Today’s aerial applicator operators are true entrepreneurs doing their best to help feed a hungry world. However, as one owner told me during a hectic time, sometimes the workload is so onerous that it feels impossible to complete.
Many unfamiliar with ag aviation usually marvel at the ‘aerobatics’ and ‘daredevil’ ag flying they may encounter while driving in the country. I’ve even been told how serene it looks from the ground. To be sure, there are some ‘magical moments’ like the first flight in the morning just as the sun is just peeking over the horizon, where the air is smooth as glass, and there’s not a ripple of turbulence as you glide over the fields en route to your next job.
Be that as it may, it misses a significant point: the job brings a lot of pressure. Have you ever had one of those days when it seems everything is happening at once? A tailwheel looks a bit underinflated, but the portable air compressor is AWOL, and the aircraft isn’t going anywhere until you get the tire fixed. You’ve been handed a work order that doesn’t make sense because the north and south on the farmer’s field have been mistakenly reversed, and your cell phone has given up the ghost, so you can’t call the farmer to confirm work order details. Your GPS is acting up, and you keep having to reboot it amid a spray job. The spray pump has just sprung a leak, and you’re waiting with growing anxiety for the arrival of a replacement unit. To boot, your “To Do” list is getting longer and longer by the hour.
I remember when a pilot running a small operation told me it got so busy that he felt like he was doing backflips on a trampoline with a cell phone in each hand, trying to deal with fires that had to be put out. He didn’t just feel a bit overwhelmed; he felt like the wheels were coming off, and he could do nothing about it.
It’s like the idiom “don’t let the tail wag the dog,” used for centuries to describe a situation where relatively minor issues (the air compressor, the work order, the GPS, the spray pump) are overshadowing the primary task (the delivery of crop protection services). I recall a forestry project we were on with four aircraft in loose echelon formation. I was lead and regularly looked back to see how things were going with the other units. On one of these checks, I noticed a long white plum coming off the end of number two’s spray boom, the cause being an errant end cap that had somehow decided to go its way.
The loss of that little cap put the aircraft out of commission for almost a full day as we scrambled to get a replacement from our home base, six hours away. As a follow-up exercise, we reviewed our entire mobile operation, looking for items to add to the on-the-road checklist. I was pretty surprised by how lengthy that checklist became.
Take Control of Your Time
Many of us can relate to the daunting feeling of being drowned by a tsunami of tasks. However, there is good news: Several time-proven strategies help you get the dog wagging the tail instead of the other way around.
Take control of that nagging tail by taking control of your time. Make it an operational priority to effectively plan for and deal with the many daily issues you will face. Plan what you do. Do what you intend.
Plan what you do.
Do what you plan.
Review your organization from stem to stern, looking for ways to improve efficiency. That can be as simple as editing the workflow from answering clients’ calls to finishing their work orders. I remember working for one company where 17 data points had to be completed on the job sheet after each flight. Talk about administrative overload!
Today’s aerial application systems have come a long way since the early days when makeshift ad hoc liquid and granular delivery systems were jury-rigged to an aircraft to get the job done. Modern GPS guidance systems with sophisticated flow control offer significant strides in safety and delivery efficiency while simultaneously requiring constant monitoring of both hardware and software. One blown fuse can bring the operation to a standstill, so knowing what can break—and, just as importantly, how to fix it—should be an essential part of your operational toolbox.
Developing a cordial and professional relationship with the many dealers and outlets servicing your operation is essential to staying on top. Knowledge is power, and a quick call to experts can expedite getting back to work quickly.
The aviation industry has pioneered the use of checklists to ensure tasks are done efficiently and thoroughly. Using them in aircraft is a well-accepted principle. Still, that concept can be expanded to include all operations, particularly when you move from your main base of operations to a remote location you’re unfamiliar with. Spending time preparing a mobile checklist covering the aircraft needs and ground servicing equipment can help ensure you do not forget anything whose absence could be a showstopper (like those fuses mentioned above).
One last note on taming the dog’s tail. Rushing things is a major contributor to stress, leading to carelessness and lapses in sound judgment and safety awareness. You want to stay away from such demons by downshifting a few gears when the action gets hot and heavy to get a balanced perspective. If you decide to shut down - for whatever reason - no one will remember six months (or even a few days) from now. If you choose against your better judgment to go anyway, with a resultant accident or incident, that will become a red-letter day for all the wrong reasons.
