Interesting stories, obviously coming from a wealth of experience. But to those people watching this thread and to all the guys who PM'd me for more information who are wondering about Ag, don't be put off. If you are working to commercial or already have your CPL, but don't want to go down the airline route, Ag can be a very rewarding choice.
I do agree it is only for the very committed, and it is a long hard slog to get your first seat, as with all avenues of commercial aviation.
If you are interested in Ag but don't know enough about it to know if you are committed, I would suggest that having a look from within the industry as a mixer is your best bet. The pay is pretty good and if you don't like what you see you haven't really lost anything, and you know it's not for you, as opposed to always wondering.
Bear in mind, if you had 100 Ag pilots in a group at least 65% of the group will have grey hair. Chances are with another big season in front of us, unfortunately there will be at least one fatal accident this year, ( that statement should be food for thought for those considering Ag ).
So the industry needs some young people coming thro.
I have meet young people doing their cpl x-countries landing at some of the rural strips we work from, who have never heard of Ag, yet alone seen an Ag plane.
So to those of you who are working towards a career in aviation but don't want to fly airlines there is another alternative. It is a long hard slog that takes a big commitment both personally and financially but it may be worth considering or at least some more research.
It is not for everyone, due to all the reasons mentioned in previous posts, but if this thread has made just one student aware of an alternative yet alone consider it then I would suggest it has been a success.
Last edited by plucka; 8th Jul 2011 at 11:27.