Business of dusting crops has its ups, downs

By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

Pilot David Miculka covers a lot of ground - sometimes as much as 1,000 acres a day - applying chemicals such as pesticide or fertilizer, to crops in the region. -- Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

April 21, 2005 -Rural Texans may be familiar with the roaring sounds of an airplane as it turns and dives. It is usually not a traveling aerobatics show, but aerial applicators, better known as crop dusters.

Aerial applicator, David Miculka, said this time of year is just about like the rest.

"Same 'ol stuff," said the veteran pilot. Miculka pilots for Aero-Ag Services Inc., in Garwood. "It was just something to do. I drove a truck for a while, and figured why not," said Miculka.

The corporation, owned by Mike Ramsey, offers spraying services for herbicide, fertilizer, fungicide, and insecticide. There are under 10 employees, including those working as contract laborers.

AeroAg pilot David Miculka applies herbicide on a rice field near Garwood. -- Staff photo by Carolyn Rost

"Most of your crop duster businesses are fairly small, three to four planes," said Miculka. He added that with the decline of farms in the area, the aerial application business has followed.

Aero-Ag pilots service the local area around Garwood, and do not usually travel more than 20 miles to do a job.

"On a medium day, we'll cover 500 acres. On a good day, a 1,000," said Miculka, "It just depends."

According to the pilot, work is steady, regardless of the season. Aero-Ag serves a variety of customers, including those who grow corn, cotton, and milo, but the bulk of the applications are done on rice fields.

"We really don't slow down," said Miculka. "Well, when it gets dark, I guess. We go home."

While other regions of the state are preparing for Asian soybean rust, Miculka says he and the other pilots are spraying for the usual pests and diseases.

"Pretty much everything we deal with has been around," he said.

In the 23 years that Miculka has been a pilot, he said he has made several forced landings, and a few crashes. Miculka has crashed three times while taking-off and once during landing.

"I guess I'm better at landing," he said. "Last year my wheel fell off on take-off," he said as he detailed his fourth crash.

According to Miculka, crashing is pretty common in his field of work. He said he has read of pilots crashing 20 or 30 times, and some were not so as lucky as he has been. Except for one scratch, Miculka remained unharmed during each of the incidents.

"It's a job," said Miculka of the way he has spent his 12- and 14-hour days.

It is a job that has several requirements.

In Texas, an aerial applicator must have a commercial pilot's license and a commercial applicators license. Requirements for a commercial pilot's license are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and mandate that a person have at least 250 instruction hours in a plane, including a minimum of 10 hours of dual flight instruction and 100 hours of pilot-in-command flight. Several tests must also be passed, and the programs cost thousands of dollars.