Craig Michael, operator of Aero Spraying Service of Kingfisher, was the guest speaker of the Kingfisher Lions Club last week.

Michael, who operates his business out of Kingfisher Municipal Airport, told Lions Club members and guests of his aerial crop chemical application career, which began in 1984 in Colorado and has taken he and his wife all over the western United States.

“We settled on Kingfisher because we do a lot of work for Wheeler Brothers and we like the community and the climate,” he said.

“You probably don’t believe this, but you don’t have wind here in western Oklahoma. You go to Wyoming and you find wind. What you have here is very mild in comparison.”

Michael told the history of the crop dusting industry and said wind turbines and the larger “cross country” electrical wire lines across western Oklahoma do cause him to find more “creative ways” to apply chemicals to fields, but he said they weren’t major handicaps to his work.

He said the emergence of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) has made work in his industry more efficient and has allowed for less waste.

“Back in the 70’s and 80’s, we all had guys on the ground with flags, dropped paper streamers with each pass and things like that. Now, we fly in and lock in with GPS and go to work. It’s much better now,” he said.

When answering questions from the membership regarding deaths on the job, he said that it is a concern.

He said there are approximately 3,700 active professionals across the nation, and the national average is from five to seven deaths annually.

“It’s certainly a job where you have fatigue set in, because when you’re busy, you’re really busy and there is the push to get it done as quickly as you can because there are so many variables regarding weather conditions as to when you can fly,” he said.

“When it’s time to spray for Armyworms or for wheat disease, it’s happening all over the area and we have many customers wanting it done as quickly as possible,” he said.

Michael closed by inviting anyone with a curiosity to come by the airport to see his plane. He said winter is the down time for his business and he spends his days overhauling his plane for the upcoming season.

He said he continues to do work across the northern plains as well.

Michael was introduced by Lions Club member Doug Hauser, who arranged for the presentation.