| October 13, 2023 |
| In Dayton, Four Days, Tons Accomplished by NAAA/NAAREF Boards |
 The boards and committees of the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) and the National Agricultural Aviation Research and Education Foundation (NAAREF) met in Dayton, Ohio from October 4-7 and accomplished a multitude of benefits for the agricultural aviation industry. The meetings were preceded by the PAASS presenters training on the new aviation, environmental professionalism, and security curriculum for the 2023-2024 (26th season) PAASS program that will be presented at the state and regional agricultural aviation conventions this upcoming fall and winter of 2024. Read More |
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| Fred Ayers, Founder of Ayers Corporation & Ag Aviation Industry Pioneer, Passes |
 Fred Ayers, the founder of Ayers Corporation, which evolved into Thrush Aircraft, passed away on October 6 at the age of 93. He was inducted into the National Agricultural Aviation Hall of Fame (NAAHOF) in 1997 and the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 2002. NAAA’s thoughts and prayers are with the Ayres family at the loss of Mr. Ayers. Read More |
| Congratulations to Bill Lavender, Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame’s Newest Inductee |
 AgAir Update founder Bill Lavender has been selected as a 2024 Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee. Congratulations to Bill on this great achievement and thank you to everyone in the industry who voted for Bill! Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame candidates are nominated based on their “outstanding and lasting contributions to the advancement of aviation or manned space flight.” Read More |
| Ag Pilot Writes Children’s Book About Flying an Ag Plane & the Benefits of Aerial Application |
 Third generation pilot and Arkansas ag pilot, Peter Schellenberger, has written and published a new children’s book called Crop Duster Pete. The book takes children along for a ride in an Air Tractor and teaches them about the benefits of aerial application. Read More |
| Ag Aviation Expo Attendee Pre-Reg Closes Nov. 3; Room Block Closes Nov. 9 |
 NAAA is excited to host our annual convention in Palm Springs, CA Dec. 4-7. We still have plenty of hotel rooms available at the Hilton and Hyatt in the NAAA room block for those who haven’t booked a room or are still undecided. The deadline to book your hotel room in the NAAA block is Nov. 9. Attendee pre-registration ends Nov. 3. 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 |
| Beware of Fraudulent Emails & Calls 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. NAAA also received notification that a different company has called some of our Allied members telling them to book their hotel room with them. These communications are spam and not affiliated with NAAA; please delete it and do not respond to their calls. Please only book your Ag Aviation Expo hotel room using information directly from NAAA. Read More |
| In Case You Missed It! |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
