My Father Was a Crop Duster: The Story of Atwood Crop DustersRate Points :4.5
Binding :Hardcover
Label :AAAA Publishing
Manufacturer :AAAA Publishing
ProductGroup :Book
Studio :AAAA Publishing
Publisher :AAAA Publishing
EAN :9780979928727
Price :$39.95USD
Lowest Price :$28.27USD
Customer ReviewsEnhanced with over two hundred photos, both in black & white and color Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :2 Crop dusters - a strange profession that developed soon after the invention of the biplane in the early twentieth century. "My Father Was a Crop Duster" is a complete and comprehensive look at these people, explaining how it came into being, who does it, humorous and near death anecdotes, and a look at the fatalities as well - among other elements. "My Father Was a Crop Duster" is enhanced with over two hundred photos, both in black & white and color- making it a must have for anyone who has interest in the topic and for community library Aviation collections.
Interesting look at the people behind crop dusting Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :2 Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (6/08)
"My Father Was a Crop Duster" takes a look at the history of the Atwood Crop Dusters in California. In 1933, Leila Atwood was a school principal but lost her job because she was married. The reasoning behind this lay off was that jobs were scarce and Leila could rely on her husband to support her. Therefore, it was determined that her position should go to a single person who did not have anyone else to rely on for income. Her husband Homer "Bud" Atwood had run an auto repair business but it went bankrupt and this led him to take employment with a small crop dusting company as a pilot. From here, Atwood Crop Dusters came to fruition and by the 1950s it was one of the largest crop dusting companies in the world and remained a key player in the industry until the 1970s.
The first section of the book focuses mainly on Bud and Leila Atwood and the history behind the business. Stories are told of certain flight mishaps, hunting adventures and boating on Clear Lake. There are numerous photographs, newspaper clippings and other documents that are very beneficial in conveying the stories to the reader.
The second section of the book is labeled as "Cameos" and contains biographies of people who were associated with the Atwood Crop Dusters business. Their histories, recollections, and stories are told. There are also photographs and updates on their family life.
One of my favorite parts of the book was "Only an Eighth Grade Education." Bud had graduated from Junior High in Kansas in 1919. However, his family then moved to Modesto, California and he left High School to go to work to help provide income to his family. Therefore, he basically only had an eight-grade education. At the end of the book there is a copy of a "Kansas Eighth Grade Exam" from 1895, which is pretty difficult. I was unsure of some of the questions and I have a Bachelors Degree. Back in that era an 8th grade education was a lot different than today. For instance, in the section of the test entitled "Orthography," some of the tasks are to "Give four substitutes for the caret u." and to define and give examples of "Trigraph, sybvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, and linguals."
Most of the stories are interesting but the book does get to be a little repetitive and somewhat too much once we get to the second section with the brief couple of page biographies on all people associated with Atwood Crop Dusters. I suppose for the former employees themselves this would be a nice keepsake to have but for the average reader all of the profiles can be a little overwhelming. Overall, despite this flaw, I did enjoy this book and through photos and recollections the author does a great job of painting a picture of the history of the Atwood family and the Atwood Crop Dusters business.
Book for Aerial Application Industry Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :1 My Father Was A Crop Duster
Bert Atwood, son of Bud and Leila Atwood, has provided us with a very interesting memoir of the "crop dusting" industry and its development in California from the early 30s through the late 70s in his new book "My Father Was A Crop Duster." He gives an insightful prospective of the industry by relating the history of his family and the Atwood Crop Dusters company, which was located in Salinas, California.
Atwood highlights the evolution of technologies and advances in equipment in the industry, often lead by the trial-and-error of pilots and mechanics seeking a better and safer way to serve their farmer-clients. He relates his dads early years as a crop duster and his parents building and operation of Atwood Crop Dusters. He also follows the evolution of the industry and outlines the development of formal training and safety programs for pilots and ground crew under his parents leadership. Atwood accomplishes all this by incorporating his memories and those of many who had known and worked for the Atwood family business.
Its an interesting story told from a different perspective. With over 200 photos and over 70 cameos of company associates, this is very special slice of aerial application history. It will be of particular interest to anyone active in Californias ag pilot community during the last century and especially to anyone interested in Stearman aircraft and their use after the war. Its a very interesting addition to the material available outlining the history of this very unique industry.
The book is 11" x 8 " with 192 pages, full color and 200 photos.
