Microlighters

Can any one give me advise and information on cropspraying with a aquilla. Many thanx

cya wrote:Can any one give me advise and information on cropspraying with a aquilla. Many thanx

Speak to Larry at Bapsfontein

The short and long is that you have to have an Ag rating and pesticide license to apply anything from anything with wings. I submitted the new NPL ag rating draft CARS and CATS to RAASA about 2 years ago and nothing has been done so far. I was told by Willem and Pierre that it was not a priority, they need more people that want this to get a move on. At the moment the Part 62 allows for an ag rating but it refers to part 61. That means that without at least a PPL you will not be able to get a legal ag rating. This will cost you anything from R100 000 - R140 000. You will also have to work under supervision of somebody with a P license in order to eventually get your P license and spray on your own. I do not know how the other guys get away with it. Maybe they can enlighten us. So apply to RAASA. The more people inquire about the rating the quicker something will be done.

Unless the regs have changed in the past two years - you have to have a comm rating to get paid for spraying.

There are two guys doing this on the Kwa Zulu Natal North Coast, and speaking to them, the only way they could achieve this was by doing a comm rating.

You can also speak to Fred Blockland at Brakpan. He has many very intersting stories to tell on this subject.

The crop spraying aviation industry, like any profit making industry, tries to protect itself. If cheaper aircraft and lower rated pilots are allowed to compete in this space the traditional crop sprayers will no longer be able to compete and thus loose their livelyhood. The safety of the industry may also be jeopardised. Commercial aviation is a difficult and expensive bussiness to get into.

mulderpm wrote:You can also speak to Fred Blockland at Brakpan. He has many very intersting stories to tell on this subject.

The crop spraying aviation industry, like any profit making industry, tries to protect itself. If cheaper aircraft and lower rated pilots are allowed to compete in this space the traditional crop sprayers will no longer be able to compete and thus loose their livelyhood. The safety of the industry may also be jeopardised. Commercial aviation is a difficult and expensive bussiness to get into.

Baie waar..

Speak to Fanie Keyser at Fantini Air in Welkom about AG ratings.

Do you want to spray commercially?
I want to suggest that you contact me via pm.
I've been involved with microlight crop spraying since the early 1990's and actually present the chemical course required for Ag-rating.

Agair wrote:Do you want to spray commercially?
I want to suggest that you contact me via pm.
I've been involved with microlight crop spraying since the early 1990's and actually present the chemical course required for Ag-rating.

[/attachment]I did cropspraying of roses for a couple of years many years ago, with my Aquilla trike. It was extremely successful, the farmer who owned the crops very happy. BUT....you need to know your stuff , in all aspects:the trike is affected negatively with the long booms hanging out the sides.The pumps and microsprayers need a lot of maintenance. And believe me constant concentration ,as the flying must be just above the crop for the micromist to penetrate. I loved doing it,really on the edge stuff.