When it comes to working in rural areas, it’s
important to establish and strengthen relationships between communities and the
businesses that support them. That’s exactly what Desert Air Ag did when
owner/operator Leif Isaacson entered a float into the Mud Lake Parade in
Terreton, Idaho, last week.
The parade kicks off the Mud Lake Fair and
Rodeo each year and businesses can enter parade floats free of charge. “It’s
something we’ve always wanted to enter, but it’s always right in the middle of
our busy season and we don’t have the time,” said Isaacson. “This year, because
of the timing on the alfalfa and grain, we were keeping up with our work and were
able to pull something together.”
The crew knew they wanted to put Desert Air
Chief Pilot Marty Owen’s classic VW bug into the parade and since the company
is in the business of spraying bugs, the idea to have a plane spraying the bug
seemed like a natural progression. “The ideas just flowed from there with
everyone contributing something,” Isaacson explained. “It ended up being a fun
project and a great team builder for our crew.”
The plane was made from insulation foam board
and painted. The bug’s legs were held on by magnets and the wings were made
from paneling and moved by a series of pullies. Two people sat in the back
seat, one operating the bug’s wings while the other one rotated the plane. The
final touch was adding a sign on the back that said, “No bug is to big for Desert
Air.”
“People living in the area see us all the time,
but the rodeo brings hundreds of out-of-towners to the small community, so
it was really good PR for our company and the industry.”
Isaacson spent several hundred dollars in supplies plus
employee participation, but the payoff was bigger than expected with a happy
crew, smiling spectators and winning the Grand Prize ribbon.
Desert Air’s video of the float in action garnered over 6,000 views and had 72 shares on Facebook. Take a look for yourself and see
what all the excitement is about.