| March 2, 2023 |
| Illinois Wind Farm Required to Compensate Nonparticipating Growers for Increased Aerial Application Costs if Neighbor Hosts Wind Turbine |
 An aviation consultant who was an agricultural aviator for 14 years
successfully got his county to require a wind farm company to compensate
growers impacted by wind turbines in neighboring fields if aerial
application services are compromised. Jerry Lay with Jerry Lay Aviation LLC was on the Woodford County,
Illinois, zoning board when Panther Grove Wind LLC petitioned to locate
and operate a wind farm in the county in late 2020. Read More |
|
|
| Burt Rutan, Aerospace Legend, to Speak at 2023 Ag Aviation Expo Kickoff Breakfast |
 Burt Rutan, Aerospace entrepreneur and Virgin Galactic spacecraft
designer, will speak at the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo Kickoff Breakfast on
Monday, Dec. 4, in Palm Springs, California. Burt Rutan was described
by Newsweek as “the man responsible for more innovations in modern aviation than any living engineer.” A bold visionary with a passion for the advancement of technology, he
founded the aerospace research firm Scaled Composites and was named one
of “The World’s 100 Most Influential People” by TIME.
Read More |
|
| NAAA Continues National Effort to Protect State and Federal Primacy of Regulating Pesticides, Countering Federal Legislative Efforts to Allow County and Municipal Entities Jurisdiction |
| U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced legislation that
would allow any political subdivision of a state—county, municipal or
other government entity—to regulate pesticides, regardless of possessing
any extensive scientific training to do so. Booker’s legislation would
also prohibit the use of pesticides not allowed for use in the European
Union or Canada, relinquishing to a foreign entity the U.S. government’s
autonomy to regulate pesticides. Read More |
|
| EPA Reconsiders Application Exclusion Zones: Sights Set on Burdensome 2015 WPS Requirements |
| On Feb. 15, the EPA released a draft proposed rule that would address
the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) requirements defined in the 2015
Worker Protection Standard (WPS). Notably, this would uphold the current
requirement to suspend applications when any persons enter the AEZ (a
100-foot radius for aerial applications), even if they are outside the
property being treated. Read More |
|
| Airworthiness Directive Affecting Continental Engines |
| An airworthiness directive (AD) that affects crankshaft assemblies on
Continental Engines has been issued as a final rule. AD-2023-00265-E
went into effect Feb. 23. There are differences in assemblies depending
on serial number and installation date, so check the AD and service
bulletin. Read More |
|
| Pratt & Whitney Canada Celebrates 1 Billion Flying Hours and 60 Years of PT6 Innovation |
 Congratulations to Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) for reaching 1
billion flying hours since the company was founded nearly 100 years ago,
in 1928. P&WC engines power missions across a diverse
portfolio, including business aviation, general aviation, helicopter
aviation and, of course, agricultural aviation.
Read More |
|
| FAA’s GA Survey Data Collection for 2022 Now Underway |
The FAA’s annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey (GA
Survey) is officially underway. The survey is collecting aviation
activity for the calendar year 2022. The GA Survey is the only source of
information available that provides reliable data on the GA fleet,
including the number of aircraft and hours flown. The FAA and other government agencies use the data, but it is especially critical to the agricultural aviation
industry. NAAA uses the GA Survey results, in conjunction with
NTSB accident numbers, to calculate an overall accident rate and fatal
accident rate for Part 137 operations. Read More |
|
| In Case You Missed It! |
| NAAA Completes a Capital Marathon Week With Leadership Training, Government Advocacy and Board Meetings |
For five full days, from Feb. 14-18, NAAA exerted great influence in our
nation’s capital region, whether it was providing professional training
to the next generation of leaders of the aerial application industry,
advocating key ag aviation policy positions to federal officials, or
outlining substantive policies for the national association to
strengthen the industry moving forward.
Read More |
|
| It’s Here! Application Now Open for C-PAASS 2023—Certified-Professional Aerial Applicator Safety Steward |
 Aerial applicators, now more than ever, operate in an environment of
competing interests. An ever-increasing demand for timely and effective
applications is challenged by factors such as added regulatory burden,
rising insurance costs and stiffer pesticide label language, just to
name a few. The agricultural aviation industry is rising to these
challenges and, in character, has moved to advance education, rather
than regulation, as the path forward.
Read More |
|
| Air Tractor Community Mourns Loss of Ag Aviation Africa Founder Lourens Kritzinger |
 Air Tractor is saddened to announce the passing of longtime Air Tractor
dealer Lourens Kritzinger following a courageous battle with cancer. Lourens was a successful aerial applicator in South Africa for over four decades. Together with his son Matt, they operated Ag Aviation Africa since 2012,
providing sales, service and support for the complete line of Air
Tractor aircraft.
Read More |
|
| NAAA Comments to EPA on Aerial Application Issues Pertaining to Carbaryl and Endangered Species Protections |
| On Feb. 14 NAAA submitted comments to the EPA on its Endangered Species
Act Workplan Update. NAAA
also submitted comments on the proposed interim decision
for carbaryl. Read More |
|
| FAA Aircraft Registration and Reregistration Changes |
| When purchasing an aircraft, the use of an FAA copy (formerly called the
“pink” copy) of the registration application form 8050-1 for temporary
registration has been changed from 90 days to unlimited up to the time
the certificate is received or the application is denied by the FAA. Read More |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
 reintroduced legislation that
would allow any political subdivision of a state—county, municipal or
other government entity—to regulate pesticides, regardless of possessing
any extensive scientific training to do so. Booker’s legislation would
also prohibit the use of pesticides not allowed for use in the European
Union or Canada, relinquishing to a foreign entity the U.S. government’s
autonomy to regulate pesticides.){kind=small}
 that affects crankshaft assemblies on
Continental Engines has been issued as a final rule. AD-2023-00265-E
went into effect Feb. 23. There are differences in assemblies depending
on serial number and installation date, so check the AD and service
bulletin.){kind=small}
 for reaching 1
billion flying hours since the company was founded nearly 100 years ago,
in 1928. P&WC engines power missions across a diverse
portfolio, including business aviation, general aviation, helicopter
aviation and, of course, agricultural aviation.){kind=small}
 is officially underway. The survey is collecting aviation
activity for the calendar year 2022. The GA Survey is the only source of
information available that provides reliable data on the GA fleet,
including the number of aircraft and hours flown. The FAA and other government agencies use the data, but it is especially critical to the agricultural aviation
industry. NAAA uses the GA Survey results, in conjunction with
NTSB accident numbers, to calculate an overall accident rate and fatal
accident rate for Part 137 operations.){kind=small}
