cropdusters question

[Mcstealth]

what kind of money per year can cropdusters make? My brother-in-law is getting all the needed certifications, but my sister-in-law thinks it will put them in the poor house. Anyone have any experience?

Df

[Bob_Belville]

In a Mooney??? I'd pay to watch. 

[Marauder]

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/09/worstjobs_bestpay/source/6.htm

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[pinerunner]

That 's actually not bad money (what was in the previous link) but I bet their insurance is costly. Compared to say airline pilots, about which I know little, the entry into it might be easier but the final pay wouldn't be expected to be as good. I hedge what I say because I've heard so many surprising things about different aviation professions that I'm always ready to be surprised.  For instance I've heard that flying for the airlines kind of sucks these days. That they're hiring rather low-time ATP's on the cheap as co-pilots and being stingy with their higher-time pilots, all to shave a few dollars (and if so where else are they shaving).

 

If that $80,000 for top cropdusters is true that's not bad pay for doing what you like. If one works hard to do it as professionally as possible all risks are manageable. They have the opportunity to know all the fields they work pretty intimately, work out every possible forced landing site, know the wind patterns around obstacles, etc. An independent lifestyle for those who want it.

 

I did hear that high time crop-dusters don't go to the head of the line for airline jobs. That reputation for fierce independence doesn't fit with the "team-oriented" mantra of the non-pilot airline company managers. 

 

So if crop-duster appeals to him, I'd say go for it but expect to work hard to live long and prosper. But don't expect it to be a ticket to bigger and better things. Some crop-dusters are probably more successful ($$) than the professional pilots stuck in little feeder airlines I bet. 

[N601RX]

We have 1 based in the hanger across from me. It's very seasonal and only a part time job for him. There is also another person in this area who has his set up to drop granular fertilizer. He has some large contracts to drop the fertilizer on planted pine trees and stays busy most of the year. He travels over the southeast doing that.

[kmyfm20s]

It is year round in California. All of the Central Valley and Imperial Valley. They still have their busy times.

[John Pleisse]

Let's see...1000 lbs of fertilizer......500 lbs of Jet Fuel..........ignition source........... Nothing like strapping the Oklahoma City bomb to your ass and doing low-level lazy eights near trees and power wires. You couldn't pay me all the tea in China.

[Marauder]

I can't help but believe those guys are getting exposed to some nasty chemicals as well.

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[kmyfm20s]

I can't help but believe those guys are getting exposed to some nasty chemicals as well.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That's why it's better to work in California as a crop duster. Between the State, OSHA, and the EPA you are effectively giving the crops a spritz of water. You also get to charge 3X because of all tax, regulation and harmless chemicals that needed to be developed (H2O) . Since the costly chemicals (H2O) are not as effective as the stuff you are allowed to use in other states, you need apply 3X more often and of course charge for it. You just have to get over the sunshine tax:)

[John Pleisse]

I watch these guys all the time... real pros. Renting a hangar from Allen and Jeff. In addition to multiple 100LL and Jet A AgCats, they also have a Twin Beech and spray insecticides in the Wildlife refuges.  They even have a contract with the state to do wildlife breeding and seafood observations in a Skylane. A top notch operation, winning all the larger farmers, state and fed contracts... and I am sure they would talk to you about a start up or any mentoring. Jeff is awesome to talk with. PM me for his cell number.

 

http://www.agairupdate.com/article_detail.php?_kp_serial=00000436

[pinerunner]

If you add a mechanics rating to your skill set then you can take advantage of the off season to catch up on maintenance. That's how my dad worked it with his seaplane service. The more you have to farm stuff out the less chance to make a profit. 

 

I just watched a vid of Mosquitos in WW II going crazy fast 50 feet off the deck to evade antiaircraft so crop dusting seems pretty sane. 

[Guest]

If you add a mechanics rating to your skill set then you can take advantage of the off season to catch up on maintenance. That's how my dad worked it with his seaplane service. The more you have to farm stuff out the less chance to make a profit. 

 

I just watched a vid of Mosquitos in WWI going crazy fast 50 feet off the deck to evade antiaircraft so crop dusting seems pretty sane.

Must have been an American movie! The Mosquito was built and flew in WWII

Clarence

[Mooneymite]

I only know a few crop dusters, but they've all had "mishaps"....usually with telephone wires. Lots of hazards.

[TWinter]

There are plenty in our area...Three farmers just pooled their money together for a new crop duster and have been keeping it at our field. For a cool $800,000 you also could own your very own crop duster . They hired a local pilot to fly this season for them. The pilot mostly does it because he really enjoys flying that much power, his personal ride is Bo. He's actually is the inventor of the Boss Hoss V8 Motorcycle.

 

Obviously, very intelligent and very mechanically inclined. The salary is really not the issue for him, just the rush of flying that much airplane. I climbed up and took a close look the other day. They are pretty impressive aircraft. The newer ones are all air conditioned, GPS controlled spraying and will maneuver incredibly. The pilot licensing requirements to spray were not all that difficult from what I was told. I would worry more about long term chemical affects on the pilots.  

 

If we could just get them to use the radios and remember that we are out there also... Some are real bad about forgetting the basics and just land anytime, any runway, no radio calls, nothing. Really have to watch out for them around here. 

[N9405V]

A few years ago I saw some air tractors that had been modified for fire fighting. That looked like an interesting job. Spray in the spring/summer, fight fires in the fall.

[Mcstealth]

Close to Kerrville is a town called Hondo. Lots of cropdusters there. When I was training, we used Hondo a lot, and those damn AgCats would never call out their position.

[fantom]

Close to Kerrville is a town called Hondo. Lots of cropdusters there. When I was training, we used Hondo a lot, and those damn AgCats would never call out their position.

 

Hondo Air Base has a long and impressive Air Force history. In WW-II, it was used for navigator training and B-29 flight engineer training; during the Korean war it was a primary pilot training base; and during the Vietnam War it was an Air Force primary pilot screening base, using first Cessna T-41's and much later the infamous Slingsby T-3A Firefly. I believe the base went inactive for Air Force training in about 2000.

[N201MKTurbo]

I used to help Joe Henderson of San Tan Dusters maintain his Air Tractors. He made crazy money during cotton season. He worked about 30 hours a day. He got a nose bleed if he flew over 50 feet altitude. He sprayed at 130KTS.

 

The grass around the wash down pit was some of the greenest grass Ive ever seen. One day the ADEQ inspected the place and the only thing they wrote them up for were the chips under the drill press (huh?).

 

Unfortunately his wing broke one night.

[Htwjr]

I flew to Yazoo MS recently to visit my daughter and we watched two turbine engine crop dusters taking off and landing. They would come in across trees 90 degrees to runway at mid field, bank hard and land downwind because the chemical tanks were at that end of the runway. In less than two minutes they would be refilled and taking off and in less than ten minutes they would be back to start over. Impressive to watch.