INVERNESS, Miss. -- As another spraying season ends, we sigh and breathe a breath of relief, for the long, grueling days of the ag pilot has given way to more relaxed times.
During the spraying season, a typical work day begins before daylight and ends at sundown. The ag pilot has one of the most challenging yet dangerous jobs around. They dodge trees, power lines and other airplanes while maneuvering approximately 10 feet from the ground spraying fields for fungus, plant bugs and grass. These men risk their lives every day to ensure we have food on the table and clothes on our backs.
Necessary skills
It requires a lot of skill to maneuver an aircraft. You must know how much the wind is blowing and in what direction. You have to know the weather forecast. Pilots must configure the amount of chemicals to cover the acres in a field. The job of an ag pilot consists of more than just flying an airplane. Each airplane is equipped with a Global Positioning System. The pilot must operate the GPS to ensure he has sprayed every inch of the field. Computer knowledge is a must, as well as all the other information required to operate an ag plane successfully. All of this information is going through an ag pilots head while flying the aircraft over each field. Not only is this job dangerous but mentally exhausting as well.
Until I married an ag pilot, I never really appreciated the job they do. After becoming a member of the "ag family," I realize the importance of our pilots and the tasks they perform. These men not only have a connection with each other, they are all members of a caring family. When one hears about an emergency situation with another pilot, the phone starts ringing. The connection these guys have with each other is amazing. If a catastrophe happens, it affects everyone.
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Group effort
Once a year, all the ag pilots gather for a few days to recertify themselves for another year in the industry. It is a time for work, but also a time to reconnect with other pilots and catch up on the past year's happenings.
As I sat and watched each of them pat each other on the back and catch up with flying stories, I could not help but wonder if the same group would be back next year to do it all over again.
In July 2007, I lost my stepfather in an airplane crash. He had been flying for many years. It is not something you like to think about, but something that is always in the mind of every ag pilot's wife. When you give your husband a hug and kiss in the morning, you hold your breath until he comes home in the evening. When he walks through the door, you breathe again, then wake up the next day to do it all over again.
I have a new respect for these men that risk their lives everyday for the agricultural industry. The next time you sit down to eat a meal or pick out a new shirt, stop and think about who made sure those items were available for us -- our ag pilots. So, to my heroes -- rest up guys. Enjoy your winter. You truly deserve it.
Editor's Note: Bradley lives in Inverness, Miss.
