Pilot Careers
I Get Paid for This…
James Burgess Topdresser James ‘Jimbo’ Burgess applies aerial fertiliser over New Zealand’s rugged countryside. Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen
How did you get into flying?
I always knew I wanted to get into topdressing, from the moment I watched a yellow biplane fly over our house. I think I must have been about eight years old and seeing that aircraft once a month intrigued me. Agricultural flying looked like something I’d enjoy. Tell us about your job?
I’m a freelance agricultural pilot. Based in Methven, on the South Island of New Zealand. I provide aerial topdressing services for different companies throughout the Flying CV country. The majority of the work is on the Agricultural pilot James Burgess North Island where there’s more farming. shows what topdressing in New Small airstrips are dotted all around New Zealand looks like on his YouTube Zealand’s countryside – if you don’t have one, channel Jimbo Burgess. chances are your neighbour does. Started current job: 2012 My work varies hugely. Sometimes I Now flying: Cresco, Air Tractor Favourite aircraft: P-51D Mustang. “In all the topdress one paddock at the time, which takes movies I’ve seen and everything I still watch, it a few minutes, other farms use thousands of sounds right, it looks right, this aircraft just is tonnes of fertiliser, which takes weeks. The right.” terrain also varies. From the Southern Alps Hours at job start: Approx. 5,000 Hours now: Approx. 9,000 where you’re literally spreading up to the snowline, to the coastal farms in the North. There’s never a dull day, although they are long, starting before dawn, returning after dark. When spreading What’s been your favourite flight? fertiliser you’ve got to concentrate. Flying back to the airstrip after It’s really hard to beat flying first thing in the morning, when the each load you can admire the views, which are often spectacular. sun just starts to beam across the hills, the air is still calm, and The aircraft carries a maximum of 2,200 kilos of fertiliser. Fully there’s not a bump in the sky. That’s how I start most of my days. loaded it’s definitely not an aerobatic aircraft, it doesn’t handle well so you’ve got to treat it gently. Flying is often done from short, And your favourite airfield? unprepared one-way airstrips. At 100ft above ground, it’s important Lukla, Tenzing-Hillary Airport. I’ve landed there hundreds of to pick your lines carefully, particularly if there’s a hill climb times and really enjoyed it. It’s a place that’s held in high esteem involved. Good stick and rudder skills are an absolute must. Also among aviators, even before it got on all the ‘craziest airport’ lists. important in this job is stock sense. As you’re flying over farms, you You have to treat the area with respect, but when you take all need to understand animal behaviour to avoid creating havoc. necessary precautions, flying among the Himalayas can be Topdressing comes with many challenges, but once you get into the thoroughly rewarding. Lukla Airport is also special for me because groove, it’s very enjoyable. of the New Zealand connection. It was co-founded by Sir Edmund Hillary, a fellow Kiwi, which makes me proud.
“At 100ft above ground, it’s vital to pick your lines carefully”
What training did you have?
With my CPL and taildragger rating, I towed gliders to increase my hours. I then became a loader driver, you learn lots while loading the aircraft with fertiliser, it’s like a topdressing apprenticeship. The company I was working for at the time was short on survey aircraft pilots though, so I did survey work in Africa for a year. Afterwards I lived in Queenstown for a year, flying skydivers. I then was asked to go to Nepal to train local pilots on the P-750 X-STOL. Since they didn’t have enough pilots, I stayed for 2.5 years. Returning to New Zealand, in 2012 I started working as an agricultural pilot. 18 | FLYER | November 2020
Do you get to fly much outside of work?
Not so much. In my spare time I’m currently training for my C and E Cat flight instructor rating, which will allow me to instruct agricultural pilots. A mate has offered me his Cessna 180 to fly, so once I’ve obtained those ratings I’ll do some more private flying. What’s the most valuable advice you’ve received?
Never stop learning. A good friend and mentor of mine told me that. He’s now retired, but he constantly kept acquiring knowledge. Even when instructing younger guys, he was gaining new insights, learning from those he was supposed to be teaching.
