QUINCY — Mark Brown said one of the myths of the business is that it’s low-tech.

“Barnstorming, it’s not,” he said. “It’s computerized equipment and real high-tech software and expensive equipment. We use GPS for guidance; it’s accurate to within inches when you’re going 130 miles an hour.”

He noted that computers adjust the amount of spray coming out of the plane, correcting for the exact speed of the plane.

The main work season for aerial applicators is between April and October with the busiest months being June, July and August.

“The crops are all growing and we’re controlling insects and controlling disease,” he said.

Brown said he knows his wife, Tara, worries about him when he’s flying but he considers the job fairly safe. He said aerial applicators get extensive training every year, usually at sessions held during trade meetings. Brown is a board member with the Pacific Northwest Aerial Applicators Alliance, which has 350 members in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. He is president of the 50-member Association of Washington Aerial Applicators. There are 1,300 members in the national organization.

— Dee Riggs, World staff