High skies, higher stakes

"His dives were like something out of a war movie," a plane spotter commented on Facebook when querying what the mystery plane was flying "aggressively'" over Kirwee recently.
The plane was not, however, one of the Royal New Zealand Airforce Black Falcons.
The distinctive yellow aircraft was an Air Tractor 504 topdressing plane, and the pilot was Skyfarmer Aviation's Duncan Hart from Methven.
Hart says that although his antics in the sky might look like reckless aerobatics, that couldn't be further from the truth.
"Other people in aviation think our industry is a bunch of cowboys, but you can't be a cowboy in a $2 million aeroplane because you'll go broke and you won't be here."
"I'm a risk taker. But it's a calculated risk, or I wouldn't still be alive."

That's not to say Hart hasn't had his fair share of scares, one of the most memorable being when his plane clipped a power line.
"It was across a gully in Banks Peninsula.
"I knew the wire was there, and then it was getting a bit windy, so I thought I'd go a bit lower.
Hart hit the wire, causing it to break.
Luckily, he landed the plane shortly after with no damage.
"It was a good lesson.
"But as stupid as it sounds, most of the wires that pilots hit are ones they know are there."
Hart has been flying for more than 25 years and says the industry has changed significantly.
"Training is a lot better than it used to be, and fatalities in ag aviation are rare, and we want to keep it that way.
"The last fatality was four years ago now."

Hart's father, Don, started Skyfarmers in 1982 in partnership with pilot Col Bolgar when the family was farming in Waimate.
Bolgar died tragically in 1985 in an aviation accident, and Don became sole owner of the business in 1987.
The economic reforms rolled out in 1984 by the labour government, later known as Rogernomics, meant it was a challenging time for the agriculture industry.
"We were farming ourselves then.
"Interest rates went through, and you couldn't have picked a worse time to start the business because fertiliser subsidies came off."
To survive, a "lean and mean" approach was required.
"I could tell you a few stories about how we survived, but we managed to scrape through."
The Harts sold up in Waimate, bought a farm In Mid Canterbury, and relocated the aviation business.
Hart had been involved in his father's topdressing since his school days when he would operate the loader "whether it was legal or not."
Rather than pursue a career in farming, he decided his future would be in the cockpit while his brother Andrew ran the family farm.
"I was always interested in flying."
Hart began flying when he was 23, learning from his father and eventually buying the business in 2007.
"He taught me how to work hard, and there is nothing like a bit of debt to get you out of bed early in the morning.
"He was pretty tough, but you don't want to be babysitted."
There are two aircraft in Hart's fleet: A Texas- assembled Air Tractor 402B and a Pacific Aerospace Fletcher.
The business covers all of Mid Canterbury and Banks Peninsula.
Hart says he enjoys the variety of the job the most.
"We go to different places every day, and the variety of work we do.
"We got to high country stations, and then we do vegetable crop spraying and firefighting."
Firefighting is the most challenging aspect of the job, with pilots contending with downdrafts, updrafts and poor visibility due to smoke.
"It's always interesting with fires; it's challenging work.
"It's always blowing a gale; it's never calm."
Hart said one of the proudest moments of his career is training Skyfarmer's newest pilot, Ryan Williams, who recently received his grade 2 licence.
"I learned a few things about myself in the process, and he probably learned a few things about me, but I really enjoyed it."
Although it’s heartening to see new pilots coming into the agricultural aviation, Hart said the industry's future remains a grey area, with incoming regulations regarding flight movements putting agricultural aviation at risk.
"The biggest threat to our industry is district plans the council are delivering.
"They are so restrictive and made by planners that haven't got a clue."
Tough times for farmers also mean tough times for aerial spreading as farmers reduce fertiliser spending.
"Business has been back about 60% because hill country farmers have high interest rates, high fertiliser prices and low input costs.
"It's a perfect storm, so we are lucky we have the cropping work."
By Claire Inkson