In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, NAAA has been in near-daily contact with the FAA regarding the many regulatory hurdles that are nearly impossible to comply with during the pandemic. In response to this, the FAA yesterday released a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) addressing many of these concerns. The following exemptions will be valid upon the rule’s publication in the Federal Register. Read More

Ordinances have arisen over the past few years from local governments taking it upon themselves to regulate a pesticide even when it is outside of their jurisdictional authority.  Pesticide restrictions have taken place in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Lincoln County, Oregon just to name a few jurisdictions that have either banned pesticides outright or banned an application type.  Last year, the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico prohibited the use, sale, purchase, distribution and possession of products that contain glyphosate. Read More

NAAA is saddened to announce that Dennis McGarity from Sikeston, Missouri, passed away on April 23. Born March 9, 1952, Dennis was 68 years old at the time of his passing. He is survived by his wife Vanessa, four sons, a brother, sister and six grandchildren. Read More

The American National Standards Institute’s (ANSI) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC) released its draft Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Version 2.0) that outlines the future of voluntary industry standards in the UAV industry. Read More

Last week, the Federal Register officially published the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers final rule establishing a new definition of “Waters of the United States” that are protected by the Clean Water Act. The final rule is set to take effect 60 days after publication, on June 22. The new rule, called the “Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of Waters of the U.S.,” will narrow the scope of Federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. Read More

The 20,000th engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Lethbridge, Alberta, manufacturing facility recently went into a new Air Tractor ag plane. The PT6A-65AG engine was installed in a new AT-602. Air Tractor dealer Frost Flying delivered the airplane (serial number AT-602-1308) to its new owner, Scott DeLong of Farmers Cooperative in Dorchester, Nebraska, April 9. Read More

Join us for the 2020 Ag Aviation Expo in Savannah, Ga., Dec. 7-10. While the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo is months away, you may have concerns about traveling to Savannah, attending or exhibiting at our annual convention. NAAA is working on plans to help with social distancing throughout our convention, as well as with facilities on their steps for additional disinfecting/sanitizing during our show. We are proceeding as is for our Ag Aviation Expo and will keep you informed of any changes.   Read More

Thanks so much for being a 2020 member! We appreciate your ESSENTIAL services as agricultural aviators and related businesses, especially in these stressful times. We've discounted all our merchandise by 30% as we begin to close NAAA’s online eStore. Aerial applicators prefer to shop for NAAA's quality merchandise at the annual Ag Aviation Expo, so that is where our sales focus will be devoted and continue. Read More

Starting May 26, NAAA will have on staff a new director of finance and operations (DFO) who will take over for Terri Long, NAAA’s current DFO, who is retiring at the end of September after over five years of exemplary service. The new DFO is Deana Burke who has 10 years of experience in banking, finance and administration. Deana currently serves as the chief financial officer and director of administration at the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators where she has managed the finances, human resources, administration and operations at the association for the past three years. Read More

One of the highlights of each NAAA convention is the chance to honor a distinct group of the committed individuals and companies for their service to the agricultural aviation industry. The aerial application industry is filled with exceptional people who go above and beyond the call of duty, but the Awards Committee depends on members like you to identify these unsung heroes. If you’ve been sheltering in place, take advantage this unique interlude to nominate someone for a 2020 NAAA Award! The nominating process is even easier now thanks to NAAA’s new online awards submission form. Read More

The National Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame (NAAHOF) Nomination Board has changed its procedure for evaluating candidates for induction into the NAA Hall of Fame. Under the policy change, the Nominations Board will consider individuals one year before their induction to allow more time to deliberate on NAAHOF nominees’ credentials. Nominations to be considered for induction into NAAHOF in 2021 are by due Sept. 1, 2020. Read More

Attention, higher-education students: Don’t miss out on the opportunity to compete for a combined $3,000 in educational scholarships. The deadline for the 2020 Support Scholarship Essay Contest is Sept. 15. The NAAA Support Committee will award a $2,000 scholarship as top prize and Covington Aircraft Engines has generously agreed to sponsor a $1,000 scholarship. Read More

Attention, operators and aspiring ag pilots: The NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship is back! Thanks to the generous support of BASF and Thrush Aircraft, $20,000 in aid is available via the 2020 NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program to assist four aspiring ag pilots in their journey. The goal of NAAA’s “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program is to strengthen the aerial application industry by helping operator members bring new pilots into the profession. Read More