| January 12, 2023 |
| NAAA Works with Stakeholders in Virginia to Combat a One-Week Pesticide Notification Bill; Beware of Anti-Pesticide Bills in Your State |
| As state legislators get back into session, now is the time to be on the
lookout for potential bills aimed at restricting aerial applications.
Case in point, last week NAAA learned of a proposed house bill in
Virginia that would require all agricultural aviators making an aerial
application west of the Blue Ridge Mountains to provide seven-day
notification for all such applications. The notifications had to include
the specific date and time the aerial application was intended to be
made. Read More |
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| FAA Moves Rule Forward Mandating Safety Management System Use for Charter, Commuter and Air Tour Operators |
Earlier this week, the FAA proposed a rule that requires charter,
commuter and air tour operators and aircraft manufacturers to implement
the safety approach known as Safety Management System (SMS), a set of
policies and procedures where companies identify, monitor and address
potential operational hazards early on, before they become serious
problems. U.S. airlines have been required to have SMS since 2018. Read More |
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| Covington Challenge a Stunning Success for Funding NAAREF and Ag Aviation Safety |
 In honor of its 50th anniversary, Covington Aircraft Engines launched
the Covington Challenge in December of 2022 to raise funds for NAAREF.
Covington pledged to match all donations up to a total of $50,000 made
to NAAREF by Dec. 31, 2022. A total of $16,745 was donated to NAAREF
before the deadline. In an amazing display of generosity and a
commitment to ag aviation safety, Covington Aircraft went ahead and
donated the full $50,000 to NAAREF!
Read More |
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| NAAA’s ‘Agriculture’s Air Force’ Book For Sale at Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum |
If you’re planning to visit the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry
Museum, home to the National Agricultural Aviation Museum, make sure to
stop by the gift shop. Thanks to Executive Director Hayes Patrick, you
can now purchase a copy of Agriculture’s Air Force: 100 Years of Aerial
Application there.
Read More |
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| Set Yourself Up for New Year’s Success by Renewing Your NAAA Membership |
 If you have already renewed your NAAA membership for 2023, thank you! If you have not, please renew your membership today. You can renew online
or over the phone at (202) 546-5722. Set yourself up for success in the
new year by renewing your NAAA membership for 2023. Read More |
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| Update Your Information for 2023 Membership Directory |
| Have you moved or changed employers since you renewed your NAAA
membership? Allied companies, have you reviewed your company description
lately? Ensure your listing in the 2023 NAAA Membership Directory is
correct by logging into your account. If any information has changed,
please provide any corrections by Jan. 27 to guarantee accurate inclusion in the 2023 NAAA Membership Directory! Read More |
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| NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Feb. 16-18 in Alexandria, VA |
The February 2023 NAAA & NAAREF Board and Committee meetings will take place Feb. 16-18 in Alexandria, Virginia. All meetings are open to NAAA members. If you are not a board or
committee member but are interested in attending, please contact Lindsay Barber for more details.
Read More |
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| In Case You Missed It! |
| NAAA Successful in Seeking Proposal to Transport Limited Quantities of Jet A Without CDL HazMat Endorsement |
| After a five-year effort, the Department of Transportation’s Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) granted NAAA’s request
to propose a regulation allowing states to exempt commercial drivers from having to get a HazMat endorsement to transport 1,000
gallons or less of jet fuel (aviation-grade kerosene). The next steps to
finalize this rule are for the FMCSA to post the proposed rule in the
Federal Register allowing for either a 30- or 60-day public comment
period, digest the comments, and either finalize or retract the rule
pending comments. Read More |
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| Biden Administration Releases Its Rule Defining ‘Waters of the U.S.’ Under the Clean Water Act |
| The Biden administration imposed a rule on Dec. 30 expanding the
definition of waterways that the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers have
authority to regulate, a move that the predecessor Obama and Trump
administrations addressed, seeking to clarify a decade-long effort of
what the EPA’s powers are under the Clean Water Act. Read More |
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| Register Your Private Airport with the FAA |
| NAAA fields inquiries every year regarding obstruction incursions to the
airspace around members’ private airports. The FAA only gets involved in
obstructions to publicly used airports. Private airports generally are
not afforded protection by the FAA. However, local and state zoning and land use statutes, along with an FAA
airport designation, may provide protection from towers, wind and solar energy
development and urban sprawl developments that inhibit aviation
operations. Read More |
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| Bell 407 Tailboom AD Adopted |
| The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bell
Textron Canada Limited Model 407 helicopters. The AD was prompted by an
accident and requires inspecting the tailboom attachment
structure, as specified in a Transport Canada AD. Read More |
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| AD Adopted for GE 601 and H 80 Series Engines Dilution Tube Weld Areas |
| The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain GE
Aviation M601D-11, M601E-11, M601E-11A, M601E-11AS, M601E-11S, M601F,
H75-100, H75-200, H80, H80-100, H80-200, H85-100 and H85-200 model
turboprop engines. Reports of cracks in dilution
tube weld areas of the combustion chamber outer liner prompted this AD. Read More |
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| Top 10 Agricultural Aviation Magazine Articles of 2022 |
From a profile introducing 2022 NAAA President Jim Perrin to a trio of
articles from our special safety issue devoted to health and safety
lessons, here are the top 10 digital articles from Agricultural Aviation’s 2022 issues based on the most viewed articles at AgAviationMagazine.org and the Agricultural Aviation Magazine App.
Read More |
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| Omnibus Fiscal Year 2023 Spending Bill Includes Ag Research, Disaster Relief and Pesticide Registration Continued Funding |
| Congressional leaders reached agreement on a massive year-end bill that
would provide $3.7 billion in disaster aid for farmers, including $250
million in aid to rice producers and $100 million to cotton
merchandisers. The bill also includes a reauthorization measure for the pesticide registration process at the EPA. Read More |
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| NAAA and NAAREF Presidents Discuss NAAA, Industry Issues on Ag Aviator Podcast |
 Jim Perrin and Matt Hovdenes, NAAA and NAAREF’s 2022 presidents, respectively, appeared on the Ag Aviator Podcast
to discuss the importance of NAAA and NAAREF. The interview with host and NAAA Pilot member
Andy Gjerswold was released in October after being recorded at the 2021
Ag Aviation Expo while Perrin was NAAA’s president-elect.
Read More |
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| Important Call for GPS Data to Protect Manned Ag Aircraft from Drones |
In 2022, an FAA advisory committee weighted with drone
interests from Amazon, Google and other unmanned corporate interests
suggested that the agency promulgate rules that drones operating beyond
visual line of sight be permitted to:
- Increase their weight to 1,320 pounds
- Not equip with ADS-B identification technology
- Not give the right of way to manned aircraft when operating in
rural, low-altitude airspace because they claimed there are no other
users of this airspace.
As an ag aviator, you know these requests to be patently unsafe and
based on false premises. As such, we call on you to help us collect
information on ag aircraft’s use of the low-altitude airspace. Read More |
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| 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 |
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, a set of
policies and procedures where companies identify, monitor and address
potential operational hazards early on, before they become serious
problems. U.S. airlines have been required to have SMS since 2018.){kind=small}
 546-5722. Set yourself up for success in the
new year by renewing your NAAA membership for 2023.){kind=small}
 granted NAAA’s request
to propose a regulation allowing states to exempt commercial drivers from having to get a HazMat endorsement to transport 1,000
gallons or less of jet fuel (aviation-grade kerosene). The next steps to
finalize this rule are for the FMCSA to post the proposed rule in the
Federal Register allowing for either a 30- or 60-day public comment
period, digest the comments, and either finalize or retract the rule
pending comments.){kind=small}
 for certain Bell
Textron Canada Limited Model 407 helicopters. The AD was prompted by an
accident and requires inspecting the tailboom attachment
structure, as specified in a Transport Canada AD.){kind=small}
 for certain GE
Aviation M601D-11, M601E-11, M601E-11A, M601E-11AS, M601E-11S, M601F,
H75-100, H75-200, H80, H80-100, H80-200, H85-100 and H85-200 model
turboprop engines. Reports of cracks in dilution
tube weld areas of the combustion chamber outer liner prompted this AD.){kind=small}
