Pilot Runs a Crop-Dusting Business

What does it take to run a crop-dusting business? This pilot and aerial-applicator business owner shares her story with FLYING.

Michael Wildes

Friday, November 04, 2022 at 01:58 PM ET

Verified

An Air Tractor 502 using the smoker system. Pilots like Emily Daniel use the smoker to show wind speed and direction, as well as alert other pilots of their positions. [Courtesy: Emily Daniel]

Key Takeaways:

Emily Daniel, a third-generation pilot, co-owns and operates Wings Aerial Applicators, a year-round aerial application business in New Jersey, providing services like crop spraying, seeding, and mosquito control, alongside running a cranberry farm.
The industry, now called "aerial application," is highly sophisticated, requiring pilots to possess extensive agricultural knowledge, state-specific chemical certifications, and a commercial license, distinguishing it from merely "crop-dusting."
Aerial application has evolved into a career path, with businesses investing significantly in pilot training and utilizing advanced technology like GPS guidance and onboard weather systems to enhance safety and efficiency.
Organizations like the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) play a crucial role in promoting safety, security, and drift mitigation through programs like PAASS and SAFE, adapting to the industry's continuous technological advancements.

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Becoming an agricultural pilot wasn’t something Emily Daniel envisioned for herself. As she tells it, she always wanted to be a meteorologist—even today, as she and her husband, Austin, run Wings Aerial Applicators, a crop-dusting business based in New Jersey—so this wasn’t part of the script, or was it?

“Long story short, I’m a third-generation pilot, and my grandfather was actually a crop duster,” Daniel tells FLYING from her office in New Jersey. At the time, she says they’re harvesting cranberries, and she’s waiting for the next available dump truck, so she has an hour to talk. Speaking of her familial history, aviation has always been in her bloodline. In his time, her grandfather used Piper J-3 Cubs and Boeing Stearman biplanes.