Last Fall a rather unbiased group descended on one of our local airports. They were happy to fly both Air Tractors and Thrush Aircraft, which is pretty impartial in a place that will nearly come to blows over the choice between green or red tractors, bow ties or blue ovals, and boiled or grilled hotdogs. It was time for cover crops to be planted and the seed trucks were on heavy rotation at the airport. This spring farmers have been in their fields planting with ground tractors, in lieu of the Air Tractors of last year. But that doesn't negate the necessity, benefits, or blessings of the big turbine powered beasts flying low and fast over our fields and forests.

Around the world, yellow planes (primarily) flit and fly over and around farm ground and wooded ground alike. Air Tractors, Dromaders, Ag Cats, and Thrushes; the manufacturers are various, though the colors and designs are strikingly similar. There are a few exceptions to the typical color scheme, though, with Thrush putting out quite a few red on white planes and Embraer selling their Ipanema in a green scheme that looks more aerobat than work horse.

No matter the paint scheme, these aircraft are indeed workhorses of the sky. Whether it be planting in wet seasons, spraying herbicides and pesticides, or even fighting fires, the men and women flying ag planes have many approaches to serving society. The crew near my hometown kept the planes fueled, loaded them with seed, and returned them quickly back into the sky. The dance on the taxiways and tarmac was an amazing sight to see.

The rules of the realm in aerial application are high horsepower, higher precision, and no limits to the imagination. The equipment that is mounted on these airplanes simply boggles the mind and is rarely identifiable to the uninitiated. These particular birds were set up for seeding operations. The bit dangling below the belly looking like a stubby second wing is actually a seed spreader. The hopper in the nose can be filled with any number of dry or wet chemicals, water and retardant for firefighting, and, of course, seed.

A few years ago, I had the chance to go to the National Agricultural Aviation Association convention out west. It was a great opportunity to see the spectrum of people and companies involved in the industry, and to gain insight into the issues faced by the operators and applicators. As a professional airport bum, it was also a great chance to see ag planes of old alongside the newest of the new.

If you have ever seen these aircraft flying overhead, it is a rarity. More often there's no need to look up, as they are typically found at treetop level...or eye level. Hauling a heavy load and having the versatility to spread any number of wet and dry media makes ag planes some true tractors of the sky, no matter who made them.

Rather than viewing them as airplanes that can do agricultural work, it is probably more accurate to view them as agricultural equipment which happens to have wings. While it is amazing to see the aircraft in action, the pilot at the controls and the ground crew keeping the hoppers and tanks full are the real stars of the show. The work of the pilots getting seed in fields too wet for tractors ensures that rice and wheat continue to be in steady supply. The work of the loaders delivering herbicide and pesticide ensures that the crops have the best yields possible and, thus, feed the most people possible. The ground crew loading fire retardant are what turns an overpowered fire spotting airplane into a Single Engine Aerial Tanker. And if you are concerned about the chemicals, consider all the places in the world where malaria isn't a concern, in no small part due to the mosquito control work of aerial application crews.

The services performed by ag pilots and crews are some of the most demanding, but also some of the most beneficial aviation related work going. But if you're up for the challenge and you're interested in this line of flying work, check out the National Agricultural Aviation Association's website, get your tailwheel endorsement and Commercial Pilot certificate, and browse the Agricultural ads on the Barnstormers.com for a workhorse of your own.