About

Jared Storm

Owner of Storm Aeronautics

In 1972 my father, Vernon Storm, started Scott County Spraying Service in Scott City, Kansas with a new A model Ag Cat he had purchased. My first memories as a child involved aerial application and all the sights and sounds that go with this unique lifestyle. By the age of 12 I was working at the spray business in the summers doing various tasks from mixing chemical, washing airplanes, to flagging for my father.

For my high school graduation my parents asked me what I wanted as a gift. I responded with "I would like to learn how to fly" with the ultimate goal of becoming an ag pilot. So in the spring of 1989 I began my flight lessons. In the fall of 1989 I accepted a track scholarship to Kansas State University and started taking classes. I spent the next 5 years at K-State and graduated with a degree in Kinesiology while also obtaining my commercial pilot's license. Intent on going back to Scott City and following in my father's footsteps I soon realized that my father was still going strong and I would need a better backup plan to supplement my aerial application aspirations.

In the fall of 1994 I enrolled at Fort Hays State University to pursue a K-12 Physical Education/Health degree. The goal now was to teach and coach in the winter and aerial spray in the summer. One year of teaching in Kansas City made me realize that aerial spraying was all I truly wanted to do so I accepted a job in Wahoo, Nebraska as the full time pilot for the local aerial applicator. I spent the next 7 years working with a couple local aerial applicators as well as helping my father at times in Kansas.

In 2004 I started my own business in Wahoo calling it Storm Flying Service. My first aircraft was a 1968 Cessna Ag Wagon that I purchased from my father. In 2007 I purchased a turbine Ag Cat which is still my primary ag aircraft that I fly during the summer. I still fly the Cessna for smaller jobs as well as hanging on to it as a back-up.

I have always had a love for the Ag Cat and for years I have had a desire to keep the Ag Cat a viable option for ag aircraft owners.  In 2011 I purchased Hershey Flying Service located in Hershey, Nebraska. Hershey has a very long association with the Ag Cat and I would venture to say that there probably isn't an Ag Cat flying in the world today that doesn't have at least one Hershey part in it. In the last four years since I have owned Hershey we have made great strides in producing better quality parts as well as diversifying our capabilities and producing parts for other ag aircraft. Such parts would include our new wire cutters (Storm Cutters) for Air Tractors, and we are currently in the process of finalizing a new and improved center wind shield (Storm Shield) for Thrush and Air Tractor aircraft . In November of 2016 Hershey moved into a new 22,000 square foot manufacturing facility in David City, Nebraska. This will increase Hershey's potential as we continue to move forward with the Ag Cat program.

I am married to a wonderful woman, Colleen, of twelve years. We have six children, Hannah (18), Matthew (10), Luke (9), Sarah (7), Elizabeth (6), and Jacob (2). My hobbies include hunting, especially waterfowl, and spending time with family.