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Agricultural Airplanes: A Practical Side of Ultralight Aviation

We usually talk about using aircraft for recreation here. And sometimes about using them for reaching from point A to point B. Now, let's get entirely into the practical purposes. The airplanes are expensive vehicles so can't we extract some more value from them other than having fun? More often than not, we can.

Most light aircraft can be used, or converted for use in agriculture.

Agricultural Airplanes - What Are They And How Can We Use Them?

In fact the mass-use of aircraft for recreation has started later than their agricultural use. Crop dusting with agricultural airplanes in the USA has started yet from the 20 years of the past century. (source: Wikipedia)

The typical agriculture aircraft are fixed-wing airplanes built or adopted for agricultural use. They are small, light and robust airplanes usually with spraying systems in their wings. Larger airplanes are popular in Australia and New Zealand  where the farms are also larger. Farmers also use helicopters for hydroseeding.

Here's what people mostly use agricultural aircraft for:

• Aerial application of fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides
• Hydroseeding especially in large farms

There are many reasons to use airplanes in agriculture. They make it easier to cover large areas especially when you need to act fast. Using them is more cost-efficient and produces higher yields. Seeding from the air does not contribute to topsoil runoff. Finally, the quicker coverage of larger plots allows catching the best time for seeding or other aerial applications.

Ultralight Aircraft for Agriculture?

Being fans of ultralight airplanes here it's logical to ask whether some of them can't be used for agriculture. In fact they can, but for smaller farms. Most ultralights are too small and light and can't transport large quantities of seeds or pesticides. But if it's a farm of few acres, why not?

Ultralights are sometimes used in larger farms too when the farmers are looking for low application rates, application with higher preciseness or treating irregular shaped areas. In these cases using an ultralight aircraft is more efficient and cost-effective. Of course this is true only if you already own one or can rent it at a good price.

Converting a standard ultralight airplane or ultralight helicopter for agricultural usage doesn't differ much from converting a light or larger aircraft - you need to add seeding and spraying facilities and perhaps some storage tanks.

Agriculture Aviation as a Business

An interesting opportunity is to use your ultralight or light sport aircraft for agriculture business services. It's a great way to turn your expensive hobby into something that can make living. Many ultralight aviation enthusiasts consider running business with recreational flights or making pictures from the air. Very few think about agriculture.

Here is in short what it takes to run such a business. These are just general guidelines - different countries and states have different regulations and practices in agriculture:

• Be an experienced pilot. This is obvious. Agricultural aviation often requires flying low over the ground and covering specific areas precisely. This is not a job for beginner pilot.
• Have proper license. The sport pilot license won't do the work in most cases. Specialized training is required to become an agricultural pilot and you need a commercial pilot license. Find more about it here.
• Convert your aircraft. Unless you have experience in building ultralight aircraft yourself you may need professional services for the conversion. Also, don't forget agriculture is seasonal business. Often there will be low times and huge peaks. You may need more than one aircraft and more than one pilot to run sustainable business. If you just want to make some money on the side so you can support your hobby, then your only aircraft should do the work.
• Choose your business location. Maybe there are enough farmers who will need your services in your town. Maybe not. Maybe there is too much competition already. Like with every business venture you should do some research. Even if it's only for earning side income.

Maybe agriculture is something you rarely think about. We all live in the cities now and most of us are far away of farmers life. But also we all eat :) Agricultural aviation is here to stay and the idea to use an ultralight aircraft for practical purposes other than commuting isn't bad at all.

 

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