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 New Jersey-based aerial application business that includes cranberry farming and diverse spraying operations.
The "aerial application" industry is a complex, year-round business requiring pilots to be highly skilled "applicators" with extensive agricultural knowledge, chemical certifications, and specialized aviation ratings beyond just flying.
The pathway to becoming an aerial applicator is shifting from a time-building role to a dedicated career, with businesses making significant investments in pilot training and safety programs supported by organizations like the NAAA.
Despite technological advancements, the industry currently treats only a fraction of available farmland, indicating strong potential for future growth and diversification into related fields like fire-bombing.

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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.