Want to earn an Ag Pilot seat? Here's 6 tips to help you get there!
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- Опубліковано 25 лют 2020
- If you're someone trying to earn a seat as an ag pilot these 6 tips are going to go a long ways for you. Getting a seat in this industry can be difficult but there's things you can do to make yourself stand out and show an operator you've got what it takes. This is all great advice given to me by my mentors or mistakes made and lessons learned. Let me know what you think in the comments. If there's something you disagree with or would like to add let's talk about it!
As always thanks for watching! Good luck out there and stay safe!
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Can you imagine how great this country would be if just 50% of our youth had this young man’s intelligence, responsibility, and work ethic ? I hope you have a long, safe and rewarding career !
95% have his work ethic. Most have to work 2 full time jobs to afford rent/student loans thanks to your generation.
Great talk. Applies to every job out there.
Great tips, thanks a lot and happy flights !!!
Best regards from Uruguay 🇺🇾
Thank you for the advice! I’m 16 currently working on my ppl and I hope to be an ag pilot someday.
hows the PPL going
When I first click on this video i thought how can how can a young putz know what he is talking about but I'll tell you, you nailed it. I've been a cropduster since 1996. All the points you made are so very true. I'm sharing this video with a friend of mine who what's to get into crop spraying. The once thing I would add to your 6 point program is, and i do this all the time, I would tell the farmer "I will spray your field like it is my own". Fly safe Be careful from a fellow duster from Saskatchewan.
Its a mad industry. You have to have a little missing to enjoy doing this job. Great advice. Best lessons are heard over a beer in a settled inviroment.
Your extremely mature for such a young man. Very impressive! As a pilot, you never stop learning and always listen and learn. Like Andy says, evaluate yourself after each flight. Why did it work well, why didn’t it work so well. If need be write it down to help remember it so you can go back and review what worked.
I am a retired military man that have always loved aviation and have always wanted to be an ag pilot, its never too late, so I hope to achieve this milestone. Those six tips are very true and have worked for me always.
Same. I’m making calls today to find a local place to get my PPL today and eventually towards ag, or wherever the journey takes me.
@@abramweston9873 Gl man! I have the same goal. Just saving money atm. Trying to get glider licence than maybe transition to powerd and tow gliders to build time.
Great video man. We experience the same things in Argentina. I hope we can do this kinda of teaching my country.
Wise words from a young man. With an attitude like yours you have a great chance of achieving your goals and living a satisfying life. Keep up the videos......We love 'em 👍
Thank you I appreciate it!
Great advice for all pilots not just ag pilots. This is what UA-cam is all about.
Brilliant work
Great advice and obviously you have had some good mentors!
That I do!
Love the vids keep em comin. I’m starting my second year loading and I’m working towards my commercial license. Sure is a long journey but will be worth it. Keep up the great content!
Yep it's all worth it in the end! Keep at it!
Awesome video bud i agree with your 6 tips... Working on a seat!!!
Thank you! Good luck!
You are ahead of your years. 👍
great info and comments. thanks. 26 year ASEL/S complex w/instra and fresh commercial.
Thanks! Wise man good content.
Thank you!
Wise words there, follow that work ethic and you won't go far wrong
Thank you!
Great advice
lovely video
Albeit good advice, 5 of the 6 points are all good pointers for how to behave in this industry as a pilot and how to be a good pilot. The only thing I heard you say that addresses the title topic was if you want an ag seat, go load.
It’s nice to see a young man with a good head on his shoulders. Work hard but know when to stop. My 2 cents. 22 years and a shade under 19,000hrs
How many Ag planes are working the South East? Meet a Ag pilot back in 2000. He was working on one side of moton field and I was working the DZ. The pilot was super nice. He took a youngun up in his single seat plane. Kid came back grinning. I like that word accountable!
Not really a full tip but I would say impress the operator. Treat that aircraft that you're working with like it's made of gold be respectful of the pilots and their tools to do their job. When you get a few aircraft on the ground everybody's loading be safe always be safe!! Lol this type of career and it's John Wayne attitude attract many people who want to be as you put it badass. In over 40 years of this business I found that they either realize they're not badass or you can say they're not bad ass when you're at their funeral this is a business and it takes all kinds of seriousness just like any other be safe
My tip No. 7 is to move on to another operator if you are at a dead end with no future in sight. I had dreams of becoming an ag pilot, worked as a loader for 5 spray seasons typically 7 days a week starting at age 17, never missed a day, was loyal to a fault, obtained PPL, Instrument, Commercial, CFI, and well over 500 hours including a couple of hundred tailwheel hours all during my days as a loader. I totally loved being around the ag aviation business, but the operator would not consider breaking in a new pilot. He never had and never will. I ended up giving up on the dream rather than continuing to "pay my dues". Eventually I moved on to get an engineering degree and a great career and now just fly for fun. But now an then I wonder where life would have taken me if I had worked for a different operator.
The operator makes ALL the difference. I met a wonderful man who owns an AG operation. We spoke about a direct pathway to the cockpit transitioning from truck driving to AG pilot. All of this came about from a conversation we had. The gentleman was a really nice guy and is the kind of person who is very easy to talk with. He gave me the impression he's willing to help others any way he can. Probably the reason he owns 2 air tractors and a handful of other airplanes.
Stumbled upon your video on a facebook group, found it to be really informative! I don't have any real connection to the Ag industry but I have a very strong connection with aviation in general. It seems like the general consensus for everyone is that you need to work as a loader for a season or two (as you stated.) My question is, do pilots have time to maintain currency when doing this kind of job?
Yeah more than likely you’ll have time. It depends on which part of the country you work as the length of season varies across the country
I see you have a location in Farmington NM
Love the videos
They no longer do this where I live. For decades now. I remember seeing them as a child but land based computerized equipment has taken over.
Wow!!!! You want to own a restaurant, go wash dishes and be a prep cook. Such great advice. Learn the business.
How many pilot hours did you have when you got your first job?
A wise sole.
All true
30 years in IT and your principles stand as well.
I fly out of an airport with a single plane working out of it. I am thinking about talking to the guy to see if i can at least do a little work for him. I am 18 and already have my ppl and interesting in ag aviation
There's no better way to find out if you like it than loading spray planes!
@@valleyagpilot1283 thats true. Im wondering if eventually there would be enough business to support 2 planes in our area
I understand for ag pilots the busy season can be brutal, but how are the hours for the majority of the year? Are they just as bad or slightly better? I'm looking at careers and I am really considering ag aviation. I love aviation and agriculture, but before I make the jump I want to know what I'm getting into...
It depends where you’re at in the country because everyone’s season is a little different. It’s not balls to the wall every single day. You’ll have stretches lasting 1-3 weeks where you’re non stop busy but then things will calm down and it won’t be so nuts. I know the corn run can get even longer than 3 weeks in some places like I said it has varies a lot. Where ya at?
What's first year AG pilot pay? Normally money wouldn't be an issue but I have a family, so I just want know I can feed them.
i know some that get paid 20k their first year and some 50k just depends on the operator ig
How did you become an ag pilot so young.... good video.
Just a swift talker is all
How many years did you load before you got a seat?
2.5 years roughly. I'm gonna make a video about my journey down the road here.
Hey I'm a commercial pilot and just got a loading job over the summer, I start next week... was really tired of the airline bullshit. I have no experience in ag besides growing up in a small town so I'm a little nervous but mostly excited to work. Great advice here for loaders... i have one question though. What the heck do you guys do during the winter? People always told me ag pilots are 6 months on 6 months off basically
It depends on where you’re at because the season gets longer the further south you go. Our season up here is only about 3 months and I have the rest of that time off to do what I want. I’m going to get my CFI and hopefully instruct in the winter time. But right now I help a farmer with harvest and bartend in the off season.
@@valleyagpilot1283 Awesome! Thank you for getting back to me! Yeah I'll be in Colorado, near my hometown. I know no one gets into this for the money but about how much can someone expect from an aerial spraying job? The reason I ask is I hear people say they can make a ton and others say they average 40k a year... whats a good entry pay for a pilot in this field? Working hard and flying everyday and then having winter off does not seem like a bad gig.
You know pay is tough especially for a beginning pilot. Some operators pay by the acre, a percentage of application rate, or by the flight hour. You're first 2 years you're not going to rake in money but once you're in a turbine and have some experience it can pay really well. Everyone's season varies so I'd say ask the pilot you'll be working around to give a ball park estimate.
What flight school would any of you guys recommend?
I'd recommend a school near Athens, GA, the owner/ instructor there is as good of a man as he is a pilot. Although a pilots work is from inside of a cockpit the politics and the ability to deal with people on the outside that you've upset possibly or they'll ask questions will come into play sooner or later this guy can teach you how to deal with that and how to stay safe in an ag plane
@@donaldwhite1853 Im originally from
Anderson, SC not far from Athens. You got a name for the school?
Hey Valley Ag Pilot, where can I find a job as a loader (I live in Iowa). I know this might be a stupid question but should I obtain my licensing before getting a loading job? Whats the pay like as a loader? Only asking because I just moved up here and got a job thats allowing me to save the money for flight school and want to make sure I can still do that.
You can try ag air updates classified section they have a help wanted page. Also just try finding the operators in your area. Call them or stop by to see if they’re hiring or if they know anyone that is. Pay varies by operation, some people pay good and others don’t but it’s probably on average between 12-18/hr but you’ll get a lot of overtime. I hope that helps!
Valley Ag Pilot thanks for the reply, I found a company near me that does aerial application, going to go talk to them this week and see what they have to say.
Arkansas has more ag pilots than any other state due to rice farming being heavily dependent upon ag planes. Tons and tons of urea are appplied by air.
@@boomerang379 I live in AR and am interested in becoming a ag pilot but I don't even know where to start. Do you know how I can get my foot in the door?
familyjewels7 find a flying service near by and try to get a job loading. It can be stressful as a loader but it’s not awful
So i was thinking of becoming a Ag Pilot to help out our local Ag Pilot business. Im a full time farmer in Kansas and I have been looking and can't find a clean answer. But how long would it take to get a Ag Pilot license if I started tomorrow on it?
Approximately 2 years. 2-3 months for private and then 6-9 months to get commercial and then however long it takes to fulfill the usual 1,500 hr min flight time.
@@jasonmelendez5216 I have flown ag 2 seasons and still don’t have 1500 hours total time.
@@guseberriesdoublergusefarm5936 How many hours did you have when you started flying Ag? What plane was the majority of those hours in?
Do you think a 42 year old PPL can still work towards an Ag rating and meaningful work? It's been a lifelong dream but someone put me off of it and I listened like a dumbass instead of never giving up
I’ve been flying since 1972, next year will be my last year , I would like to add one other tip, never stop asking questions. There are not any stupid questions only stupid mistake nobody knows everything, and if you are to proud to ask something,get out of the airplane you have no business been there
BIG GUY
very good
Kudos... Best lessons in life to learn early is recognising that life, people, governments owe you Jack sh*t. Your earn what you work for! No more, no less... unless your in the US or Europe where we pay for people to not work 😂
Friclkin auto spell "want's"