Delta State University’s New Pilots Are Prepared for Takeoff
In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
The Delta State University agricultural aviation pilot training program will help feed the world.
In November 2019, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith told Ike Brunetti and retired Col. Brad MacNealy (former state aviation officer of the Mississippi National Guard), “I want you to start an ag pi/lot program at Delta State.”
See more: National Ag Aviation Association Celebrates Centennial
Brunetti is a second-generation aerial applicator and business owner, and MacNealy is the director of flight operations and interim chair for the Commercial Aviation Department at Delta State University (DSU) in Cleveland, Mississippi. The men were stunned and skeptical. DSU has never been an agricultural school. However, its commercial aviation program is the only one in the state.
Yet the senator was very serious.
“We came up with a plan,” MacNealy says with a laugh. “We sat down and scratched it out on a napkin.”
Aerial Applicators in Agriculture
Farms large and small depend on aerial applicators, also called ag pilots, who often serve as a farmer’s “eyes from the sky” looking at problems the farmer cannot see. Pilots also apply nitrogen to fertilize crops and dispense insecticides and herbicides.
Although farmers do typically have ground machines for some of this work, weather events such as hurricanes often prevent their use.
“The insects aren’t going to wait until a grower can treat his crop,” Brunetti says.
Pilot Economics
Currently, the U.S. has only about 2,700 ag pilots, with an average age of 52 years old.
“We’re losing pilots because there’s such a demand in the commercial and private sectors,” Brunetti says.
The service is crucial, yet the current workforce is aging and shrinking.
Since agriculture is such an important part of the fertile Delta’s economy, and DSU already offered aviation education, Hyde-Smith saw an opportunity for meaningful collaboration – plus an economic boost to the area.
“There’s a huge shortage of training opportunities in the world,” MacNealy says. “And we can bring that to Cleveland, Mississippi, and make this the one-stop shop and bring a huge impact.”
Crazy Idea to Cockpit
Delta State’s inaugural class of 10 ag aviation students graduated in May 2023. The rigorous six-month program achieved a 100% graduation rate, and all 10 graduates were immediately employed. The 2024 class consists of 12 students.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must already have their private pilot’s license with a tailwheel endorsement. They also must have at least one year of experience at an ag strip and be sponsored by an existing operator.
Why such stringent prerequisites?
“Ag piloting is very demanding, very stressful,” Brunetti says. “It’s not autopilot. The work that we do is often just 15 feet off the ground at 150 miles per hour, and you better be on your game.”
Vetting is crucial for the safety and job placement of the potential pilots.
“We want to have almost a guarantee that they will follow through and work in this industry,” MacNealy adds.
Delta State University Pilots Are Flying Into the Future
With $2 million from the federal government and Mississippi Workforce Development, the program is fully funded for its first three years and then is expected to be self-sustaining after that. Brunetti and MacNealy don’t anticipate problems with funding, as many potential industry sponsors want a hand in the work.
Brunetti and MacNealy are also working on “a game-changer” by procuring a state-of-the-art ag simulator so students can complete all the training for agricultural aircraft from the ground, making training safer and less expensive.
As a second-generation ag pilot, Brunetti and MacNealy are feeling hopeful about the future of the industry.
“I think the years to come are going to be just absolutely tremendous,” Brunetti says.
And as for the colonel, “We gotta feed America, we gotta feed the world, and this is a big part of it.”
