PAASS Presenter 2008-2009

Ronnie Taylor

Ronnie Taylor is from Welsh, Louisiana, which is a small town in the heart of southwest Louisiana's rice country. His dad owned a farm equipment dealership and his grandfather was a rice farmer. His grandfather had a pilot's license and Ronnie began riding in his grandfather's Luscombe at the age of three. Growing up on the farm, Ronnie would see that shiny Luscombe tied by the barn every day. As a kid, he probably had at least 500 hours in the Luscombe--tied to the ground behind the barn! The airstrip was behind the farmhouse, and Ronnie would sit for hours watching the Stearman pilots as they worked low and slow over the rice fields. From as far back as he can remember, Ronnie wanted to fly and knew that one day he would be an Ag Pilot. In 1971 his dream came true when he got a seat in a Pawnee flying sugar cane near Baton Rouge. He went back to Welsh the following year and began his career as a rice pilot in a 450 Ag-Cat. After his season in 1972, he married Norma Walker. They have two children. In 1994, Ronnie and his dad opened Deep South Flying Service in Jennings, Louisiana. They have two turbines that work rice, soybeans, and sugar cane. Ronnie has completed his 37th flying season and has logged over 27,000 hours Ag time in a variety of aircraft.

Ronnie is a long-time member of the Louisiana Agricultural Aviation Association and NAAA. He has served NAAREF, which is the parent organization of the PAASS program, as a board member, vice-president, and three terms as president. Ronnie has also served as a member of numerous NAAA committees. He realizes how important it is to have a national organization representing the agricultural aviation industry.

Ronnie became a PAASS Presenter in 2000 with the second group of presenters. He truly believes that only through continued education can today's aerial applicator become safer, learn about new developments in precision application, and show a profit in this new millennium.