Aerial application, most commonly known as crop dusting, is a dangerous job and is unnoticed compared to other aviation jobs. Agriculture pilots are special people. They have to be great at multi-tasking and love adrenaline. For those of you who do not know what a crop duster is or what they do, I will give you a brief report.
Crop dusters apply pesticides to fields by air to protect farmer’s crops from pests and weeds. They can also plant seeds, such as rice in California. They fly just above the field and dump their cargo. Planes fly close to the ground to reduce the amount of chemical drift. They make multiple sweeps to ensure the whole field is covered. Without aerial application, farmers take a risk of ruining their crop by applying the product with heavy machines. It can also compact the soil and farmers would prefer to avoid compaction as much as possible. By having a plane do this job the risk is eliminated.
What is so dangerous about crop dusting? First, a pilot is carrying about 500 gallons or more of chemicals and works with them all day long. Exposure to these chemicals can be hazardous to their health. Second, they fly for many hours. Pilots can work from dawn to night. Flying hours on end can have negative effects on the pilots, but they continue to work despite the long days. Third, many objects on the ground can be hazardous to their flight. MET towers, meteorological towers, are put up in fields without warning or markings. MET towers are tall but thin, which makes it hard for the pilots to see. Many times they can crash into these towers, resulting in injury or death. Other obstacles they face are wind turbines, power lines and trees. Fourth, they fly at speeds up to 150 mph close to the ground. Finally, the maintenance of the plane can be just as dangerous for the pilot as anything else. Being aware of their surroundings, the chemicals they are spraying, and the plane itself, makes for a difficult job and proves why pilots have to be fantastic multi-taskers. Any of these reasons can result in serious injury or death.
It is important to realize that people who are not directly involved with aerial application, still deal with the stress of worrying about their pilots. Sometimes pilots do not make it back home. There have been many crashes this year alone, traumatizing many families, including mine. My cousin died while crop dusting, after his plane crashed into the field he was covering. Crop dusters put their lives on the line every day to do what they love. Like I said earlier, these pilots have to be a special kind of person to do what they do. Every day, they help farmers grow their crop, and in the end, it helps you when you sit down and eat a meal.
