The 2019-2020 PAAAS Program has already taken in place at 20 state and regional meetings. Your last opportunity to attend PAASS is coming up quickly—March 11 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Turbines Inc. in Terre Haute, Indiana. The core mission of PAASS is to reduce both ag aviation accidents and drift incidents, and PAASS has proven successful at this task. Accidents have been reduced by 23% since PAASS began. Studies conducted by the American Association of Pest Control Officials show a reduction in drift claims of nearly 26% since PAASS started. Many state departments of agriculture offer CEUs for PAASS attendance and many insurance providers offer discounts to PAASS attendees. The following four modules will be given in Terre Haute.

Agricultural Aviation’s Airfield Watch

For this year’s Airfield Watch module, an operator will describe a break-in that occurred at his facility. He will review how the perpetrators attempted to gain access to his buildings and equipment in an attempt to steal fuel. He also describes what he’s done since the incident in order to better secure his operation. This has included increasing the security lighting with motion detectors around the buildings with plans to install security cameras at the facility. It is critical to protect agricultural aviation operations from a variety of threats, including vandalism, theft, and the unlikely possibility of terrorist activity.

Human Factors in Agricultural Aviation – “Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accidents”

Controlled Flight Into Terrain, or CFIT, accidents continue to be a concern for agricultural aviation. Over the last 10 years, CFIT accidents have accounted for 29% of all agricultural aviation accidents. During this same time period, 49% of fatal Part 137 accidents have been CFIT accidents. In 2018, a staggering 75% of fatal accidents involved CFIT. CFIT accidents include collisions with the ground, wires, towers, and trees. Participants will hear from several pilots about their CFIT accidents and factors that led to the accident. These included failure to properly scout a field, allowing the pressures of running an operation to cause distraction, and trying to sometimes impress an employer or someone else but perhaps taking on additional risk. CFIT accidents obviously present a dangerous threat to pilots but can also cause harm to the environment as well with the accident potentially resulting in a pesticide spill. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss how to scout fields for obstacles and maintain vigilance throughout the application in order to avoid a CFIT accident.

Environmental Professionalism – “Operation S.A.F.E. Prep Work and Boom Update”

Operation S.A.F.E. fly-in clinics offer aerial applicators the opportunity to have their aircraft’s spray pattern and droplet size evaluated by a trained professional. Many S.A.F.E. fly-ins are quite busy, with multiple aircraft participating. In order to get the most out of attending a fly-in, it is important to prepare your aircraft ahead of time. The Environmental Professionalism module will discuss aircraft preparation, including checking for leaks and aligning nozzles, whether participating in an Operation S.A.F.E. or analyzing your system yourself.  The module will also provide an update on using a shortened boom to reduce drift and the impact of belly nozzles on spray pattern quality.

Hangar AG Flying – “Accident Review, Landing with a Load, and other Topics”