IAA Internship Spotlight: Ben Beaven

Ready for Takeoff: Beaven takes a shot next to a plane.

November 4, 2019

Internships are all about gradually taking off to eventually reach new heights. In Institute of Applied Agriculture student Benjamin Beaven’s case, that statement couldn’t be truer!

Beaven had a summer to remember while interning at Allan Chorman & Son Inc. in Greenwood, Delaware. Allen Chorman & Son Inc. services Maryland and Delaware with custom aerial applications that include both liquid and dry chemical applications.  Now in his second year at the IAA studying Agricultural Business Management, Beaven mixed chemicals and operated auger trucks for fertilizer and seed, performed basic aircraft maintenance and kept inventory of chemicals in multiple locations.

Though his internship lasted a brief two months this summer, it is his second summer working with the company. “I selected this particular internship because I enjoy flying and agricultural surroundings,” he says. “I’m interested in this type of career because I have a passion for the industry and the style of flying we get to do isn’t like most. It also allows for a yearly income despite only needing to work for half the year.” Beaven, who has wanted to be an Agricultural Pilot since his junior year of high school, is finally getting to realize his dream as he was lucky enough to secure a job as a pilot for the company when he graduates.

While Beaven loved gaining skills mixing chemicals and operating airplane GPS,  he reminded us that working with aircrafts isn’t all fun and games. “Something interesting that happened this summer was when we were in Sudlersville, Maryland, and one of the pilots had his brakes lock up on his plane. He had to disengage the brakes and take the aircraft back to the main airport, landing without them. We had to call another pilot to come finish what work the first pilot wasn’t able to complete. There were only a couple hours left of daylight, and as the pilot lined up his first pass, he dove into the field. As he approached the end of the field, the sunset was rushing into the cockpit when, suddenly, he struck a powerline with his aircraft. This cut the boom on the plane in half and the second pilot also needed to return to the airport to make sure his plane was still air-worthy,” he explains.

An experience like that certainly can help shape one’s career plans, and in Beaven’s case, it did. He says this internship has expanded his passion for aerial application. “I found this experience to be very valuable giving me all of the knowledge of what goes on with the ground side of day to day work.”

Beaven plans to finish his education at the University of Maryland, then he wants to complete flight school to start flying for Allan Chorman & Son Inc.

Talk about ‘landing’ the job!