Growing up, I used to watch pilots fly like this and much more aggressively everyday dusting fields near our home,. I had a favorite plane/pilot combo that was nearby. He flew a clipped wing Piper Pawnee, and would fly very aggressively. He would make a pass then pull vertically hard and just before stalling, stand on the rudder, pivot into a hammerhead turn, then blast back down for another pass! Over the years I saw many crashed crop duster planes. Even watched one crash in person. I saw pilots fly under power lines, pull up at the very last seconds before a tree line, .. you name it!
I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a way to log back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost my account password. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
Exactly. I once saw a Piper AgWagon land trailing 30 feet of power line cable from his vertical stabilizer spar. It had cut thru the leading edge of the stab back to the spar. I was Line Boy on duty. He jumped out and said "HIDE ME! HIDE ME!" I quickly rolled him into our hangar, and sure enough, 10 min later comes a Power Co. truck with a VERY angry Supervisor inside. We sat and drank coffee and watched him look at our shut hangar doors.
Great flying, I know how dangerous it can be. Used to help dad in the 70's to flag the pilot every so many rows and move ahead. I loved watching the plane go over my head each time.
I'm currently in flight school in Daytona Beach, FL. Cropdusting is something I've wanted to do since I was a kid, and this video really got me thinking about it even more. It really looks great, thank you for sharing.
😢. I. Missed my. Calling. Around. Crop-dusting all my life had every. Chance. Started flying at #16 😂😂. Damn ! It takes a very. Intelligent person. Too do this everyday. And you have to. Love it. And. Be a. Little ! Crazy. ✅💯🤞👍😁✌️😎.
i did this in the early sixties....flying my own ..built up time at 22 years of age and got a commercial pilots certificate....enjoy seeing all these new larger load toting plances...bill myrick
very cool ... very cool... i knew this pilot (retired) who did night crop dusting with a bottle of cognac and an ounce of blow between his legs .. he did other type of trips too .. but it was a sight to see ..
Seen it for myself, I grew up in West Texas. When I was little I remember sitting outside and watching the crop dusters fly every summer. As I got older I saw them less and less, now there are only a VERY few left. I can't speak for other areas though, crop dusting might be booming everywhere else for all I know.
My dad flew air tractors and ag trucks in Western Australia in the 80s and 90s, they are great machines, thanks for posting tjodalv44. P.S is that you flying and where?
Nice video tjodalv44. My late father flew these and Ag Trucks out of Wagin and Esperance in Western Australia in the 80's and 90's. They are great aircraft. What are you flying here and whereabouts is it ? Thanks again for a nice vid!
Right except in my office job if I make a mistake the owners and their progeny lose everything this is just some guy who is easily replaced do you understand how this works?
Jay Harmon sorry Mr Harmon but your a crop dusting legend in these parts of Arkansas . You have really pulled the throttle back I guess it’s comes with age. I’m not calling you old either. Julio is one of my best buddies. Yea he’s crazy but I love him. I still love to see you fly. Luck to still be here. I remember the crash at long pond. Paul Taylor and Shelby Phillips took you to hospital if I remember right. No matter what I flagged for you one time. And that gap in the turning row you couldn’t go straight thru but if you suddenly turned one wing to ground one to sky shush gap cleared rows counted turn on a dime and here you was. On your way back. Woodruff’ said you buzzed his spray rig and it scared him do bad he flew up in the seat and wham back down in seat. He had a full can of black spray paint in cab. Why? Well who knows. The seat punctured it and it looked like a bomb went off in there well I guess a black bomb did go off. It was all over his face body and everything. The front glass got the worst. Shit we still haven’t got all of it off. Want ever either lol. Hats off to you mr Harmon. Fly on
There is one way to watch this video properly. Open VLC, click on media then Open network stream. Paste the full URL of this video in the field. Click on the Play button at the bottom.
I was watching this with the song Oklahoma: Wheatfield from the Twister Score (notoriously hard to find) playing instead of the sound...exhilarating! Not that it needs the music to be pulse pounding. This looks like Iowa, where was this filmed?
It's a GPS with LED dots that mark his last spot in the field and guides him in for the next pass:) Takes the place of flags in the field and flag drops
Depends on the size of the cable. If its like a fence wire, not much, it'll just break it. Anything bigger is bad news. They will do nothing for something like a guy wire, the plane would probably crash depending on where it hit.
@yojialjimbo The vast majority of farmers hire dedicated crop duster services to do this. Both farming and crop dusting are pretty intensive operations and it would be pretty darn tough for a farmer to do both and make it profitable.
I don't fly but went for lap in 802 recently. This is just like it, sounds aswell, without the G's! A stomach turning Luna Park ride you can't get off.
i just now got home and no longer than 5 minutes ago a crop duster flew right accross the road in front of me and over a farm field, scared the mess outa me, but now im curious as to how he was able to angle around those nasty power lines so easily.
That flying is pretty insane. The boss would tell you, "Get the plane down low, until the wheels are just above the crops and stay low until the last moment, then pull up quickly or you'll crash, die, and destroy my expensive plane. Make your turns tight and make as few passes as possible. One last thing, be safe and don't crash my plane!!!" I guess these type of pilots could easily transition to flying A-10 Tankbusters since they also fly similar patters, but they are up much higher.
Does the GPS keep track of where you've sprayed? I know in a lot, probably most tractors now, you can keep track of where you've planted, sprayed, and combined.
The problem with training for this kind of thing is that after a certain, lengthy number of operational hours you will be convinced you are good enough - when, in fact, you are about 25% of the way there.
@mhlproperty Hi mate, yeah thats who my dad flew for for awile. They have now sealed the thresholds of the runways, and the 172 is still with the aeroclub I think, I havent been back for some time!
@bigbadbenable Yes they are, but they aren't as extensive as some people would expect. They're basically a little strip of metal on the landing gear and the cockpit. They're not razor sharp or anything.
Just curious how did you make crop dusting profitable? At my airport there is one but I havent been able to meet him but I am interested in doing this.
@tjodalv44 Sometimes companies use "flaggers" that are in a truck, pilots use the truck as a reference for how to line up next. Usually more common with companies that aren't into gps or newer tech.
The best pilots. And ejection seats, ATC monitoring their path, and helicopters ready to bring them to hospital if they crash like it is in UsA military.
@Toffa1985 Im Jim Nimmo and Yes I worked with Phil in the 83 and 84 season, I remember him well. There was Phil, Rossco, Me and John I think his name was, from Esperence. Phil and Rossco flew the C188s Me the "Hard boiled egg" (Airtruck) and Johno the Pawnee
@cobrachoppergirl I don't know about you, but I'd take that over sitting in an office any day, that's sown pretty intense flying you get to do, every day...
Growing up, I used to watch pilots fly like this and much more aggressively everyday dusting fields near our home,. I had a favorite plane/pilot combo that was nearby. He flew a clipped wing Piper Pawnee, and would fly very aggressively. He would make a pass then pull vertically hard and just before stalling, stand on the rudder, pivot into a hammerhead turn, then blast back down for another pass! Over the years I saw many crashed crop duster planes. Even watched one crash in person. I saw pilots fly under power lines, pull up at the very last seconds before a tree line, .. you name it!
Sounds awesome
That's how spray pilots get killed.
I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a way to log back into an instagram account??
I stupidly lost my account password. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
@Robert Gerardo Instablaster ;)
Stall turns are a great way of shortening your life span. I lost a house mate to that and airshow itis
Exactly. I once saw a Piper AgWagon land trailing 30 feet of power line cable from his vertical stabilizer spar. It had cut thru the leading edge of the stab back to the spar. I was Line Boy on duty. He jumped out and said "HIDE ME! HIDE ME!" I quickly rolled him into our hangar, and sure enough, 10 min later comes a Power Co. truck with a VERY angry Supervisor inside. We sat and drank coffee and watched him look at our shut hangar doors.
It's a Cessna AG Wagon or a Piper Pawnee.
I just got my first seat for this season in Iowa. I constantly return to your video to watch it for inspiration.
You still alive?
@@rhcp4life697 lol
Are you still alive? Sorry to ask such a grim question!
@@excellenceinanimation960 🤣
@@MisterWillie060 yeeey ur alive! Lol. Do you recommend this line of work?
Very cool footage! Love watching these guys and to see footage from the cockpit is very cool!
Nice video. You guys make it look easy. At 5:05, good hands to get around that pole!
Great flying, I know how dangerous it can be. Used to help dad in the 70's to flag the pilot every so many rows and move ahead. I loved watching the plane go over my head each time.
I keep coming back to this video. Especially at 5:05 of you kicking it around that pole. Awesome!
That's exactly what it looks like, did it for 10 years. Just showed my secretary I drive a desk now! Didn't have GPS when I did it either.
Very nice flying. Like the safe turns. A pro.
Keep coming back to watch this totally badass flying! Pure awesome. Glad its back up.
@5:00 nope!
lol that was so cool
There are "bold" pilots and there are "old" pilots but not a lot of bold old pilots...except for crop dusters.
I've known three separate ag pilots who got killed that way. Not sure they're an exception...
Had to dust your mom’s crops. Not sure it was worth it 😕
Dude that was some sick yaw action at like 5:00 just slid right to the side of that phone pole looks like such an amazing ride!
I'm currently in flight school in Daytona Beach, FL. Cropdusting is something I've wanted to do since I was a kid, and this video really got me thinking about it even more. It really looks great, thank you for sharing.
that my friend was an awesome ride , thank you,, nice slip around the pole,, lets go again ;)
😢. I. Missed my. Calling. Around. Crop-dusting all my life had every. Chance. Started flying at #16 😂😂. Damn ! It takes a very. Intelligent person. Too do this everyday. And you have to. Love it. And. Be a. Little ! Crazy. ✅💯🤞👍😁✌️😎.
These guys are amazing pilots! People dont realize the kind of skill crop dusting requires...and balls!
Always wondered what my uncle loved about this. It looks really exciting. Too bad he died training on an Air Tractor... RIP.
Actually from everything I understand, ag flying is a pretty huge business. As long as people eat and plants grow, ag pilots are flying.
Now this is what i've been waiting for,thanks for posting.Post as much as possible.
i did this in the early sixties....flying my own ..built up time at 22 years of age and got a commercial pilots certificate....enjoy seeing all these new larger load toting plances...bill myrick
nice job man... I got lots of power lines to deal with here in south brazilian rice crop's...
very cool ... very cool... i knew this pilot (retired) who did night crop dusting with a bottle of cognac and an ounce of blow between his legs .. he did other type of trips too .. but it was a sight to see ..
I picked some cotton one time with that skip row pattern. Five row narrow in the valley . Close to McAllen tx
This looks like a lot faster pass speed than what I did in a little Pawnee years ago.
that's a tough field to spray! nice video. i was anxious for you @ the 5:00min mark. way to kick the rudder!
@Toffa1985
Hi! This is a Turbo Thrush flying in Texas.
Nice one, you fly like a boss.
Seen it for myself, I grew up in West Texas. When I was little I remember sitting outside and watching the crop dusters fly every summer. As I got older I saw them less and less, now there are only a VERY few left.
I can't speak for other areas though, crop dusting might be booming everywhere else for all I know.
I would panic :O. You are really good at this.
It's a Sat loc or some brand of that and it helps the pilot line up his swaths for increased accuracy and efficiency.
My dad flew air tractors and ag trucks in Western Australia in the 80s and 90s, they are great machines, thanks for posting tjodalv44.
P.S is that you flying and where?
I was going to do this before I got wrapped up in music. Sometimes I wish that wasn't the case.
Nice video tjodalv44. My late father flew these and Ag Trucks out of Wagin and Esperance in Western Australia in the 80's and 90's. They are great aircraft. What are you flying here and whereabouts is it ?
Thanks again for a nice vid!
Nice! Don’t tell me about your office job being stressful. This guy has guts and brains
Right except in my office job if I make a mistake the owners and their progeny lose everything this is just some guy who is easily replaced do you understand how this works?
This pilot is Hans Solo in an Air Tractor! Absolutely amazing flying skills!
OMG, NEW RESPECT FOR THIS CAREER.
@fortitude3030
Its a GPS unit that you manually set in reference points for each different field you are working in.
low flying cool whatever..... Cutting underneath transmission power lines pucker so tight no poop for a week!
Jay Harmon sorry Mr Harmon but your a crop dusting legend in these parts of Arkansas . You have really pulled the throttle back I guess it’s comes with age. I’m not calling you old either. Julio is one of my best buddies. Yea he’s crazy but I love him. I still love to see you fly. Luck to still be here. I remember the crash at long pond. Paul Taylor and Shelby Phillips took you to hospital if I remember right. No matter what I flagged for you one time. And that gap in the turning row you couldn’t go straight thru but if you suddenly turned one wing to ground one to sky shush gap cleared rows counted turn on a dime and here you was. On your way back. Woodruff’ said you buzzed his spray rig and it scared him do bad he flew up in the seat and wham back down in seat. He had a full can of black spray paint in cab. Why? Well who knows. The seat punctured it and it looked like a bomb went off in there well I guess a black bomb did go off. It was all over his face body and everything. The front glass got the worst. Shit we still haven’t got all of it off. Want ever either lol. Hats off to you mr Harmon. Fly on
This was one of the best on Utube. Dang it.
EXCELLENT VIDEO. Would need bucket in lap to catch............
How do you increase / decrease water output?
There is one way to watch this video properly. Open VLC, click on media then Open network stream. Paste the full URL of this video in the field. Click on the Play button at the bottom.
I was watching this with the song Oklahoma: Wheatfield from the Twister Score (notoriously hard to find) playing instead of the sound...exhilarating! Not that it needs the music to be pulse pounding.
This looks like Iowa, where was this filmed?
Respect for these guys! I bet this is a great way to accumulate hours while really learning how to fly.
Dave Contarino you build hours to land one of these jobs. Harder to become an Ag pilot than a jet jock
@cjracer1000
You do need a commercial license as well as an applicator license to dispense the chemicals and such.
It's a GPS with LED dots that mark his last spot in the field and guides him in for the next pass:) Takes the place of flags in the field and flag drops
Great flying. I commend you for not using music.
Under the power lines and over the house, to grandmothers house we go.
That's a job that takes skills and balls. More the former though. Ye Gods man.
Depends on the size of the cable. If its like a fence wire, not much, it'll just break it. Anything bigger is bad news. They will do nothing for something like a guy wire, the plane would probably crash depending on where it hit.
@yojialjimbo
The vast majority of farmers hire dedicated crop duster services to do this. Both farming and crop dusting are pretty intensive operations and it would be pretty darn tough for a farmer to do both and make it profitable.
I don't fly but went for lap in 802 recently. This is just like it, sounds aswell, without the G's! A stomach turning Luna Park ride you can't get off.
i just now got home and no longer than 5 minutes ago a crop duster flew right accross the road in front of me and over a farm field, scared the mess outa me, but now im curious as to how he was able to angle around those nasty power lines so easily.
How much extra weight does the chemicals add, and how much horsepower are the engines in the aircraft.....Thanks nice video
Wow! Dream job for me, am I correct in thinking that these aircraft are fitted with cable cutters just in case?
Unreal. What is the gauge on the nose? I'm guessing it's there so the pilot can monitor something whilst keeping his eyes outside the cockpit.
Nicely done sir!!!
@jyokid Yep, its hooked up to a GPS unit that is used for making even patterns.
That flying is pretty insane. The boss would tell you, "Get the plane down low, until the wheels are just above the crops and stay low until the last moment, then pull up quickly or you'll crash, die, and destroy my expensive plane. Make your turns tight and make as few passes as possible. One last thing, be safe and don't crash my plane!!!"
I guess these type of pilots could easily transition to flying A-10 Tankbusters since they also fly similar patters, but they are up much higher.
Does the GPS keep track of where you've sprayed? I know in a lot, probably most tractors now, you can keep track of where you've planted, sprayed, and combined.
This is great! how do you know where to spray and where you have already sprayed?
The problem with training for this kind of thing is that after a certain, lengthy number of operational hours you will be convinced you are good enough - when, in fact, you are about 25% of the way there.
@tjodalv44 Neat stuff! How does it work? GPS reference, navaid, or do you manually set something?
Good call on that truck too! It was a boll weevil trapper...
Lots of times the only thing that hits the wires are their balls.
Samsquanch
@mhlproperty Hi mate, yeah thats who my dad flew for for awile. They have now sealed the thresholds of the runways, and the 172 is still with the aeroclub I think, I havent been back for some time!
@bigbadbenable
Yes they are, but they aren't as extensive as some people would expect. They're basically a little strip of metal on the landing gear and the cockpit. They're not razor sharp or anything.
Just curious how did you make crop dusting profitable? At my airport there is one but I havent been able to meet him but I am interested in doing this.
@rcaldwell1973
Different aircraft have different weights and engines. This one has about 800 hp and can carry over 4000lbs of chemicals.
@tjodalv44 Sometimes companies use "flaggers" that are in a truck, pilots use the truck as a reference for how to line up next. Usually more common with companies that aren't into gps or newer tech.
There is no negotiating with angel of death never.think of all the crop duster pilots in the grave.prefer life over this high risk job.
these guys got the steel balls
Ok, @ 5:00 that was pretty amazing.
Great footage keep charing!!
Good job, buddy!!!
Looks like an s2r thrush possibly a lane conversion?
The best pilots. And ejection seats, ATC monitoring their path, and helicopters ready to bring them to hospital if they crash like it is in UsA military.
How often do you dust a particular field? And how the pay if you own your own aircraft? Loved the vid btw!
nice flying man..... nice
Do you need commercial and aerobatic license to do this?
Great flying! What references do you use to keep your orientation and know what rows you have/have not sprayed?
Gps & Lightbars
SWEET piloting! What is that sensor or scanner that is on the cowl of his plane? Is it for navigation or altitude or what?
trykkestar it's to tell him if he is lined up for his next pass
@Toffa1985
I flew out of Wagin in the early 80s for Dick Giles and flew mostly the Airtruck
nice flying!!!!!
MAN FLYING LIKE THAT MUST TAKE NERVES OF STEEL
Curious how many acres does a field have to be to be accessible to spray it?.... If it is surrounded by trees, power lines etc?
@Toffa1985 Im Jim Nimmo and Yes I worked with Phil in the 83 and 84 season, I remember him well. There was Phil, Rossco, Me and John I think his name was, from Esperence. Phil and Rossco flew the C188s Me the "Hard boiled egg" (Airtruck) and Johno the Pawnee
What's the speed at the low pass?
Excellent pilotage!
@bristlebrush No....unless you pick your nose in some really bad turbulence, then yes
This is the closest thing to being a top gun fighter pilot most of you could actually achieve in your life.
These pilots are the civilian equivalent to Top Gun pilots
Is there any kind of ground controling on site involved with this or fields with an abnormal amount of obstacles?
Maybe its time to move to Iowa!
When I see or hear a crop duster I sure don't want to here something like a tire going flat
do you get a nose bleed if you go over 1000 feet?
Better than Six Flags!
@mhlproperty His name was Phillip Hill
@cobrachoppergirl I don't know about you, but I'd take that over sitting in an office any day, that's sown pretty intense flying you get to do, every day...
Filmed on the coastal plains of Texas
Did you have one of the old bi-planes?
Anyone know what the LED's are indicating on the engine cowling?