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Billy Howell, Ag-Flight Owner
(click image to enlarge)
BAINBRIDGE, GA — Twenty-two years and counting,
that’s how long Ag-Flight, Inc. has been in business, opening
its doors in 1984. The ag-aviation flight school (and general aviation)
has trained over 1,400 students from 22 different countries during
those 22 years. Of those, 39 were retired or retiring airline pilots
and 21 were females.
“I’ve seen ag-schools come and go. None
have been able to stay in business for as long as we have here at
Ag-Flight. So, I suppose we are doing something right,” states
Billy Howell, owner of Ag-Flight, Inc.
“We can take a student from zero flight time all the way through
the Ag-Pilot course. And now, we can even give them training in
a dual cockpit AT-503 turbine powered Air Tractor.”
That’s the big news around Ag-Flight these days.
Beginning September 1 of this year, Ag-Flight began offering its
Turbine Transition course with a PT6A-34AG powered Air Tractor.
The dual cockpit, dual controls AT-503 Air Tractor is the only one
in the world flying. It is the training version of the AT-502. Air
Tractor produced four of these models over a five-year period. Of
those AT-503s, Ag-Flight’s is the only one that remains and
is the only ag-aircraft capable of training pilots to specifically
fly an AT-502, as well as providing turbine transition training
for other type turbine powered ag-planes.
(click image to enlarge)
Tom Howell, Billy Howell and Jerry Miller with
Ag-Flight’s AT-503 turbine transition trainer
at the Decatur County Industrial Air Park |
(click image to enlarge)
Part of the Ag-Flight fleet line-up at the Decatur
County Industrial Air Park in Bainbridge, Georgia. |
The AT-503/503A was originally designed and built by Air Tractor
in the mid-1980s in hopes of securing an U.S. State Department contract
for narcotic crop spraying in Colombia, South America. However,
that did not happen. But later, Air Tractor developed the AT-502,
which became its best selling model. Also, the development of the
AT-503 helped in the development of the AT-802 in later years.
Ag-Flight’s 1991 AT-503 sports a new paint
job in U.S. aerial firefighting colors, white with red accents.
The 3800-hour aircraft has the 500-gallon hopper of the AT-502,
with 234-gallon fuel capacity, 117 gallons per side. The instructor’s
rear tandem cabin has a full array of instrumentation, with the
exception of the beta prop control on the throttle and the voltmeter.
The rear seat instrumentation allows the instructor to monitor all
of the student’s actions during the starting procedure through
to the approach to landing airspeeds.
Jerry Miller is Ag-Flight’s AT-503 instructor. Jerry instructed
at Ag-Flight when it was first formed in 1984. At that time, he
had about 10 years of spraying experience in everything from a Stearman
to the 600 hp Ag-Cat. Jerry stayed at Ag-Flight for several years
before going out on his own as an ag-operator in 1993 in southern
Alabama. He even did some ag-pilot training during those years in
Alabama, until he closed the flying service in 2000. From there,
he worked for a couple of operators that included rice work in Arkansas
in an AT-502 before rejoining Ag-Flight in 2004.
A prospective student can start with zero flight hours
and work his way through the Turbine Transition course. The Turbine
Transition course requires the student to be a graduate of the Ag-Pilot
course, or be an active ag-pilot that needs a sign-off in a turbine
aircraft.
Typically, training from zero hours through Commercial
Pilot’s License takes six-months. In rare cases, some students
have completed the course in less than four months. All training
is in tailwheel aircraft; an Aeronica Champ, Citabria and Super
Cub. The Ag-Pilot course follows the general aviation Commercial
Pilot’s License course and takes another six weeks, depending
on the student. The Ag-Pilot course includes hours in a 235-hp Pawnee
and a 600-hp AT-301. Tom Howell, no relation to Billy Howell, trains
the zero flight time through the Commercial Pilot’s License
course. Jerry Miller assists Tom with the general aviation training.
“Here at Ag-Flight, we can’t make a student
an ag-pilot. But, we can give him the training to make him a safe
pilot that will eventually become a good ag-pilot. Only time in
the seat and across the rows makes a true ag-pilot”, tells
Jerry Miller.
“Having a turbine powered ag-plane to train
with has been a dream of mine since almost the beginning of Ag-Flight,”
says Billy Howell. “Until now, such an aircraft has been out
of the school’s reach. But thanks to help from Mr. Chuck Stone
of Southeastern Aircraft Sales and Service in Fort Pierce (Florida),
finally, I have the aircraft of my dreams. Mr. Chuck helped make
my dreams a reality. I’m very grateful to him.
“Furthermore, this business of looking around
in the cockpit with the new turbine pilot, then sending him on his
way with words of encouragement, needs to stop. The turbine aircraft
is a sophisticated machine that requires training, not only how
to start the engine without damaging it, but to understand how the
different components work together, to know what to look for and
how to react when something is not right during the starting procedure.
In the turbine aircraft everything happens at a faster pace. It
takes getting used to. That is done better with someone in the aircraft
with you, looking over your shoulder. And, that takes a dual cockpit
aircraft.” Howell explains.
Training in a turbine ag-plane is not cheap. The ten-hour
Turbine Transition course costs $10,000 USD and takes about a week
to complete (Free lodging is offered with all Ag-Flight’s
courses.). Any turbine operator will tell you that a minimum gross
of $1,000 an hour for a turbine ag-plane is almost mandatory and
that is considering most turbine ag-planes exceed logging 300 hours
a year. The insurance alone, for the AT-503, exceeds $35,000 a year.
It is not a venture to enter into lightly and will require the support
of the ag-aviation industry by providing students. However, 22 years
is a long time for an ag-school to be in business, the oldest ag-pilot
school in the industry. So, you can bet Ag-Flight is ready to serve
the industry with their experience in training ag-pilots from the
ground up, including turbine transition flight time.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Contact us today and schedule your training.
AG- FLIGHT, INC.
P.O. Box 658
Bainbridge, GA 39818
Ph: (229) 246-8200
Email: PilotTraining@AgFlight.com
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