A Well Deserved Break......

As another Spraying Season ends, we sigh and breathe a breath of relief. For the long grueling days of the Mississippi Ag Pilot has given way to more relaxed times. During the spraying season, a typical work day begins before daylight and ends at sun down. The ag pilot has one of the most challenging, yet dangerous jobs around. They dodge trees, power lines and other airplanes while maneuvering approximately ten feet from the ground while spraying fields for fungus, plant bugs and grass. These men risk their lives everyday to ensure we have food on the table and clothes on our backs. 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 forecast concerning rain. Ratios is another word that is very important to the ag pilot. They 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 or GPS. The pilot must operate the GPS to ensure he has sprayed every inch of the field. So, 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 thru 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. Now, after being 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. A pilot once told me, “When something happens to one of us we all feel it…whether its good or bad.“ The only other time I have seen this type of bond was between blood brothers. Once a year, all the ag pilots are gathered together for approximately three 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 years 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 step-father 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 pilots 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 and 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!!