Cattle bellowing, the clatter of horseshoes against rock-studded trails, the raucous whoops of cowhands bringing the herds home. Sounds like a cattle round-up doesn?t it? But listen closer and you?ll hear something else. The buzz of an airplane cutting lazy circles above the open range.
Stockmen recognized the potential of the airplane early, a relationship dating back to the era of Curtiss Jennys and wing-walkers; and the partnership is still thriving. Searching far-flung federal, state, and private grazing permits ? which often encompass hundreds of square miles ? for scattered herds is a costly and time-consuming process. An aerial search can save days of fruitless hunting on horseback, so many cattle and sheep ranchers regularly use airplanes to help gather and manage stock. Unfortunately, ordinary flight training, which does a fine job of teaching us how to fly, offers us little advice about how to use an airplane once we?ve earned our pilot certificates.
Justin Stanchfield
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