| February 9, 2023 |
| NAAA Sets the Record Straight After Misleading Opinion Piece Impugns Aerial Application in Iowa Newspaper |
| An Iowa newspaper published a full-throated response from NAAA CEO
Andrew Moore after one of its opinion writers wrote a distorted column
that unfairly suggests the costs of aerial application outweigh its
benefits to agriculture and society. Read More |
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| Air Tractor Releases New Turn Smart Video on YouTube |
| Turn Smart: Respect the Safety Margin, Air Tractor’s new safety video, is now available to watch on YouTube. It is also available in this article. The new Turn Smart video features a combination of interviews, stunning animation and
flying demonstrations in an effort to educate ag aviators on how to
conduct an ag turnaround safely. Read More |
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| FAA Issues Updated Guidance Making Clear Part 137 Operators Aren’t Subject to OpSpecs Requirements |
| Per NAAA’s efforts, the FAA has released updated guidance for its
inspectors that clarifies an inspector’s duties when an ag operator adds
a new aircraft to their operation. Read More |
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| Dean Wilson Elected to National Ag Aviation Hall of Fame |
 The National Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame Nominations Board is
pleased to announce that Dean Wilson is being inducted into the National
Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame. Dean W. Wilson, 87, of Clarkston,
Washington, has been selected to be the 53rd inductee into the National
Ag Aviation Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at the
2023 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Dec. 7 in Palm Springs, California.
Read More |
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| AD Issued to Establish Life Limits on Certain Walter/GE Turboprop Engine Compressor Cases and Drums |
| The FAA has issued a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain GE
Aviation Czech s.r.o. M601E-11, M601E-11A, M601E-11AS, M601E-11S and
M601F model turboprop engines. AD 2022-1414was prompted by the exclusion of
life limits for certain compressor cases and compressor drums from the
airworthiness limitations section of the engine maintenance manual. Read More |
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| FAA Adopting AD for Series 500 Continental Engines |
| The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain
Continental Aerospace Technologies Inc. (Continental) GTSIO-520, IO-470,
IO-520, IO-550, IOF-550, LIO-470, LIO-520, LTSIO-520, O-470, TSIO-470,
TSIO-520, TSIO-550, TSIOF-550 and TSIOL-550 model reciprocating engines
with a certain Superior Air Parts Inc. (SAP) cylinder assembly or intake
valve installed. This AD affects parts installed on or after Jan. 20, 2022. Read More |
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Membership Grace Period Ends Wednesday, Feb. 15;
Renew Your Membership Today |
Thank you for your support as a 2022 member! If you have not yet renewed, your membership grace period ends Feb. 15. Do we have your support for 2023? Renew online or at (202) 546-5722.
Read More |
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| NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Kick Off Next Week |
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! |
| California Unveils 2050 Goals for Eliminating Key Pesticides |
| California plans to ban toxic pesticides by 2050, according to a new
report. California Gov. Gavin Newsome’s administration has released a
policy framework for eliminating or significantly reducing the use of
controversial pesticides by 2050 in California. Read More |
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| States, Farm Groups, Others File Suit Over Biden Administration’s Far-reaching WOTUS Rule Redefinition |
| States and 17 farm, construction and mining groups filed suit in federal
court in January to overturn the Biden administration’s definition of
the upstream reach of water pollution laws. The state of Texas and the
American Farm Bureau Federation are two of many entities involved in the
suits. The plaintiffs argue that the new Waters of the United States
(WOTUS) rule finalized by the Biden administration was irresponsibly
broad and covered land and waterways that have no connection to the
navigable waters under federal jurisdiction. Read More |
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| NAAA and Virginia Ag Interests’ Advocacy Results in State Delegate Withdrawing One-Week Pesticide Notification Bill |
| The Virginia state delegate that proposed a bill in Virginia’s General
Assembly 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 has withdrawn the bill from
consideration. Read More |
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| NAAA Comments on EPA’s Endangerment Finding on Avgas, Urges Alternative Fuel First |
| NAAA submitted its comments on the EPA’s endangerment finding on leaded
aviation fuel and is asking the agency not to ban tetraethyl lead
prematurely. The EPA formally proposed the endangerment finding in early
October, a couple of weeks after the FAA approved an STC for General
Aviation Modifications Inc.’s unleaded alternative, G100UL, which works
for all piston and reciprocating engines used in ag aircraft. Read More |
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| Winter 2023 Issue of Agricultural Aviation Now Online! |
 The Winter 2023 issue of Agricultural Aviation is now available online and in the Agricultural Aviation Magazine App. The cover story profiles 2023 NAAA President Craig Craft. Additional features include a review of ag aviation accidents in 2022, a piece on 2023 being Agricultural Aviation’s 50th year in print, tributes to the 2022 NAAA Award recipients, highlights from the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo and much more!
Read More |
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| General Aviation News Sheds Light on 5 Things Most People Don’t Know About ‘Crop Dusters’ |
 In January, General Aviation News published “Five things you don’t know about crop dusters”
based on reporter William E. Dubois’ visit to the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo
to not just learn more about the industry but truly understand it.
Dubois’ story gets to the heart of the importance and technological
nature of the aerial application industry.
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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| 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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 for certain GE
Aviation Czech s.r.o. M601E-11, M601E-11A, M601E-11AS, M601E-11S and
M601F model turboprop engines. AD 2022-1414was prompted by the exclusion of
life limits for certain compressor cases and compressor drums from the
airworthiness limitations section of the engine maintenance manual.){kind=small}
 rule finalized by the Biden administration was irresponsibly
broad and covered land and waterways that have no connection to the
navigable waters under federal jurisdiction.){kind=small}
