| October 5, 2023 |
| PAASS Programs Scheduled for 2023-2024 Convention Season; Requirement for C-PAASS Certification |
 The industry’s state/regional convention season begins in less than two weeks, first with Michigan AAA and then the Kansas AAA and California AAA conventions. As you determine what state/regional conventions you’re going attend, make sure you plan to attend a PAASS Program. Attending the PAASS program not only makes you a safer ag pilot, it can also provide you with the continuing education units from state pesticide agencies needed to renew your commercial pesticide license. Read More |
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| Former NAAA President Leland Shelton Passes |
 Arthur Leland Shelton, 87, of Hereford, Texas passed away on Saturday, September 30, 2023.Memorial services will be held Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at Avenue Baptist Church in Hereford. Leland was the proud President of the Texas Agricultural Aviation Association in 1983 and the National Agricultural Aviation Association in 1985.
Read More |
| Rantizo, Spray Drone Company, Receives $6 Million in Expansion Funding |
| Aerial spray drone company Rantizo, an NAAA Allied Industry member based in Iowa City, IA, has received $6 million in expansion funding led by Leaps by Bayer, Fulcrum Global Capital, and Innova Memphis. Leaps by Bayer (Bayer the pesticide and pharmaceutical company) has invested over $1.5 billion in venture capital in the agriculture and health care industries in an effort, according to its website, to “shift core paradigms in our industries.” Read More |
| NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Kickoff Tomorrow |
 The October 2023 NAAA & NAAREF Board and Committee meetings will take place in Dayton, Ohio. All meetings are open to NAAA members. The hotel room block is at the Marriott at the University of Dayton and meetings will take place at the Dayton Convention Center. Read More |
| Aerial Applicators Showed up in Droves at the Greenville, MS Aviation Day |
 This past weekend, the city of Greenville, MS, Mid-Delta Airport hosted Greenville Aviation Day. The event hosted a wide range of aircraft, hot air balloons, an Aeroshell team performance, and many aerial applicators showed up to show off their aircraft and the aerial application industry. Read More |
| Pre-Register for the Ag Aviation Expo to Avoid Long Lines Onsite |
 We urge you to pre-register before Nov. 3 for the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo, which saves you $75 per person. Pre-registration helps us to have accurate food, beverage and seating counts at our events. Attendee registration and booth sales are open for the NAAA Expo in Palm Springs Dec. 4-7! Read More |
| NAAA Support Committee Events at Ag Aviation Expo |
We look forward to seeing you at the 2023 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, CA, Dec. 4-7. The NAAA Support Committee has organized several fun events at the Ag Aviation Expo for spouses/significant others, family members and office crew. Save $75 by pre-registering by Nov. 3 for what promises to be an outstanding convention! Read More |
| In Case You Missed It! |
| FAA Approves Some UAS BVLOS Operations Without Visual Observers |
| The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released decisions on several Petitions for Exemption from commercial Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) operators seeking to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations without the use of visual observers (VOs). These Petitions were opened for public comment in June of this year along with a broader request for comment on UAS BVLOS operations in general. NAAA provided comments for each of these, alongside several other industry partners. Read More |
| Beware of Fraudulent Email with Ag Aviation Expo Name |
NAAA received notification that scammers using the company name Convention Housing Experts LLC have sent an email to several Allied members offering hotel rooms. This email is spam and not affiliated with NAAA; please delete it. Please only book your Ag Aviation Expo hotel room using information directly from NAAA. You can find our hotel room block details here. Read More |
| Renew Your NAAA Membership for 2024 |
Thank you for your support of NAAA as a 2023 member. We request your continued support by renewing your NAAA membership for 2024. While you have been busy aiding farmers to produce a safe, affordable, and abundant supply of food, fiber, and bioenergy, NAAA has been busy making sure low altitude airspace is safe for your aerial application business to operate, as well as ensuring that you have the pesticide products you need to do your job. Read More |
| CropLife Magazine eNews Publishes NAAA Cover Crops Press Release |
 In continued coverage from NAAA’s press release alerting communities about ag pilots working to seed cover crops, CropLife, a U.S. agribusiness publication, has published the information on their website. The CropLife website receives 35,000 visitors per month, which is great awareness for the good work of aerial applicators, to ag retailers, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. Read More |
| Is Operation S.A.F.E. on your End-of-Season Checklist? |
 If your aircraft has not been through Operation S.A.F.E. in 2022 or 2023, NAAREF recommends doing so prior to the start of the 2024 season. While many across the country have their aircraft pattern tested in the Spring, it is not at all uncommon to do so in the Fall. Performing this critical testing on your equipment in the Fall presents several benefits. The operational pace, for one, is typically milder in Fall compared to Spring. You also may have ideas for application setup changes fresh in your mind after a season focused on your work. Read More |
| Tenth Fatal Ag Accident of 2023 Claims the Life of Lawrence Polries |
 NAAA is saddened to report that Lawrence (Larry) Polries from Jamestown, ND was killed in an ag accident on September 19, 2023. He was 63 years old at the time of his death. The members and staff of NAAA offer their deepest sympathies and condolences to Larry’s friends and family. Read More |
| Aerial Application Represents at Mississippi Commemorative Air Force Event |
 This past weekend, the Mississippi Wing of the Commemorative Air Force hosted a Hangar Hangover event in Madison, MS. The event hosts a wide range of aircraft and cars for spectators to view, including fully restored aircraft from the World War II era. Read More |
| AD Amended for Continental Engines Oil Filter Adapter Gasket |
| The FAA has issued Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2023-17-04 (superseding AD 2022-04-04) which requires replacing the oil filter adapter gasket on certain Continental Aerospace Technologies Inc. engines. Read More |
| Thank You, NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Sponsors! Attendees, Register Today! |
| Attendee registration and booth sales are open! Please register today. NAAA sincerely appreciates the companies that support NAAA and the agricultural aviation industry by sponsoring the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California, Dec. 4-7. 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 |
