In response to a seemingly never-ending supply of misleading
marketing material regarding the capabilities of UAVs and aerial application,
NAAA put out a press
release addressing some of the most common inaccurate claims.
The press release,
sent to agricultural, aviation, and general media throughout the country,
explained why current UAV technology is by no means a wholesale replacement to
manned aircraft applying crop protection products—not even close. UAV
application technologies can complement manned aircraft by spraying plots of
land not suitable for manned aircraft to treat. There is also a wealth of data
to be gained from aerial images collected from UAVs. Some NAAA members are
already taking advantage of this new technology for both these purposes.
It is vital, however, that growers, foresters
and others desiring aerial application services know the facts about the
capabilities of manned aircraft and UAVs before making financial decisions. Here
are five facts regarding the more commonly repeated inaccurate claims about
manned aerial application that was included in the NAAA press release:
- Aerial application by manned aircraft
is by far the fastest application method.
-
Manned aircraft are equipped with
GPS, variable rate, precision application technology, etc. making them equally
technologically sophisticated as UAVs if not more so.
-
Aerial applicators can and do operate
at night.
-
There is no evidence UAVs are more
efficacious or create less unintentional drift than manned aircraft.
-
Applications made by UAVs might not
be in compliance with EPA policy.
The press release can be read in its entirety here. To date, the press release as appeared in AgAir Update, sUAS News, and Farm Progress.