From Cattle Farmer to Running a Spray Drone Business in the Mountains | The DroneOn Show Ep 50

In episode 50 of the DroneOn Show, Mike and Jay catches up with Preston Cave of Pac Aerial Applications in North Carolina. Preston shares his journey from growing up on a tobacco farm and showing cattle to building a successful spray drone business. He talks about tackling rugged mountain terrain, Christmas tree applications, cover crops, pastures, and using a mini truck to access tough spots. The conversation covers upgrading from T40s to T50s, considering the T100, battling the 300ft ceiling, long days on the job, and practical advice for new operators looking to scale in challenging environments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Drone on Air(00:03:27) - AI Drone Flies Through the Ice(00:05:08) - Need for a Mini-Truck(00:08:30) - Have You Seen Justin's Hilux?(00:09:18) - Farm Life on a Tobacco Farm(00:13:04) - How to grow a tobacco crop as a kid(00:16:32) - Teens grow tobacco as a kid(00:17:51) - How To Put Tobacco In a Box(00:20:53) - How To Cope With Tobacco(00:22:46) - Football, Baseball(00:24:32) - How to grow hemp(00:29:12) - Farmers grow hemp in Ohio(00:32:19) - How My Sister Got Her $19,000(00:35:25) - Cattleman on the Drone Committee(00:38:01) - T-50 vs. 50(00:39:47) - Flying a drone through Christmas trees(00:41:55) - I Was Spray Milk For Deer Repelent!(00:46:01) - Spray Drone Pilot(00:48:31) - What for New Farmers is the Grind?