Looking for Ag Pilot School

jssaylor2007

jssaylor2007

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jssaylor2007
Hey there, new to the forum. I have been lurking for the past week gathering any info I could find on Ag Flying Schools. I have read the thread on here, but noticed it was dated 07-08 so I figured I would start a new thread and see if I couldnt get some more current information on schools.

I am located on the Texas panhandle, and I have no air experience. My dad owns a ground rig so I do have experience with chemicals. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I am just now deciding to go for it.
 
These are from an article on airliners.net about aerial application.​

Battleford’s Airspray
www.batairspray.com
North Battleford
Saskatchewan, Canada Flying Tiger Aviation
www.flyingtigersaviation.com
Oak Ridge, La.
Ag Flight, Inc.
wwww.agflight.com
Bainbridge, Ga. University of Minnesota/Crookston
www.umcrookston.com
Crookston, Minn.

In addition I know that Morris Riggin out of Aberdeen,SD offer spray training with a Supercub with spray equipment.​


I was told that in order to become insurable, you should have 1000 or so hours of total time, a fair amount of it tailwheel and ideally lots of time flying low, e.g. pipeline or powerline patrol. In addition of course you need the VFR commercial and the poison applicators paperwork. The aerial applicators are complaining that they can't find pilots dedicated to do this, the steep entry requirements may have something to do with it. It sounds like you already have some insight into the industry, with your dads connections you may even be able to get your own outfit started.
 
weilke said:
These are from an article on airliners.net about aerial application.​

Battleford’s Airspray
www.batairspray.com
North Battleford
Saskatchewan, Canada Flying Tiger Aviation
www.flyingtigersaviation.com
Oak Ridge, La.
Ag Flight, Inc.
wwww.agflight.com
Bainbridge, Ga. University of Minnesota/Crookston
www.umcrookston.com
Crookston, Minn.

In addition I know that Morris Riggin out of Aberdeen,SD offer spray training with a Supercub with spray equipment.​


I was told that in order to become insurable, you should have 1000 or so hours of total time, a fair amount of it tailwheel and ideally lots of time flying low, e.g. pipeline or powerline patrol. In addition of course you need the VFR commercial and the poison applicators paperwork. The aerial applicators are complaining that they can't find pilots dedicated to do this, the steep entry requirements may have something to do with it. It sounds like you already have some insight into the industry, with your dads connections you may even be able to get your own outfit started.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the reply, and yes it would be an awesome opportunity to start my own ag aviation service, but it is an incredibly costly field to enter.

I have spoken with Billy Howell at Ag-Flight on the phone, and I plan on contacting Flying Tigers in Louisiana tomorrow. Do you have any information about the school in SD? What I am looking for is a program where i can go down there for a period of time, fly non-stop, get familiar with the aircraft and get certified.
 
Thanks Mark,

Yes I read that thread, and started this one due to the date of that one. I thought maybe a new school had popped up somewhere, or possibly a member might have some other suggestions.

I have talked to a friend who went to the school in Georgia, and he said he would probably recommend the one in Louisiana over the one in Georgia.

If anyone happens to know anyone who runs these or has attended feel free to let me know the pros/cons, I am open to any advice.

Also that article about Sam Riggs is one of the funniest things I may have ever read.
 
Also I posted a reply to weilke, but it said it was pending approval by a mod.

This one posted instantly. Kind of confused about that.
 
js,

I went to high school at Monterrey in Lubbock in the sixties and really love the people in Lubbock. An independent and hard working bunch.

Anyway, you might check out airtractor.com. They make the airtractor ag plane and are located in Olney which IIRC is about 150 to 200 miles East of you.

It sounds as if you haven't flown at all, so you will want to learn your basic flight at home. I'm sure you could find a local, old salt instructor, with a 150 or 152 to get started with.

A friend of mine is a crop duster and when I started to get to know him, I was surprised at how little flight experience and training he had before he started spraying. He is wanting to retire from spraying and asks me every time I see him if I want to buy his Pawnee.

Good luck with it and keep us posted on your progress.
Doc
 
When I was talking to the owner of Ag-Flight in GA yesterday he told me to NOT get any type of flying training, but to instead do it all at a school. He told me the reasoning was to avoid building bad habits.

My question... Was he blowing smoke up my tail pipe or should i really save any and all pilot training for the ag aviation school i choose.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
I appreciate the reply, and yes it would be an awesome opportunity to start my own ag aviation service, but it is an incredibly costly field to enter.
Click to expand...

The piston planes are not that expensive compared with a ground rig. It looks to me like there is quite some overhead in the spray business that relates to the staff and paperwork you need to handle the materials themselves. If you already have access to that through your dad, the startup cost may not be as prohibitive.

Do you have any information about the school in SD?
Click to expand...

It's not a school. It's a guy with a hangar, a sprayplane and a supercub with spray-tank who will train you if you can convince him that you are not out to kill him ;) .


What I am looking for is a program where i can go down there for a period of time, fly non-stop, get familiar with the aircraft and get certified.
Click to expand...

Divergent from what some of the spray schools tell you, there is nothing like going for a course, then browsing the plentyful job ads for ag pilots and selecting where you will go to make lots of money.

I would go the other way around. Get whatever certifications you need to handle and apply the chemicals first through your dads business, possibly get your name on some of the permits. Start your flight training. Buy a taildragger like a Citabria to get your tailwheel time. Then try to approach spray company owners and tell them what you have for experience and what you want to do. If you have some prospect of getting into a plane, go off and do the training.

Pilots are a dime a dozen, flying is really not that hard. Having a background on the Ag side of the business and a good understanding of the underlying economics is going to make you much more attractive to potential employers than being a hot-shot pilot.

There was a local guy who came through the flight school for a BFR. He was young, early 20s. His goal was to have an application business. He started out by getting his paperwork together and bought a ground rig. He is making good money but due to the heavy muddy ground around here, he is shut down anytime there is significant rain. Eventually, once he has the hours he is planning to add a plane.
 
jssaylor2007 said:
When I was talking to the owner of Ag-Flight in GA yesterday he told me to NOT get any type of flying training, but to instead do it all at a school. He told me the reasoning was to avoid building bad habits.

My question... Was he blowing smoke up my tail pipe or should i really save any and all pilot training for the ag aviation school i choose.
Click to expand...


I don't really know if he's blowing smoke or not. I am a student pilot on the verge of my checkride. I'm in a remote area and at one point was considering going off and flying a number of hours a day to get it done because I couldn't find a local instructor. In the course of this process, MANY experienced flyers and flight instructors warned me off of doing this for my initial training. It seems that it doesn't work so well for basic flight. Once you are past, say the Private Pilot level, THEN staying somewhere and flying a LOT every day works out well.

Maybe some of the instructors will chime in, but I don't think there's a downside to taking a little more time in earning your Private, or at least getting comfortable with the airplane to a similar level and THEN go off to a fly your butt off school.

One other thing. If you haven't flown at all, you should at the very minimum, go find a flight instructor at a local airport and just go up with him for an intro flight. Flying is not FOR everyone. It would be ashamed to go through all the research and potential expen$e, only to find that you are not comfortable with or have some kind of problem with flying. There are a lot of people that find out that they are in this category once they break the bonds of Earth in a small plane.

My $0.02,
Doc
 
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And whatever you do, don't let anyone rope you into pre-paying for flight training beyond maybe the next 5 or 10 hours.
 
Ok guys let me get your opinions on something.

Should I get my private and commercial here locally, or should I go to the FYBO school?

I feel like there may be variables here at home which may lead to it taking forever, or hitting a roadblock. I dont know if there would be substantial price differences as I havent talked to the owner of the flying school here in Lubbock yet.

After reading the website and talking to the person who answered the phone here though, it appears as if even for the PPL it is a lengthy program.

Thoughts?
 
jssaylor2007 said:
Ok guys let me get your opinions on something.

Should I get my private and commercial here locally, or should I go to the FYBO school?

I feel like there may be variables here at home which may lead to it taking forever, or hitting a roadblock. I dont know if there would be substantial price differences as I havent talked to the owner of the flying school here in Lubbock yet.

After reading the website and talking to the person who answered the phone here though, it appears as if even for the PPL it is a lengthy program.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Dunno nutten about ag stuff.

But, I do suspect that you would end up flying an aircraft with a tailwheel (or a helicopter). And, if you plan on flying a tailwheel, it really is easier to start out with a tailwheel.

My experience was that learning to fly with a tailwheel was no big deal (everyone used to do it that way).

On the other hand, my observation has been that people seem to have trouble transitioning from a nosewheel to a tailwheel.

The hard part would be finding a place that did primary training in a tailwheel aircraft - apparently insurance is a problem. Probably from nosewheel pilots having trouble with the transition.

Call a local non-ag flight school and compare costs.

Anyone who just quotes you the cost for 40 hours and doesn't give a more "average" number of hours is full of fertilizer - very few finish up that quickly.
 
Hi JS, I have been to the hub city aviation place run by Louie Hilliard at KLBB and liked it there. They have a CFI who runs an AG company and who also won a national level competition in aerobatics, his name is Bart. Very nice guy he helped me with some tailwheel training in a super decathlon. And some acro. I suggest you contact him thru Louie.
 
I personall know the guy that owns and operates Flyin Tiger Aviation in La. and IMHO he is a straight up kind of person. He taught me to fly 30 some odd years ago. I know several students that have been through his program and some went straight to a seat and some haven't. He has several planes available and training areas close by.

I work right across the street from the airport and keep my Cherokee on a grass strip just 8 mi north of there. I'm pretty sure he could give you some references if you ask.
 
js,

It sounds like Jeanie gave you some very valuable information. I am a rookie tailwheel guy and I agree that if your main goal is to fly ag, you should start in a taildragger. Sound like Bart would be your man.

Many people on this forum might not realize that Lubbock is a good sized place with LOTS of farmland, thus there should be lots of GA and Ag flying activity in your area.

If you were to, at the very least, solo locally and build a few hours I think it would help you step into a fly your butt off school and progress well.

Remember, go get an intro flight BEFORE spending lots of time researching this further. Call Bart today and just go see and talk to him.

Good luck and keep us posted. We look forward to hearing about:

Intro flight
First Solo
Checkride
Final Ag qualification
Your first day laying down chemicals on a customers crop.

Doc
 
JSSAYLOR2007 - You are getting quite a few opinions on this forum, none based on experience or fact, except for one that carries any weight is from bwing96. If you are really interested in learning more about ag-aviation, and want the facts, visit www.agairupdate.com. You'll find a link called "Wanna be an ag-pilot" with articles about following that venue. The site even offers you a sample subscription. As for the costs to get into ag-flying, how does anyone expect to train to be an ag-pilot for considerably less than a college degree and in a fraction of the time? Flying ag is not about how much it cost or how quick you can get there. If you don't have a passion for ag-flying, forget it.
 
Make sure to check out the 'help wanted' ads for all those 'ag-pilot wanted, entry level position, no experience necessary' postings.
 
Thanks for all of the great advice everyone. I am looking inti agairupdate right now.

I have quite a few calls to make today, schools, an ag pilot etc ..

I am so glad I joined this forum, everyone here has been an immense help.

Thanks,
Jordan
 
The scheme I heard is that you go order a gross of marbles and practice flying low over a field and dropping a marble at the end of the row. Do a quick turn around and try to drop one at the beginning of the next row, etc.... Repeat this, when you've lost all your marbles you're ready to become an ag pilot.
 
HaHa. Ron this might be one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.
 
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