However, we fly every day, so the FAA controllers have been provided with an overlay of where those regions are. They can press a button and see our region map on their screen. This makes communicating with them much easier.

The map is not a secret, but neither is it published anywhere that I know of. The regions are numbered 1 through 33, and consist of either north/south or east/west passes. We use a GPS-based device called an AgNav (which was originally designed for crop dusting) to fly the specific passes requested by the CDFA.

We also have temporary regions setup anywhere they find a specific number of wild Medflies. Recently we’ve had such regions in Escondido, Mira Mesa, and down by Brown Field. A year or so ago, we had regions in San Jose and near Travis AFB.

The job requires an interesting mix of creativity, precision, and diplomacy when dealing with the controllers. We have to try our best to fly what the CDFA wants while still being considerate of ATC’s operations. We virtually cannot operate without their assent.

Right now, many of the controllers are trainees. Also, at times certain frequencies are combined and larger parcels of airspace are worked by a single controller. Some controllers are comfortable with things that others are not. You get to know the voices on the frequency. Perhaps they do as well.

Weather plays a big factor, too. When LAX and/or Ontario are landing to the east, John Wayne to the north, etc. it causes a lot of headaches for the controllers, and that can impact our operations. So sometimes we fly higher. Or lower. Or we fly a different region. We cannot drop flies if the OAT is below freezing, and we have to fly the regions under VFR, although we do make use of IFR-to-VFR-on-top quite a bit.

Anyway, in answer to your question, yes, Dynamic used to operate Beech 18s out of that base. They were turbine conversions, meaning the standard radial engines were replaced with PT-6A turboprops. They got rid of the last of them about two years ago. I think the reason was because parts were getting hard to obtain. Beech stopped making the -18 a long, long time ago, whereas the King Air is still in production.

Dynamic also operated DC-3s converted for spraying, if you can believe that. I wish I would have had the opportunity to fly the Beech 18s — they look like a lot of fun!

A lot of Dynamic airplanes used to have “K&K Aircraft” written on them. I’m not sure what the relationship is, but I think it was the precursor to Dynamic Aviation. Dynamic is involved in many types of operation. Oil spill recovery, aerial data acquisition, mosquito spraying, you name it.

I’ve heard of people flying for the Medfly program a number of times here in Southern California, and I knew that there was a large base flying out of Los Alamitos Army Airfield, but I never actually knew what it meant to fly for Medfly.  I rece…

Combating nature with nature – and AIRPLANES!