Crop dusting with tiger moths?
mmm, how much of a load could you carry?
While instructing on Tiger Moths and Wirraways at RAAF No 1 Basic Flying Training School at Uranquinty, NSW circa 1956, some of us answered an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald that Air Farm Pty Ltd was looking for part time crop-duster pilots based in Tamworth or living in caravans around Guyra. Two weeks minimum stay and must have at least 300 hours on Tiger Moths. Money was excellent - more than we were getting in the RAAF.
No training needed - it was a case of on the job immediately. I recall usual load was 400 lbs superphosphate in hopper (converted from instructors position). That put aircraft well outside forward C of G and needed full back trim for take, climb (to 200 feet which took ages) and cruise of between one to three minutes then drop. Guyra in summer was at least 6000 feet density altitude requiring full throttle all the way. Tiger Moths don't like high density altitudes when loaded to the hilt. Those gum trees at the end of crop-duster airstrips were always a worry especially if the take off was into the setting sun in the late afternoon
The fabric over the rear of the fuselage just aft of the pilot was stripped away to minimise phosphate gathering in nooks and crannies. VH-BUM was one such Tiger Moth. You pulled a lever to drop the load. No brakes on the Tiger and we quickly became aces at short landings so as not to overshoot the loader truck. Long time ago but I think we sometimes did about 20 take off and landings per hour starting at 0700 each day. . Eight hours of flying at least per day. I did 90 hours in two weeks before returning absolutely stuffed back to Uranquinty. A wonderful experience. I and several other RAAF flying instructors did two or three "tours" at Air Farm before our CO Wing Commander Keith Bolitho DFC (former Catalina pilot who did 23 hour trips against the Japs to bomb Rabaul and mine the harbour approaches) found out where we were going on our "holidays" and threatened to court martial us if we did it again. We reckoned he was just jealous at the money we made. Nice bloke though and we thought the world of him.