| June 22, 2023 |
| FAA Streamlines UAS Part 137 Certification Process |
 On June 13, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Notice
8900.659, directing its staff with updated guidance on the Part 137
certification process for UAS. The FAA justifies these changes by
asserting that uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) Part 137 operations
present a lower risk than other certificated operations. Read More |
|
|
| House and Senate Transportation Committees Introduce and Work to Move FAA Reauthorization Bills: A Look at the Good, Bad and Ugly for Ag Aviation |
| Less than two weeks ago, the House and Senate’s respective
transportation committees unveiled their proposed FAA reauthorization
bills and set an ambitious schedule to mark up those bills through their
panels and move them onto their floors for debate. NAAA had a weekend
to digest 1,200 pages of legislative text and respond to the committees
with its feedback about the bills. The House provisions included good language on the tower marking and
logging front, but the Senate’s language in this area was bad and
downright ugly regarding drone avoidance requirements from manned
aircraft. Read More |
|
| NAAA Defends Safety of Ag Aviators Against Proposed UAS BVLOS Operations |
| Under pressure from deep-pocketed corporations seeking regulatory relief
to operate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) beyond visual line-of-sight
(BVLOS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is pushing to expand
BVLOS operations. Read More |
|
| 2024 House Ag Appropriations Bill Again Reports Support of Aerial Application Technology Research |
 The U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee has advanced
a bill to fund the USDA through fiscal year 2024, and once again,
included in the committee’s report is language supportive of aerial
application technology research. Favorable committee report language sends a strong message to the USDA
to continue to sustain appropriate funding for aerial application
research. This message couldn’t be more important in light of budget cuts the USDA-ARS has
faced over the past few years.
Read More |
|
| New Microsoft Flight Simulator Set to Feature Ag Aviation and Aerial Firefighting |
The latest version of Microsoft’s entry into the flight simulation world
will likely feature agricultural spraying and aerial firefighting as
missions in the not-yet-released Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Read More |
|
| In Case You Missed It! |
| NAAREF Holds Third Annual In-Season Safety Session: Recording Now Available for Those Unable to Attend |
NAAREF held its third annual in-season safety session June 12 in an
effort to remind the ag aviation industry about the importance of
focusing on safety throughout the season. The first in-season safety
session was conducted in 2021 in response to the high number of fatal
accidents that had occurred by the end of May that year. While the 2023
season thus far has fewer accidents than in previous seasons, we cannot
afford to let our guard down. Safety must remain a top priority.
Read More |
|
| NAAA, Helicopter Applicators Inc. Join Ag Partners Hosting Field Day for EPA in Maryland |
Last week, NAAA, joined by Helicopter Applicators Inc. out of
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, participated in a field day presentation of
modern agricultural practices for the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs
at Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, Maryland. The event was organized by
the Pesticide Policy Coalition, a consortium of users and manufacturers
of pesticides, of which NAAA is a member. Read More |
|
| Delta State Honors First Aviation Students to Graduate With New Ag Aviation Career Pathway Certification |
The first 10 students from the commercial aviation department at Delta
State University (DSU) to graduate with an Agricultural Aviation
Operations Career Pathway Certification were recognized during a
ceremony June 2 in the DSU airport hangar at the Cleveland (Mississippi)
Municipal Airport. Read More |
|
| Apply for C-PAASS 2023—Certified-Professional Aerial Applicator Safety Steward |
 If you’ve recently participated in a 2022 and/or 2023 Operation S.A.F.E.
Fly-In and you’re receiving this eNewsletter because you are an NAAA
member, you have completed two of four requirements to apply for C-PAASS
certification for 2023.
Read More |
|
| Beware of Fraudulent Companies Trying to Book Hotel Rooms for NAAA Ag Aviation Expo |
 NAAA received notification that an independent third-party company
called Venue Solutions is contacting our NAAA Allied members to book
sleeping rooms in Palm Springs for the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo. This
company is NOT associated with NAAA or any hotel in Palm Springs; your
hotel room should only be booked through the information we provide. Ignore their emails.
Read More |
|
| NAAA, AirWorks and JBI Helicopters Co-Host Field Day for EPA, State Pest Control Officials, Grower Groups and Pesticide Companies in Western Tennessee Ag Country |
Earlier this month, NAAA joined the University of Tennessee Ag Extension
Service in educating leaders of the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs,
state pesticide enforcement officials, state and national grower groups,
and pesticide manufacturing leaders. The tour’s organizer, Kim Brown
Pope, also organized a site visit for the government and industry officials at Justin and Ashley Houston’s ag
aviation operation, AirWorks, in Halls, Tennessee, with participation by
JBI Helicopters’ representatives from JBI’s Lafayette, Louisiana,
branch. Read More |
|
| Library of Congress Unveils New Occupational Folklife Collection on Agricultural Aviation Profession |
| A special collection on the role of “Crop Dusters in Rural America” is
available now and for posterity on the Library of Congress’s website.
The collection was produced by a mother-and-son team who undertook the
oral history project in part to dispel outdated notions about ag pilots
and the agricultural aviation profession. Read More |
|
| Want to Fly the Snow S-2A? |
Want to fly the Snow S-2A before it becomes grounded for good? If so,
please call Pete Jones of Air Repair Inc. in Cleveland, Mississippi, at
(662) 846-0228 to make an appointment. Read More |
|
| Proposed AD Supersedes Continental Engines Oil Filter Adapter Gasket AD |
| The FAA has revised its proposed Airworthiness Directive to
supersede AD 2022-04-04, which requires replacing the oil
filter adapter gasket on certain Continental Aerospace Technologies Inc.
engines. Read More |
|
| Apply for ‘Ag Wings of Tomorrow’ Scholarship by Aug. 31 |
 From seeking a mentor to finding the funds for training, the road to becoming an ag pilot is fraught with obstacles, but having $5,000 in seed money certainly helps. Four such scholarships are available through the 2023 NAAA “Ag Wings of Tomorrow” Scholarship Program, thanks to the generous support of BASF and Thrush Aircraft. Aspiring ag pilots, apply by Aug. 31!
Read More |
|
| FAA’s GA Survey Data Collection for 2022 Entering Final Stretch: Please Participate if Invited |
The FAA’s annual General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey (GA
Survey) is entering the final stretch. There are still a few weeks to
go, and we need everyone who is invited to participate. If you are
selected to participate in the GA Survey, you will receive an email or
postcard invitation asking you to complete the survey online. Please
participate in the survey if asked! Read More |
|
| Turbine Training Funds Available Through Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship |
| Two $3,000 scholarships are available
to eligible NAAA Operator and Pilot members for turbine transition
training through the newly created Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine
Training Scholarship. The new NAAA scholarship program is funded by a generous educational grant from Jim Mills of
Turbines Inc., who established the scholarship in memory of Charles
Stokes. Read More |
|
| Exhibitor Details for the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo: Booth Sales for Aircraft & Large Booth Space Now Open |
Join us for the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California,
Dec. 4-7. In addition to attending the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo, Palm
Springs is full of great restaurants, bars, fun activities, and terrific
weather! Visit the Palm Springs Air Museum, enjoy an off road
or BMW driving experience, play golf, visit museums and even gamble at a
casino close to the convention center. Read More |
|
| Has Your Aircraft Been Pattern Tested Yet? There Are Tools to Help |
 If you have not attended or scheduled an Operation S.A.F.E. Fly-In
for this season yet, the time is becoming short in many parts of the
country. If you can’t attend one of these events, as an NAAA member, you have alternative options. Read More |
|
| Ag Aviation Expo Sponsorships Available: Boost Your Company’s Brand! |
Join us for the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo in Palm Springs Dec. 4-7.
Sponsorship sales are open for this year’s convention. Branding at
the Ag Aviation Expo is a great opportunity to get your message in front
of the agricultural aviation industry and reach a targeted and
nationwide audience of aerial applicators in North America. Read More |
|
| Makeup PAASS Programs Now Available for 2021, 2022 and 2023 – Get C-PAASS Certified Today! |
 The impact of the PAASS Program on reducing the number of agricultural
aviation accidents and drift incidents is proven—26% reductions in both
categories since the program first hit the stage. In an effort to
present the program’s life-saving curriculum to those who may have
missed it, the National Agricultural Aviation Research and Education
Foundation (NAAREF) has leveraged the NAAA Education Center to host
recorded webinars of the PAASS Program from 2021, 2022 and 2023.
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 |
|
 beyond visual line-of-sight
(BVLOS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is pushing to expand
BVLOS operations.){kind=small}
 is entering the final stretch. There are still a few weeks to
go, and we need everyone who is invited to participate. If you are
selected to participate in the GA Survey, you will receive an email or
postcard invitation asking you to complete the survey online. Please
participate in the survey if asked!){kind=small}
 has leveraged the NAAA Education Center to host
recorded webinars of the PAASS Program from 2021, 2022 and 2023.){kind=small}
