INDUSTRY NEWS
The sky ' s the limit for Declan
Declan Sidhu is taking to the skies to protect almond crops in the Riverland .
WHEN Declan Sidhu was a child he wanted to be a pilot , so he could operate a bird scaring plane . He ’ d watch them fly over the Jubilee almond orchard in Waikerie , where he grew up , and he ’ d even go for rides with the pilot . Declan recently obtained his Bachelor of Aviation with the University of South Australia and has put his commercial pilot licence to use over Century Orchards , the Almond Centre of Excellence and the Loxton riverfront over summer . “ It ’ s such a cool experience honestly , it was surreal going solo for the first time ," he said . " This is all I ’ ve been thinking about ever since I was a kid , flying the bird scaring plane and the bird scaring plane specifically , I didn ’ t have any other job in mind , this was the job I wanted . It ’ s also cool to be doing something that I love and be able to help Dad ." Declan ' s father Brendanhas been in the almond industry for more than 30 years and is the CEO of Century Orchards . Going up as a passenger in the bird scaring plane isn ’ t for the faint hearted or those with a weak stomach . The plane flies only a few feet above the almond trees at speeds of more than 200km / h as the pilot moves the birds out of the orchard . “ I never actually vomited but I do remember quite a few times feeling a bit sick but it ’ s just one of those things everyone gets used to . I think it actually helps controlling the plane , you sort of know what ’ s coming ,” Declan said . Declan has been working for Central Air Services , which has been coming to the Riverland for more than 25 years . The Cootamundra-based company is usually in the Riverland for 10 weeks of the year . “ During the summer the almond is brittle enough that the crows can eat it , so that ’ s why during harvest it ’ s really important to scare them away when they can eat the nut ,” Declan said . For the remaining months of the year the birds are welcome in the orchard to clean up pest insects and eat the mummy nuts . Tom Schade from Central Air Services said the first flight takes off at 7am and then additional trips in the Piper Warrior are determined by the number of crows in the orchards . “ Usually during the hottest part of the day the birds aren ’ t here and then we ’ ll do another clean up run around 5-6pm . It depends a lot on the weather ,” he said . Mr Schade said it ’ s important to mix up the timing of the flights , so every day is different .
“ After a few weeks of being here all you ’ ve got to do is start the engine and they ’ ll rack off ,” he said . Safety is a top priority for Mr Schade . His operation is approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and all the pilots are endorsed to fly at low levels . The chief pilot is responsible for training and visits when there are shift changes . Mr Shade said his newest recruit is enthusiastic . “ When he was a young tacker he used to fly with my chief pilot and he couldn ’ t see over the dash ," he said . " He ’ s always shown an interest in aeroplanes and he ’ s done his commercial licence and all his training , he ’ s progressing pretty well and he ’ s keen ." When Declan hasn ’ t been rostered to fly he ’ s been on the ground at Century Orchards . “ I ’ ve been working as much as possible , either doing the bird scaring or on the orchard doing shaking or branches or a little bit of running ,” he said . Now that Declan has fulfilled his dream of being a bird scaring pilot , he ’ s unsure what the future will hold . “ When I was younger I wanted to be an airline pilot but I ’ m just going to pick jobs I like rather than chase the money ,” he said .
industry . australianalmonds . com . au
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