On a clear day in San Joaquin , it's not unusual to see a yellow biplane twisting in the sky.
"He just keeps putting at it. He doesn't take no for an answer, he always told me you have to stay sharp, you've got to stay sharp and that's his way of staying sharp,” said Gregory Grouleff.
If you spend a little time with crop duster Al Grouleff, you'll quickly learn he knows just about everything when it comes to his planes.
These days Grouleff's grandson Gregory is the one who does most of the flying. At 88, Al doesn't fly crop dusters any more. But if you are lucky enough to find him in the office he does his best to avoid, he will tell you all about the early days of crop dusting and how it all began.
“World War II came along and I was too young to get in at the time but I saw these airplanes flying over and I decided man that looks like a lot of fun," said Al Grouleff.
Fun that he hasn't stopped having since 1943 because while he no longer flies crop dusters, he does still fly.
His aircraft of choice is a 1940's era Stearman Biplane, the same model plane he first trained on more than seventy years ago. And while a lot has changed since then, the way Al likes to fly isn't one of them.
"I just enjoy it so much. I've been so very fortunate, I've been able to make a lifetime living and doing something I just love and flying is something I look forward to every day," said Grouleff.
He knows his flying days are numbered and one day he will be grounded. But in the meantime he is going to do his best to stay sharp, one flip at a time.
"He just keeps putting at it. He doesn't take no for an answer, he always told me you have to stay sharp, you've got to stay sharp and that's his way of staying sharp,” said Gregory Grouleff.
If you spend a little time with crop duster Al Grouleff, you'll quickly learn he knows just about everything when it comes to his planes.
These days Grouleff's grandson Gregory is the one who does most of the flying. At 88, Al doesn't fly crop dusters any more. But if you are lucky enough to find him in the office he does his best to avoid, he will tell you all about the early days of crop dusting and how it all began.
“World War II came along and I was too young to get in at the time but I saw these airplanes flying over and I decided man that looks like a lot of fun," said Al Grouleff.
Fun that he hasn't stopped having since 1943 because while he no longer flies crop dusters, he does still fly.
His aircraft of choice is a 1940's era Stearman Biplane, the same model plane he first trained on more than seventy years ago. And while a lot has changed since then, the way Al likes to fly isn't one of them.
"I just enjoy it so much. I've been so very fortunate, I've been able to make a lifetime living and doing something I just love and flying is something I look forward to every day," said Grouleff.
He knows his flying days are numbered and one day he will be grounded. But in the meantime he is going to do his best to stay sharp, one flip at a time.