Golden rule: the pilot flies, and only flies. Every task you hand the pilot on the ground is a delay repeated on every load.
The three roles
- Pilot in command: maintains visual line of sight, flies, makes the go/no-go call. Legally responsible for the flight.
- Loader/mixer: owns the chemical — PPE, mixing, filling, records. Never handles the aircraft mid-cycle.
- Visual observer / utility: scans for aircraft, people, and vehicles entering the area; manages batteries; watches the swath edge nearest sensitive ground.
Radio discipline (short and standard)
- "Launching" / "Airborne" — nobody enters the pad.
- "Returning, one minute" — loader stages mix and battery.
- "Down and safe" — approach permitted.
- "ABORT ABORT ABORT" — anyone can call it; pilot lands or holds immediately, no discussion until the aircraft is safe.
- "Traffic, [direction]" — manned aircraft spotted; pilot descends/holds.
The 2-minute briefing (before the first launch)
- Today's product, its PPE and REI; where the label lives.
- Field hazards: wires, hives, houses, water — and where the no-spray polygons are.
- Wind direction and which neighbor is downwind.
- Landing zone and traffic flow; who stands where.
- Emergency plan: field address for 911, nearest hospital, who calls.
- Abort phrase confirmed with everyone.
Working solo (if you must)
Cut the day short, pre-mix everything before the first launch, and never handle chemical with the aircraft powered. Accept fewer acres — a solo operator rushing between the tank and the controller is exactly how records get skipped and props get grabbed.
Operational best practice; VLOS and PIC responsibilities per Part 107. Related: emergency planning.
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