I was looking into bidding on a mosquito spraying contract ...
i have read the regulations and come up with a pretty cloudy picture so
does anyone know what the pilot and aircraft requirements are ??
and any idea how long the certification process takes ??
Any help i can get would be great just to verify that what i read is correct
Where would you like to spray mosquitoes? I sprayed about 25,000 acres last night in Florida.
I can address your interest as if you were a Florida Resident, as I am
not familiar with other state regulations.
You will need to take three written exams to be
certified in the State of Florida.
One is the general knowledge or the "CORE" exam,
another is "Public Health pest control"
and the other is the "Aerial Applicator" Exam. You can get the study
material at this website:
http://ifasbooks.ufl.edu/
you may have to copy and paste the above address into your browser
address line.
You will need the following three study guides:
- Public-Health Pesticide Applicator Training Manual
- Aerial Application (Aerial Category Exam)
- Applying Pesticides Correctly: A Guide for Pesticide Applicators
(CORE)
You can take the tests for free at your County Agricultural
Experiment Station.
Here is a link to the FAA advisory Circular AC-137-1A which covers Aerial
Applicator information from the FAA's point of view.http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/list/AC%20137-1A/$FILE/AC137-1A.pdfI hope that the Florida information will give you an insight into what
generally is required of a mosquito control pilot. It's a great job. I can't see anyone not enjoying it.
My phone number is: (813)394-8999 if I can be of further help. Good
luck!
Mike
References:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi084
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi094
http://mosquito.ifas.ufl.edu/Index.htm