue. I had already done the side of
the fields where possible drift could have spotted cars or buildings.
It dries white and just little speckles but it looks like crap. So, we
got the job finished and headed back to top off the nurse rig with
water, avgas, and diesel. While at the airport the wind kicked into
high gear and is now blowing 20. WX is forecast to blow the next couple
days which means I'll be all backed up again and have at least one or
two of those 12 hour flying days next week.
If you use your hand, or a model, picture flying along at 55-60mph and
6-10' above the field....perhaps 100' before you reach the end of the
field you make a pullup and reversal to drop back into the field. I
counted it out while doing several turns today and about the time I
count 1000 3 I am already about halfway turned back into the field (90
degrees) and starting the descent. I'm guessing that I hit the top of
the turn at about 75-100' depending on any obstructions like wires,
trees, buildings, antennas, etc. By the time I hit 1000 6-7 I have the
spray on again, level at spray altitude and doing 55-60. The turns are
not made using the pedals like many think. It is more like a
coordinated half of a Lazy 8. Under good conditions I can make the
turns with my feet on the floor just using throttle and cyclic with the
collective being used a little bit. Sometimes I make the turn like
maybe 10' above wires??
Generally though I like more room. I'm getting more cautious in my old
age. BTW, I'll be 70 next year.
Any specific questions would help cuz I don't always remember what it
was like when I first got started and what I found of interest. I've
been licensed in 15-16 countries, and have worked in I think 20.
I'm glad I posted the first tidbits and generated so much action.
Haven't seen it this active in years!! It seemed to be dying down about
5 years ago and is now coming back up.
Cheers Y'all
Rocky - Ol Shy & Bashful
ps: I did mention I was a Marine DI back in the late 50's? MCRD San
Diego

Well Rocky, it seems not only have you stirred up some interest, it's been
from folks who have never been around ag-aviation, either fixed or
rotary-wing, in their flying careers and find it hard to believe it's not
conducted at an altitude that makes your nose bleed or that the onlys fields
that are treated are the ones so big you need gps, so you don't get lost in
the middle, and have no obstructions anywhere and ,no, I am not rotorcraft
rated (for those who like to look stuff up) but I have worked along side
folks in Bell 47's who were and I can tell you that Rocky isn't blowing
smoke.

wrote in message
oups.com...
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

wrote:

I'm getting more cautious in my old
age. BTW, I'll be 70 next year.

Well Rocky thanks for taking the time to give us a taste of what a day
in your life is like.

It's always refreshing and interesting when someone posts a detailed
account of what they are up to and do in the field of aviation.

So at the end of the day do you put your feet up, grab a cool one,
take out the old logbook and with pen in hand actually fill out the
hours and details of the day's flying.

Or is that kinda redundant at your stage in life.

SMT
Hmmm this may be a partial msg! My last response headed off into the
ether..... when the nurse rig is loaded and ready, and my loader is
headed home, I do the required paperwork, then take a shower, have a
cool one, listen to some of my favorite music and read a little while
my brain slows down. The daily call to my wife for a chat, then off to
bed for an early wake-up. Normally up at 0400, stick my head out to see
if the wind is blowing, or if its raining. If a little wind, a call to
my loader who lives nearer the target fields to do a wind check and
make the decision to work or go back to bed.
I have a spray log that I fill out for the year with fields/acres
sprayed, WX comments, and at the end of the month will make one entry
in my flight log with hours flown. So much easier that way. During the
winter when I'm bored I'll sometimes take out the stack of annual logs
and riffle thru them to jog my memory. Things like the blade strikes,
wire strikes, bird strikes, and other unusual things that have happened
over the season. It helps me when I write an article and can go back to
specific dates and places. I even have some of the crudely drawn maps
that I did in my first seasons. Those really make me smile... to
realize now what I didn't have a clue about back then and survived it.
I taught quite a few pilots ag flying with both airplanes and
helicopters and nearly all of them are still flying. Several have been
in touch with me to let me know something i taught them had saved their
ass while doing ag work. That makes me really feel good. I doubt there
are more than ...ummmdunno...5000 active ag pilots in the country?
fewer each year in any case. The operators are having a really hard
time finding qualified pilots and I don't know of ANY schools that I'd
recommend to a new ag wannabe. I've been approached over and over to
start one again but not real interested. If you think about it, the new
pilot has to make mistakes to learn. The more experience he gets, the
closer to the ground you fly and other obstacles ergo less room for
error, and less room to correct mistakes. that means, I am on the edge
and letting the student get as far into the mistake as I feel safe
before I take over or correct it. Talk about pressures? Nahhh
I'm simply too old for that kind of stuff anymore.
I did take on a brand new student last year down in Mobile AL where I
live, and took him from zero to his private license in a total time of
41.5 hours. That was airplane. The first time he flew with someone else
was on his checkride and the examiner told me I did a great job with
the youngster who is now working on his commercial with a school.
I have another good friend who wants to be an ag pilot and I keep
telling him he has to move ahead with it while I'm still alive and can
help him get his first seats. He is also airplane and a good stick even
with less than 400 hours. The insurance companies are the ones who kill
the industry and I don't see any changes in the near future.
well I'm off to a leisurely sunday brunch since the wind is still
blowing and I won't fly today. I think I'll drive 20 north and take
some pics of the headwaters of the Mississippi. I once thought of
taking something like a Zodiac inflatable and making the trip the
entire length of the river. Back in my younger days....heh heh. But I
did take my Harley from San Diego to Fairbanks on the ALCAN highway
when i came back from Korea/Japan in 1956. Wouldn't fo it again on a
bet but wouldn't exchange the experience either.
Cheers
Rocky

wrote:

I doubt there are more than 5000 active ag pilots in the country.
fewer each year in any case. The operators are having a really hard
time finding qualified pilots and I don't know of ANY schools that
I'd recommend to a new ag wannabe.

Well thanks once again for taking the time to tell the group what life
is like in the real world.

That number 5000 at first glance seems like such a high number.

You don't realize how big a country is until you start to look at how
many pilots it takes just to provide the services to such a specialized
industry.

If many of the pilots are approaching retirement age like you are, then
I could certainly see where the operators will have a realy hard time
filling those seats.

There was a guy that used to post here a few years ago that ran a small
business with a couple of fixed wing and a helicopter as I recall.

Can't remember his name but I sure miss his participation.

So do you see a day when the last Bell 47, Hughes 300 etc. bites the
dust, and what will replace them..... Bell 206 turbines or similar.??

Speaking of turbines.

Are there operators out there who operate turbines as apposed to piston
jobbies.

I realize that operating costs would be higher, but would there be a
higher payload that would offset this.

FINALLY ..... What sort of jobs lend itself to rotary as apposed to
fixed wing spraying.

I imagine location and obstacles like those pesky wires would be a
major factor but are there other factors where one is more practical
than the other.

Who could spray more in an hour.... helicopter or fixed wing.

I'll bet my money on the helicopter.

Although I got to admit that some of those AG Cats like the
801 model on amphibs sure look nice.

But I did take my Harley from San Diego to Fairbanks on the ALCAN highway
when i came back from Korea/Japan in 1956. Wouldn't fo it again on a
bet but wouldn't exchange the experience either.

Hey I spent ten years up in the Yukon in the sixties.

I can remember driving the ALCAN highway on more than one occaision.

I could tell some stories about some of those trips.

Well we had heavy T'storms last night but now it looks good. waiting
for the plants to dry a little so the chemical sticks instead of
running off. I've asked at the National Aerial Applicators Association
annual convention several times over the years about how many ag pilots
there were and 5K is about right. Perhaps that many more foreign. small
pool any way you look at it! And we always look around at all the gray
haired farts and wonder where the new blood is. I think the average age
is 50'ish. As for aircraft, turbines are slowly taking over. There are
a number of conversions done by Soloy on the Bell 47 and Hiller 12E and
are for the most part good working machines. expensive but good
workers. Parts are a problem and will continue until someone bites the
bullet and starts new production. Several attempts have been made but
none lasted that long. Market is too small to really support the heavy
investment. That is the primary reason Robinson has been so successful.
There were some guys up in the NW who did some wheat spraying with R-22
but I haven't heard much about them.
An airplane can outwork the helicopter because of bigger loads. They
can do 2-400 acres per hour while I am happy to get a steady 100 acres
per hour. Aairplanes need big fields to support them. but they also
need a lot of turnaround area and people don't like the noise of low
flying aircraft. I can get into a field, spray it and never leave the
confines of the target field until I depart. In this area there are a
lot of lakes and summer homes where the folks like the solitude and
copmplain if ANYONE/thing makes too much noise. they are mostly city
people who come up for weekends or vacations.
Gotta get my old butt in gear and go make some money. It looks like
another fly till dark (2100)
Cheers
Rocky