Of Wings & Things columnist Frederick A. Johnsen, who is also the force behind the Airailimages YouTube channel, recently posted a video that showcases the masterful flying of the pilot of an Air Tractor turbine-powered agricultural aircraft — a crop duster in the old-school terminology — as the aircraft weaves, climbs, and dives to match rolling farm terrain dotted with tall trees, antennas, and utility poles near Eltopia, Washington, in June 2023.
“It’s an aerial ballet that never gets old to watch,” Fred says.
Reminds me of the two crop dusters that would spray the wheat field near my house in Enid, OK in the early 80s. Those two set each other up for their runs down a field. They were masters of their trade. It was just as neat to see them work as it was watching the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels.