Crop dusters are light aircraft that spray substances like insecticide and herbicide on farm fields. A crop duster is a person who applies pesticides on farm fields and trees in order to fight infestation of insects that can cause damage to the plants, trees or produce.

What kind of plane is a crop duster?

An agricultural aircraft is an aircraft that has been built or converted for agricultural use – usually aerial application of pesticides (crop dusting) or fertilizer (aerial topdressing); in these roles they are referred to as "crop dusters" or "top dressers". Agricultural aircraft are also used for hydroseeding.

How much does a crop duster make per year?

The salaries of Aerial Crop Dusters in the US range from $34,800 to $147,890 , with a median salary of $76,150 . The middle 50% of Aerial Crop Dusters makes $76,150, with the top 83% making $147,890.

How much do crop dusters charge per acre?

On average, officials said crop dusting costs between $15 to $25 per acre. Spraying corn fungicide, for example, is on the top end of the scale.

How does a crop duster work?

Crop dusters fly specially equipped aircraft low over fields or forests to spray crops and trees with chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides designed to destroy pests or control weeds.

Ag Pilot/Crop Duster "Day in the life of"

What is fart crop dusting?

In slang, crop-dusting is the act of moving while passing gas, usually silently, thereby “dusting” other people or an area with the gas.

Why are crop dusters yellow?

He flies an Air Tractor 301A that, like most agricultural planes, is bright yellow. The color makes the low-flying planes visible to the higher-flying aircraft overhead and, “it's easy to see in the crops after a crash,” Wenzel joked.

Do crop dusters make good money?

Crop-dusters spread fertilizer, insecticides, fungicides and weed killers. Some farmers even seed from the air. Skilled agricultural, or "ag," pilots typically make from $60,000 to $100,000 a year, and those who own spraying businesses can earn much more.

How low can crop dusters fly?

Over congested areas crop duster planes cannot fly below 1000 feet. Over rural land, they may operate at a minimum of 500 feet. While spraying crops, pilots have to do their best to reduce drift of the chemicals, which means flying as low as possible. They can then fly down to about 8 feet above the crops.

What do you need to become a crop duster?

Answer: To be a crop duster, you must first be trained and certified to fly small airplanes. To do that, you must contact the Federal Aviation Administration and acquire a commercial pilot license. To qualify for a license, it is necessary to pass a medical exam, and to have logged at least 250 flying hours.

Is crop dusting a good career?

Crop dusting is a booming flying niche. Many of the current crop dusters are old timers that are nearing retirement. This leaves a huge opportunity for a new generation of crop dusters to take over one of flyings most dangerous professions. To be a successful crop duster, it takes time.

Is there a demand for crop dusters?

Ag pilots are in high demand.

Thanks to the recent farming boom, aerial application is a hot field. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, hours flown by crop-dusters rose 29% from 2003 to 2007.

What is the life expectancy of a crop duster?

Crop-dusting, a job that is so much a part of Americana, is graying. The average pilot is about 60 years old, and more than three-fourths of operators have 16 to 70 years of experience, according to a survey by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Why do crop dusters fly at night?

The rising cost of pesticides and increasing immunity built up by continuous spraying reduced the effectiveness of spraying in daytime. By implementing night application operations, you can increase kill rates by targeting those insects which travel down in plants in daytime and return to the top at night.

Do they still crop dust?

Today crop dusting is known as aerial application in the agricultural industry, and it's one of the keys to modern productivity. “Ag” pilots flying a range of turbine and piston aircraft and helicopters skim 10 to 15 feet above fields.

Is crop dusting harmful to humans?

When pesticides drift, they could be inhaled or land on skin or in eyes. Symptoms include eye irritation, nose irritation or runny nose, coughing or wheezing, or rash. ... Some pesticides are not very toxic and cause little or no harm.

Are crop dusting planes always yellow?

Simple answer no they come in various color's. The yellow ones are more favorable as they are called Air Tractor's and suited better for crop dusting work.

How much do crop dusters make per hour?

The average pay for an Airplane Pilot Crop Dusting is $84,292 a year and $41 an hour in the United States. The average salary range for an Airplane Pilot Crop Dusting is between $59,854 and $104,360. On average, a Bachelor's Degree is the highest level of education for an Airplane Pilot Crop Dusting.

Can crop dusters fly over houses?

The rule in general allows for them to fly to and from fields at 500 feet or above; if flying over a town, they must fly at least 1,000 feet above the surface. “As much as possible we try to avoid antagonizing anyone, but there are so many houses out there anymore, you just can't avoid them all,” Gustafson said.

Can crop dusters get life insurance?

If you are an Agricultural Pilot looking for life insurance or loss of license coverage Travers Aviation can help. Many agents rarely, if ever work with Aerial Applicator pilots. Travers Aviation works closely with several underwriters that provide preferred treatment for Ag pilots or crop dusters.

What is a pilot's salary?

The median annual salary for the pilot of a large jet is an impressive $121,408. For a small jet, the median annual salary is $104,219. Non-jet aircraft pilots make significantly less. The pilot of a large non-jet aircraft earns a median annual salary of just $79,106.

How much do ag pilots earn?

As an agricultural pilot in the U.S. , you will earn approximately $40,000 a year, plus about $50 extra for each flying hour. After you have about three or four years experience, you can earn even more — to about $50,000 a year base pay, plus $75-$100 extra for each hour of flying.

Do helicopters crop dust?

"Maintenance is a big issue, especially with the helicopters. They have so many moving parts that they require a lot of maintenance," Mark said. The amount of crop dusting is down overall. Mark said he used to fly about a 1,000 hours a year; now it's down to about 500 hours.

What is the cheapest plane to buy?

• Less than $20k. Cessna 150. Ercoupe. Luscombe Silvaire.
• Lower $20,000s. Aeronca Champ. Beechcraft Skipper.
• Upper $20,000s. Cessna 172. Stinson 108.
• $40,000+ Pre-201 Mooney M20.

Why is it called crop dusting?

Use of insecticide and fungicide for crop dusting slowly spread in the Americas and to a lesser extent other nations in the 1930s. The name 'crop dusting' originated here, as actual dust was spread across the crops. Today, aerial applicators use liquid crop protection products in very small doses.