| March 24, 2022 |
| Smashing Success! NAAA Touts the Importance of Ag Aviation at Ag Day on the Mall |
The weather, the turnout and NAAA’s location in the center of the action
couldn’t have been better at Ag Day on the Mall this week. NAAA
representatives made the most of the two-day event that began on Monday
and continued Tuesday on National Ag Day by talking to a multitude of
policymakers, regulators, media members and everyday citizens who
stopped to check out the Bell 206 LongRanger helicopter on display
halfway in between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument.
Read More |
|
|
| NAAA Member Tim McPherson Hosts Open House at Fargo Air Museum on National Ag Day |
Tall Towers Aviation operator Tim “Toby” McPherson has been hosting an
open house at his hangar in Page, North Dakota, every spring since
1989—until now. This year, instead of receiving some city dwellers who
had driven from Fargo, North Dakota, at his company, McPherson
decided to bring the open house to them. In conjunction with National Ag
Day, McPherson hosted an open house at the Fargo Air Museum on Tuesday.
Read More |
|
| Idaho Governor Signs Right to Farm Act Amendment Protecting Aerial Applicators into Law |
 Last Friday, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill expanding the
definition of “Agricultural Operations” under the state’s Right to Farm
Act to include the ingress and egress of agricultural aircraft to
agricultural lands or treatment areas into law. The change will take
effect on July 1.
Read More |
|
| More Drone Airworthiness Criteria Issued by the FAA, NAAA Comments to Agency Acknowledged |
| Last week the FAA approved airworthiness criteria for four drone
models—Wingcopter, Telegrid, Flirty and 3D Robotics. NAAA submitted
comments to the FAA in November of 2021 opposing the approval due
to a dearth of safety provisions in the proposals. Read More |
|
| NAAA’s ‘Ag Wings of Tomorrow’ Scholarship Returns with $20K Available in ’22 |
Attention, operators and aspiring ag pilots: The NAAA “Ag Wings of
Tomorrow” Scholarship is back again! Thanks to the generous support of
BASF and Thrush Aircraft, $20,000 in aid is available through the 2022
NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program to assist four aspiring
ag pilots in their journey. Read More |
|
| 2022 NAAA Communications Survey Underway; All Members’ Input Needed |
 On Tuesday NAAA sent a second request inviting members to evaluate NAAA’s
communications services by completing our 2022 NAAA Communications
Survey online. The survey should take about 10 minutes and is one of the
best ways to share your thoughts about NAAA’s magazine, website,
eNewsletter, etc.
Read More |
|
| In Case You Missed It! |
| President Biden Signs $1.5 Trillion Fiscal 2022 Spending Deal—Language Supporting Aerial Application Research Funding Included |
| Last week, President Biden signed a $1.5 trillion spending bill
that will fund the U.S. government through the remainder of fiscal year
2022, which ends Sept. 30. The spending package provides domestic
agencies with a 6.7% budget increase. Read More |
|
| Details on Entry-Level Driver Training for CDL Applicants |
| How do the Department of Transportation’s new Entry-Level Driver
(ELD) training requirements affect your aerial application business?
Well, if you have new employees who are applicants for an unrestricted
Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), they will have to take the new ELD
training before they are eligible to take the CDL knowledge and skills
tests. Read More |
|
| EPA Updates Endangered Species Protection Bulletins |
| The EPA recently updated its endangered species protection
bulletins, which are designed to allow pesticide applicators to check
for threatened and endangered species in areas where they intend to make
an application. The new bulletin system is called Bulletins Live! Two
(BLT). The bulletins offer geographical information about the location
of threatened and endangered species and their designated critical
habitat. Read More |
|
| NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Hotel Room Block Open |
 Join us for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee, Dec. 5-8.
The NAAA hotel room block is now open! It is important to stay in the NAAA room block. We get the best hotel room
rates for our attendees, and if the NAAA hotel block is not filled, we
cannot offer great rates for future years!
Read More |
|
| FAA Issues Airworthiness Concern Sheet for Certain Thrush Models/Serial Numbers |
| The FAA has issued an airworthiness concern sheet (ACS) for certain
Thrush Aircraft models/serial numbers. The affected models/serial
numbers can be found on the ACS. The ACS was
released due to what the FAA believes is a misunderstanding in how to
comply with AD 2009-26-11, which addresses fatigue cracks that can occur
in the lower spar caps. Read More |
|
| FAA’s GA Survey for ’21 Actively Collecting Valuable Data |
 Last month NAAA reported that the FAA’s annual General Aviation and Part
135 Activity Survey had launched. The survey is now fully
underway. A round of postcards and email blasts have already been sent
out to operators with two or fewer aircraft. Operators with three or
more aircraft have been sent a paper survey. The survey is off to a
strong start, but more responses are needed in order to have
statistically valid results.
Read More |
|
| Bell Airworthiness Directive Expanded Effecting a Number of Helicopter Models |
| The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive 2022-02-02, which
applied to certain Bell Textron Inc. model 204B, 205A, 205A-1, 205B,
210 and 212 helicopters with a certain main rotor hub strap pin
installed. Read More |
|
| NAAA Targets Ag Retailers, Farmers with Spring ’22 Ad Buys in National Ag Publications |
 NAAA’s ad campaign promoting the benefits of aerial application to
farmers and ag retailers is back and in full swing for the 2022 season. A
March 7 ad in AgWeb AM kicked off an eight-week email advertising run
in one of Farm Journal Media’s largest newsletters. NAAA ads will also
appear in the CropLife News newsletter every Tuesday for six weeks
beginning March 22 and in The Scoop magazine on the print side. Read More |
|
| NAAA Ag Aviation Expo General Session Will Feature Dr. Stan Musick and Michelle Miller, the Farm Babe |
The NAAA General Session will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee, on
Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo. The “Healthy Public Relations”
session will feature Dr. Stan Musick and the Farm Babe, Michelle Miller.
This session will be full of great information, no matter what your
role is in the aerial application industry. Read More |
|
| NAAA Endorses and Encourages GPS Data Collection Effort Protecting Manned Ag Aircraft From Drones |
| Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Raspet Flight Research Laboratory is continuing its research study on safe operational distances
between low-altitude, manned aircraft and drones. MSU is now beginning
its second stage of GPS flight log data collection from manned
agricultural aircraft. Many NAAA members may have donated GPS flight log
data during the first stage of data collection from 2017 to 2020. This
second stage of GPS flight log data collection is critical to continue
MSU’s research. Read More |
|
| NAAA Comments to FAA to Deny Exemptions to Package Delivery Drones Compromising Aviation Safety |
| NAAA submitted comments to the FAA on two drone operators’
requests for exemptions from parts of the aviation safety regulations.
Ameriflight LLC and Amazon Prime Air submitted requests for relief
from Parts 61, 91 and 135 of the federal register to allow package
delivery options without meeting certain aviation safety requirements
NAAA finds necessary to safeguard the National
Airspace System. Read More |
|
| Tax Season is Upon Us—Take Advantage of Tax Exemptions Secured by NAAA |
| It’s Tax Season, and one of NAAA’s greatest services to the industry has
been securing tax exemptions that save the aerial application industry
millions of dollars each year—thousands of dollars for the
smallest operators, and more depending on varying fuel use. Here are
some of the exemptions you’ll want to take advantage of before April 15. Read More |
|
| We All Have a Telling History: Use Yours and NAAA’s Materials to Broadly Communicate Agricultural Aviation’s |
| By Andrew Moore, NAAA CEO |
 NAAA has reached the climax in the centennial epic of sharing our
industry’s history to the public, which of course was Aug. 3, 2021. But
just because the official centennial anniversary date is behind us
doesn’t mean all efforts to share the importance of our industry to the
public have passed you by. We will be celebrating the centennial of
agricultural aviation for an entire year. If you are an active citizen in the world of aerial application, don’t be a static
audience member during this epic, year-long centennial event. Take the stage with
us as we enunciate the gospel
of agricultural aviation to the public. Read More |
|
| NAAA Releases Book of the Century! Buy It Today |
 To commemorate agricultural
aviation’s 100th anniversary, NAAA is pleased to present Agriculture’s Air Force: 100 Years of Aerial Application. NAAA’s meticulously sourced book is based on a collective history of the industry based on material from Agricultural Aviation magazine, AgAir Update, Low & Slow and other resources. Agriculture’s Air Force is a true keepsake. Order your copy today!
Read More |
|
. The bulletins offer geographical information about the location
of threatened and endangered species and their designated critical
habitat.){kind=small}
 for certain
Thrush Aircraft models/serial numbers. The affected models/serial
numbers can be found on the ACS. The ACS was
released due to what the FAA believes is a misunderstanding in how to
comply with AD 2009-26-11, which addresses fatigue cracks that can occur
in the lower spar caps.){kind=small}
 Raspet Flight Research Laboratory is continuing its research study on safe operational distances
between low-altitude, manned aircraft and drones. MSU is now beginning
its second stage of GPS flight log data collection from manned
agricultural aircraft. Many NAAA members may have donated GPS flight log
data during the first stage of data collection from 2017 to 2020. This
second stage of GPS flight log data collection is critical to continue
MSU’s research.){kind=small}
