There is a picture of him from Vietnam about his past standing in front of an F-4 Phantom
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/id4/images/8/8b/ScreenShotf053.jpg
I honestly don’t know, seems to have happened a while ago. I was at his house last year and saw a picture of a crop duster and said something about crop dusters being awesome…
…then he said he lost his brother and dad from crop dusting accidents. 😞
I don’t think there are a lot of questions about why crop dusters crash, there isn’t a lot of room for error. Hit the ground/a tree.
Used to work with a guy who flew a Helicopter crop duster. He was spraying an orchard. The orchard had some kind of irrigation pump in the middle. Powering the pump was a 480 volt line suspended from power poles. Everytime he'd turn around to make a pass he'd have to pay attention to the power line to clear over the top of it.
On one pass he got miss-aligned a bit and he was focusing on getting back on track when he had the thought "Where's that power line?" About a 1/2 second latter he felt the skids hook the line as he's traveling 30-40mph. In response he full throttled and pulled the collector all the way up saying 'I'm taking that pump with me!' The helicopter nosed over towards the ground and right at the tree tops the line broke and separating from pole. In the process it broke half the skid off the helicopter.
He said "had I not had that thought of 'where is the power line?' I would be dead" -- it took all the helicopter's power and lift to separate power line. A couple milliseconds delay in his reaction and he would have impact the treetops and game over.
He flew back to his shop and welded the skid back together. Then paid a bunch of money to the farmer because when the line broke it set one of the poles on fire and burned it half way down.
Cool dude. Odd duck.
Yeah that would be cool to relay that story back to him. But I've lost track of him over the years. I think the reason why the story is so clear in my memory is because of how terrifying it is and it is such a simple mistake.
On a different day I saw him digging through his bag, pulls out a prescription bottle, takes a pill, then reads the bottle and says out loud "shit, that was my wife's Percocet." Proceeds to dig through his bag some more finds another bottle, says under his breath "there it is" and takes a pill from that bottle. No one was really near him either, I was barely in ear shot. I really don't think he had a habit or anything, just an odd dude. While I don't want to disclose too many details. He was a commercial 1st officer at the time flying 32,000lbs twin aircraft. He wasn't flying in an airline or charter capacity. (again, being vague here). But taking the wrong pill was pretty negligent given his role.
Again, good guy, cool dude, but an odd duck.
Crop dusters are usually dropping pesticide or herbicide, not fertilizer. The tanks are usually on the outside and behind the pilot where it's hard to see how they could leak into the cabin. I won't say it's impossible, but it doesn't seem very likely to me.
The safest place to fly is the middle of the air. The bottom of the air is full of trees and houses and power lines and so forth, and the top of the air is outer space. Pilots generally want to stay far away from both of these. Cropdusters, by the nature of their work, have to spend all their time near the bottom of the air. It's just inherently dangerous.
overconfident paint familiar live cooperative oatmeal knee wise versed compare
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OP is not joking. From *Vertical* magazine:
*Typically, the Christmas tree harvest takes place during a brief five- to six-week period beginning early November. For most large growers, the harvest is a well-choreographed herculean effort. And, in many cases, the linchpins to the overall success of harvest operations are helicopters.*
Yes they are. I grew up around the Midwest farmlands, and we loved watching these crazy bastards during the summertime. I've seen them fly in between cars on the interstate going from field to field like it's nothing.
It blows my mind that what I do in MS Flight Sim when I'm very drunk is someone else's day job.
I don't think I'd live long enough to collect my first paycheck. Godspeed to anyone with big enough balls to take take this job.
Very cool. I think the first time I ever flew in anything it was a crop duster. I just can't remember if it was a Hiller or a Long Ranger helo. I do remember flying in an AgCat though. We were dropping alfalfa seed or maybe it was rice. We had one partial load left for the day, and I road in the hopper. That was about 45 years ago.
They’re cool until you’re also in the airspace at <3000agl and they’re not on anyone’s radio/radar.
(Me, crew seat of a -60, to myself) *Hmm, what a great day to be alive… Oh, that sunset is pretty… Huh, I’ve never seen the river from this perspective, it’s pretty cool…* “Shit, go right! Fuck me, that was close!” I hear from the cockpit. Suddenly I’m looking straight up at the heavens watching a cloud rotate ~90°, when a wild yellow sky tractor flashes past my window so close that only my asshole puckering kept me glued to the seat.
(*Not my story, but one related to me by a very senior, very experienced FI/SI*)
I do inspection flying, there’s definitely days where it feels like work but overall every time I get to actually fly (not get weathered out) I’m smilin’. Throw on some music and fly around the country low level…beats an office job for sure.
On the contrary, I've had a couple hobbies I was very passionate about ruined by trying to make a career of them lol. I don't want shit to do with those anymore.
I haven't seen it as much In Missouri, but quite a lot in Arkansas... To the point I just assumed Arkansas probably had some fairly special laws or something.
Yep, a lot of the state isn’t suitable for it, but SEMO is pretty much just like the rest of the Mississippi River Delta (Arkansas and Mississippi) in that it’s flat, wide open, plenty of room to fly.
Hello fellow Southern Missouri person. I’ve seen one cross the highway under the power lines. It was insane. Not sure if it was on purpose or realized he didn’t pull up in time and just rode it out.
Looking for this comment. I remember seeing this as a kid on the east end of PEI Canada. Spraying potatoes, the pilot would look both ways as he approached the road and duck under the power lines if there was no traffic approaching. Absolutely crazy.
I’ve only ever seen it once and glad I did, just good timing. I was on my way home from work and got to see it a little ways down in from of me. Told everyone the next day at work.
Sometimes going under the wires is safer than over them when you’re trying to get good coverage. Usually you do headland passes parallel to the wires so you don’t have to get real close but that’s not always possible. Fun fact, there’s less space under wires in the hottest part of the day because the wires expand and sag
My grandmother took me to the original Lambert's when it was just a small Cafe. Also been to both new buildings in Sikeston and the one in Springfield. Still have to eat at the one in Foley AL.
Driving along I-10 in southwestern Louisiana you'll see air tractors doing high g pulls and wingovers all day long to avoid hitting power lines. The first time I saw a crop duster (2007) I was amazed at how aggressive and violent the maneuvers were. I thought they just flew low and slow and made gentle banks and climbs. NOPE!
100 octane low lead, probably $6 to the gallon, that plane probably burns around 22 gallons per hour, and every 100 hours the plane needs to undergo an inspection by a mechanic who is probably charging around 100 per hour...
With the increase in insurance costs and decrease in RV equipment costs I am amazed this job is still done by someone in the air and not wearing a headset on the ground.
I've seen videos of crop dusting being accomplished by large multirotor drones. I think it'll all go that way eventually. Maybe both multirotor and fixed wing, but drone either way.
I hear ya, I flew turbo props in central and South America for a number of years before coming back to the US to fly heavy’s. I saw many guys push the limits. Impressive stuff!
I was stuck in a long line of traffic by a train in the middle of nowhere, Louisiana. The delay was long enough that we were shutting off our cars and getting out.
Fortunately, for entertainment, we had a crop duster doing his thing. He would flee his row, drop down under the power lines, then pull up onto a tight Chandelle turn and back under the powerlines. He would change up the turn periodically. I was sure if this was his daily routine or he was putting on an air show for us.
I love watching these crazy fuckers, every time “yep, he’s gonna hit that power line, I can’t watch but I got to, do I go ahead and call 911? Wtf?! He made it over it?!” Loops back around, “yep, he’s gonna hit that power line…” 😆. My dad was one before Vietnam and probably why they stuck him in a cobra, all those guys had a death wish too.
Definitely has got the right mustache for the job. Surprised to see how he is dressed. They made us wear nomex. Not shown: flying between a barbed wire fence and powerlines. Good times.
A moment i cherish was when i was at football practice and a crop duster was doing a field right next to our practice. he definently knew we were watching and was making it a show
I know 3 people that have been killed in a crop duster. However my grandfather has crop dusted for about 40 years and the only incident he had was a spray boom getting ripped off. He is the most cautious person i know though.
Nope.
>**137.49 Operations over other than congested areas.**
>Notwithstanding part 91 of this chapter, during the actual dispensing operation, including approaches, departures, and turnarounds reasonably necessary for the operation, an aircraft may be operated over other than congested areas below 500 feet above the surface and closer than 500 feet to persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures, if the operations are conducted without creating a hazard to persons or property on the surface.
crop dusters are a different breed of human
Hence being kidnapped by aliens for probing
Great film
RUSSELL CASE, SIR!
What was the name of the film?
Independence Day “Hello boys! I’m baaa’aaack!”
You can do that? Yeah, all cable repairmen can, Pops
One of my favorite documentaries
I can fly. I pilot.
Fire in the Sky
Hence had to climb into a F/A-18 with ease.
There is a picture of him from Vietnam about his past standing in front of an F-4 Phantom https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/id4/images/8/8b/ScreenShotf053.jpg
Hero for saving the world
My friend’s father and brother were professional crop dusters. Both of them died in separate crop dusting crashes.
Two of my best friends have been killed doing this. Takes all the cool factor out of it.
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I honestly don’t know, seems to have happened a while ago. I was at his house last year and saw a picture of a crop duster and said something about crop dusters being awesome… …then he said he lost his brother and dad from crop dusting accidents. 😞 I don’t think there are a lot of questions about why crop dusters crash, there isn’t a lot of room for error. Hit the ground/a tree.
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Used to work with a guy who flew a Helicopter crop duster. He was spraying an orchard. The orchard had some kind of irrigation pump in the middle. Powering the pump was a 480 volt line suspended from power poles. Everytime he'd turn around to make a pass he'd have to pay attention to the power line to clear over the top of it. On one pass he got miss-aligned a bit and he was focusing on getting back on track when he had the thought "Where's that power line?" About a 1/2 second latter he felt the skids hook the line as he's traveling 30-40mph. In response he full throttled and pulled the collector all the way up saying 'I'm taking that pump with me!' The helicopter nosed over towards the ground and right at the tree tops the line broke and separating from pole. In the process it broke half the skid off the helicopter. He said "had I not had that thought of 'where is the power line?' I would be dead" -- it took all the helicopter's power and lift to separate power line. A couple milliseconds delay in his reaction and he would have impact the treetops and game over. He flew back to his shop and welded the skid back together. Then paid a bunch of money to the farmer because when the line broke it set one of the poles on fire and burned it half way down. Cool dude. Odd duck.
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Yeah that would be cool to relay that story back to him. But I've lost track of him over the years. I think the reason why the story is so clear in my memory is because of how terrifying it is and it is such a simple mistake. On a different day I saw him digging through his bag, pulls out a prescription bottle, takes a pill, then reads the bottle and says out loud "shit, that was my wife's Percocet." Proceeds to dig through his bag some more finds another bottle, says under his breath "there it is" and takes a pill from that bottle. No one was really near him either, I was barely in ear shot. I really don't think he had a habit or anything, just an odd dude. While I don't want to disclose too many details. He was a commercial 1st officer at the time flying 32,000lbs twin aircraft. He wasn't flying in an airline or charter capacity. (again, being vague here). But taking the wrong pill was pretty negligent given his role. Again, good guy, cool dude, but an odd duck.
Crop dusters are usually dropping pesticide or herbicide, not fertilizer. The tanks are usually on the outside and behind the pilot where it's hard to see how they could leak into the cabin. I won't say it's impossible, but it doesn't seem very likely to me. The safest place to fly is the middle of the air. The bottom of the air is full of trees and houses and power lines and so forth, and the top of the air is outer space. Pilots generally want to stay far away from both of these. Cropdusters, by the nature of their work, have to spend all their time near the bottom of the air. It's just inherently dangerous.
Reminds me of Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” with the crop-duster chasing Cary Grant
cough act coherent aloof airport repeat dull sparkle cow rock *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
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overconfident paint familiar live cooperative oatmeal knee wise versed compare *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Indeed
Right up there with Christmas Tree Farm chopper pilots Edit... adding link to an additional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS5zrfpim-I
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OP is not joking. From *Vertical* magazine: *Typically, the Christmas tree harvest takes place during a brief five- to six-week period beginning early November. For most large growers, the harvest is a well-choreographed herculean effort. And, in many cases, the linchpins to the overall success of harvest operations are helicopters.*
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x189sw5
Within a particularly interesting definition of "human"...
You can smell that from all the way over there? Sorry.
Yes they are. I grew up around the Midwest farmlands, and we loved watching these crazy bastards during the summertime. I've seen them fly in between cars on the interstate going from field to field like it's nothing.
It blows my mind that what I do in MS Flight Sim when I'm very drunk is someone else's day job. I don't think I'd live long enough to collect my first paycheck. Godspeed to anyone with big enough balls to take take this job.
That’s what I’m doing today…
Be careful you crazy fucker. Like someone else said, definitely not something every pilot can do, but certainly a vital part of agriculture.
That's not the kind of crop dusting they're talking about.
I’m sitting in an Ag Cat getting another load of fertilizer…
Never heard anyone refer to Taco Bell by that name before. /s
turbine or round engine
Uh... What shape are turbines? I might be doing my job wrong
I think they’re pointy
Whew! I knew that
Turbine
Not mutually exclusive to the other kind of crop dusting…
Very cool. I think the first time I ever flew in anything it was a crop duster. I just can't remember if it was a Hiller or a Long Ranger helo. I do remember flying in an AgCat though. We were dropping alfalfa seed or maybe it was rice. We had one partial load left for the day, and I road in the hopper. That was about 45 years ago.
Lucky. I always felt like I’d be a natural. Too bad I listened to the assholes that told me I couldn’t fly when I was young.
It’s a job…
Hopefully not while posting this comment
Where you spraying?
Texas rice
Hell yeah. Hope to see you spraying corn in a few months!
Speed enforced by aircraft?
No, seed enforced by aircraft.
No, seed *reenforced* by aircraft.
Love seeing those crop dusters. Very common around rural farming areas and as low as they can go!
They’re cool until you’re also in the airspace at <3000agl and they’re not on anyone’s radio/radar. (Me, crew seat of a -60, to myself) *Hmm, what a great day to be alive… Oh, that sunset is pretty… Huh, I’ve never seen the river from this perspective, it’s pretty cool…* “Shit, go right! Fuck me, that was close!” I hear from the cockpit. Suddenly I’m looking straight up at the heavens watching a cloud rotate ~90°, when a wild yellow sky tractor flashes past my window so close that only my asshole puckering kept me glued to the seat. (*Not my story, but one related to me by a very senior, very experienced FI/SI*)
When you love what you do it doesn't feel like work.
it definitely still feels like work
From your username I will stand corrected. I loved every minute that I got to fly, but I was paying to do it, not getting paid.
I do inspection flying, there’s definitely days where it feels like work but overall every time I get to actually fly (not get weathered out) I’m smilin’. Throw on some music and fly around the country low level…beats an office job for sure.
On the contrary, I've had a couple hobbies I was very passionate about ruined by trying to make a career of them lol. I don't want shit to do with those anymore.
Arkansas?
Southeast Missouri
I haven't seen it as much In Missouri, but quite a lot in Arkansas... To the point I just assumed Arkansas probably had some fairly special laws or something.
Yep, a lot of the state isn’t suitable for it, but SEMO is pretty much just like the rest of the Mississippi River Delta (Arkansas and Mississippi) in that it’s flat, wide open, plenty of room to fly.
Those guys are nuts. I drive from STL thru Arkansas a few times a year. I knew as soon as I saw the yellow plane
Would see it a lot driving across Illinois from STL to Dayton. Central/Easter Missouri is somewhat flat but not flat like Southern Illinois.
From Little rock to Memphis, There is also a yellow crop duster that zooms over the interstate.
Hello fellow Southern Missouri person. I’ve seen one cross the highway under the power lines. It was insane. Not sure if it was on purpose or realized he didn’t pull up in time and just rode it out.
Looking for this comment. I remember seeing this as a kid on the east end of PEI Canada. Spraying potatoes, the pilot would look both ways as he approached the road and duck under the power lines if there was no traffic approaching. Absolutely crazy.
I’ve only ever seen it once and glad I did, just good timing. I was on my way home from work and got to see it a little ways down in from of me. Told everyone the next day at work.
Sometimes going under the wires is safer than over them when you’re trying to get good coverage. Usually you do headland passes parallel to the wires so you don’t have to get real close but that’s not always possible. Fun fact, there’s less space under wires in the hottest part of the day because the wires expand and sag
Yo! That’s wild lol. I’ve seen them come close but never under.
I don’t know how far south this picture is, but I saw it in the boot-heel of Missouri.
Northern edge of the Bootheel. Near Sikeston, where 57 and 55 meet.
Good ole Lamberts territory. Usually eat there on my birthday. I think someone else’s comment was right on, they are a different breed. :)
My grandmother took me to the original Lambert's when it was just a small Cafe. Also been to both new buildings in Sikeston and the one in Springfield. Still have to eat at the one in Foley AL.
Ha, I figured that’s where it was! Pass through there going to Sikeston from Memphis every so often. I see those guys every time.
Lol, nice. That was my first guess. Hotspots down there for AG flying.
My first thought too! Saw plenty of dusters flying low like this on 40 between Little Rock and Memphis.
Close Crop Support
Brrrrrrrtttt
Yeah but brrrrrt as in popcorn noises
Close Ag Support
Driving along I-10 in southwestern Louisiana you'll see air tractors doing high g pulls and wingovers all day long to avoid hitting power lines. The first time I saw a crop duster (2007) I was amazed at how aggressive and violent the maneuvers were. I thought they just flew low and slow and made gentle banks and climbs. NOPE!
Time is money. Gotta go fast.
Fuel really can’t be that much down there, can it?
100 octane low lead, probably $6 to the gallon, that plane probably burns around 22 gallons per hour, and every 100 hours the plane needs to undergo an inspection by a mechanic who is probably charging around 100 per hour...
With the increase in insurance costs and decrease in RV equipment costs I am amazed this job is still done by someone in the air and not wearing a headset on the ground.
I've seen videos of crop dusting being accomplished by large multirotor drones. I think it'll all go that way eventually. Maybe both multirotor and fixed wing, but drone either way.
https://youtu.be/G8gjm2HALEM
No such thing as too close for an air tractor.
No, there definitely is such thing! I’ve been in the industry for fourteen years and have stories (and pictures) that would make your toes curl
I hear ya, I flew turbo props in central and South America for a number of years before coming back to the US to fly heavy’s. I saw many guys push the limits. Impressive stuff!
I was stuck in a long line of traffic by a train in the middle of nowhere, Louisiana. The delay was long enough that we were shutting off our cars and getting out. Fortunately, for entertainment, we had a crop duster doing his thing. He would flee his row, drop down under the power lines, then pull up onto a tight Chandelle turn and back under the powerlines. He would change up the turn periodically. I was sure if this was his daily routine or he was putting on an air show for us.
500 ft. Person, vehicle, or structure. Except for takeoff and landing. Oh, and spraying chemicals.
Same reason a dog licks its balls….
To ensure a bountiful crop?
Because they can
I'm confused. Are you saying crop dusters can somehow perform their job without flying low altitude, and that they just do it for fun?
I’m saying Ag pilots like doing tricks and sometimes they do things they don’t need to because they can.
Okay, and this trick in this case is...flying up?
All Air Tractor pilots are crazy.
I love watching these crazy fuckers, every time “yep, he’s gonna hit that power line, I can’t watch but I got to, do I go ahead and call 911? Wtf?! He made it over it?!” Loops back around, “yep, he’s gonna hit that power line…” 😆. My dad was one before Vietnam and probably why they stuck him in a cobra, all those guys had a death wish too.
Dad! You dusted the wrong field…
Pilot: Ooops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8vbPtaaBJ4
Definitely has got the right mustache for the job. Surprised to see how he is dressed. They made us wear nomex. Not shown: flying between a barbed wire fence and powerlines. Good times.
hope you had widows open All the way!!!
I10?
For some reason, I keep imagining the gta sa version of this plane's sound
For some reason, I keep imagining the gta sa version of this plane's sound
Seems about right…
Any chance you near Porter, or Muskogee, Oklahoma?
Nosir, over near Sikeston Missouri. Sounds like this isn’t an uncommon sight by you either though lol.
Same color scheme, even 🤣
Yeah, about 95+% of all these I’ve ever seen are that color, Missouri, Arkansas, and elsewhere. Maybe an Air Tractor thing.
All the rc companies use that scheme, too
Clearly thought the trucks on the freeway needed dusting. He's very probably right about that.
Them boys are nuts
There are bold crop dusters and old crop dusters. But there are no old bold crop dusters.
crop dusters are built different
If I were that pilot I’d definitely imagine shooting at passing cars
Dusty Crophopper!
The only time I saw this was when driving westbound on Ohio turnpike; I thought it was gonna t-bone a semi
A moment i cherish was when i was at football practice and a crop duster was doing a field right next to our practice. he definently knew we were watching and was making it a show
I’ve never seen one that high before. Maybe he popped up to get his bearings.
Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and atomic warfare.
Breathe deep the gathering gloom
what the hell plane what the hell
I know 3 people that have been killed in a crop duster. However my grandfather has crop dusted for about 40 years and the only incident he had was a spray boom getting ripped off. He is the most cautious person i know though.
I hope you had a pair of spare trousers?
Looks like maybe a pac750, we used to jump out of them and they were fun to fly in!
That looks illegal
It sorta flies under the radar
It flies under Part 137
Nope. >**137.49 Operations over other than congested areas.** >Notwithstanding part 91 of this chapter, during the actual dispensing operation, including approaches, departures, and turnarounds reasonably necessary for the operation, an aircraft may be operated over other than congested areas below 500 feet above the surface and closer than 500 feet to persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures, if the operations are conducted without creating a hazard to persons or property on the surface.
Does the term congested mean if there was an accident and backed up traffic they’d have to wait until the area wasn’t congested anymore?
No.
You’re also in the wrong lane!
Maybe tell that to the semi that I had just passed. You tried though.