by Shira Michael
Aero Spray, Inc.,
iluvrush@centurytel.net
Crop dusting in northeastern Colorado is not for the faint of heart, nor for the faint of spirit. But realistically, how many agricultural aviators suffer from either one of those conditions? Yuma, Colorado is a small agricultural town that few people have heard of, and is really not on the way to anywhere else. If you end up here it is either on purpose, or by mistake, sometimes both. One ag-aviator who did end up here and has successfully carved out his unique niche is Craig Michael, owner of Aero Spray, Inc.
Call the office, and if you are fortunate enough to get the answering machine, you might get a message such as, “Thank you for calling Aero Spray, your most qualified aerial assassin.” It is important to keep a sense of humor in a climate that currently has a spray season that begins roughly the first of May, and continues until the middle of September. Did I mention that the wind is usually blowing too hard by 11:00 a.m. to continue spraying? Or, that the wind blows so much here that many trees look like they are continually bowing to the north?
Craig started spraying in 1983 in the Greeley, Colorado area where he essentially grew up. When people tell him they would also like to become a spray pilot, his advice is, “You don’t want to do this unless it is your passion. I wanted to do this so much as a kid, it hurt.” Later, Craig’s career would take him up to the Great Northwest where he sprayed orchards that were located on very difficult slopes. He had one field that was located on a hill so steep that when going over the top, the engine would cough to almost a stop and the spray would go to the top of the tank. Fortunately, the engine would catch back up every time when he headed back down the field.
After a couple of seasons in Oregon, he returned to Colorado to spray east of Denver. He purchased a Snow S2C and officially opened the doors of Aero Spray, Inc. That first year, he went after the Russian wheat aphid that descended in abundance over the area in 1988. However, it was soon thereafter that rumors were “flying” that Denver International Airport would be built, consuming the area where Craig was spraying. Craig’s instinct for survival lead him, in 1993, to the eastern plains of Colorado to purchase Koenig’s Flying Service from Jeff Koenig in Yuma.
The primary crops that are sprayed by ag-aviators in the Yuma area are wheat, corn, dry edible beans, soy beans and sugar beets. For some reason, these crops don’t seem to know that the wind is an irritation to the rest of us. Craig reports that the yields are substantially better than what he was seeing on the Front Range of Colorado. Craig also sprays a significant amount of glyphosate, as well as the occasional aerial spreading of rye. These are all sprayed during daylight hours. We really don’t see any night flying here. (Despite some confusion, we actually have very little in common with Yuma, Arizona). The terrain is also very flat in this immediate area, which makes it easier for flying.
The Yuma area supports two aerial applicators, Yuma Ag Service and Aero Spray. They both fly out of Yuma Municipal Airport.
Currently, Craig is flying a Thrush Garrett-6 with a 500-gallon tank, that was converted from an R-1820 Thrush and uses a Trimble GPS system. The AT-301 Air Tractor shown in the photos was owned by Aero Spray, but has recently been sold. The Thrush and the Air Tractor were commonly seen on the pad together. This scene spurred the headline, “Spraying buddies”.
We run the business with the help of Fred Taylor from Akron, Colorado who helps with the loading and also light mechanic work. Craig knows that the spiritual side of any business is important. Toward that end, Craig employs a full-time “staff rabbi.” We attend Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne, Wyoming where I am the Religious Leader.
So, from our family to yours, “Le Chaim” (To Life) and many more successful seasons.