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. The meetings were led by 2023 NAAA President Craig Craft from North Carolina and on the NAAREF side, its president, Perry Hofer from South Dakota. 

 

 

 

The paragraphs below summarize the current state of the associations and industry and a number of action items taken to benefit the industry. 

 

Following precedent NAAA’s CEO Andrew Moore provided an overview of the industry and association starting with an economic overview of U.S. agriculture for 2023 based on USDA statistics. This year’s farm income is forecast to drop $41.7 billion from 2022 to $141.3 billion; a 22.8% drop. Yield declines due to drought conditions in the Midwest, particularly for corn and soybeans, are one factor attributed to this decline. Also, U.S. farm production expenses, which include aerial application services to farmers, are forecast to increase by $29.5 billion to $458 billion, or 6.9%, in 2023 compared to 2022. U.S. ag exports are forecast to decline in 2023 to $181 billion from $196 billion in 2022, a 7.7% decrease. This is due to the high price of the dollar versus other global currencies, and an anemic Biden administration trade policy that has not opened any new markets for agricultural trade.  

 

He then shifted gears to NAAA’s 2023 industry economic survey that is conducted each fall to gauge the industry’s health.  The results show that the number of hours flown per aircraft this year was 324.5—a 1% decrease from the 327.6 hours flown in 2022, but a 3% increase from the ten-year average of 318 hours per aircraft.  The average number of aircraft in use per operation decreased 4% from 2.51 aircraft per operation in 2022 to 2.39 aircraft per operation in 2023; however, that is 2.6% greater than the 2.32 aircraft per operation ten-year average.  In terms of hours flown in 2023, of the 18% of U.S. agricultural aviation operators surveyed, 39% flew either significantly greater (8%), or somewhat greater (31%) ag hours in 2023 vs. 2022; whereas 28% flew about the same number of hours and 33% flew either somewhat fewer (22%) or significantly fewer (11%) hours in 2023 compared to 2022. Those California operators surveyed indicated that 88% treated significantly or somewhat greater acres in 2023 versus 2022, whereas in the Midwest where the drought dealt a blow to corn and soybean growers, 47% of operators surveyed treated somewhat fewer acres and 27% treated significantly fewer acres.

 

In terms of those surveyed and their outlook for the upcoming aerial application season, 43% of 2023 operators were optimistic about the 2024 season, compared to 49% polled in 2022 about 2023’s prospects. The remaining 2023 operators were uncertain or shaky about 2024’s prospects. 

 

Moore then moved to policy issues focusing on (re)registering and labeling pesticide products for aerial use—NAAA’s biggest issue in terms of time and resources spent.  Part of that is due to the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requiring that pesticides be retested for environmental, occupational, and dietary safety every 15 years.  To ensure that aerial applications are labeled for use on pesticides and without unnecessary and burdensome restrictions NAAA continues to push that the agency use the more sophisticated version of the atmospheric drift model AgDRIFT, Tier 3, that includes consideration and calculation of additional drift reduction technologies, and techniques. NAAA is also having success in its efforts pushing wind directional buffer language, not just flat buffer zones. Since 2017 NAAA has commented on 267 EPA pesticide active ingredient and pesticide use policies.

 

 

Moore also mentioned that NAAA has had success working with EPA, USDA, the Unmanned Aerial Pesticide Application System Task Force (UAPASTF) and other government agencies for support to modernize the AGDISP atmospheric model with a new version of computer coding.  Updating the coding will help to augment the robustness of the atmospheric model to add additional drift reduction technologies from onboard meteorological systems and much more with the goal that down the road it could lead to real-time, site-specific risk assessments to calculate for each unique, individual application and not a one-size fits all approach.  It also will aid in drift modeling for different drones that currently fall under an aerial label but aren’t evaluated for atmospheric drift.

 

Moore then discussed the continued dialogue NAAA has been having with major pesticide manufacturers again this year, including Bayer, FMC and Corteva, to keep them abreast of NAAA’s use of the AgDRIFT Tier 3 model and its calculations showing mitigated aerial drift for them to use when negotiating registration of pesticides. NAAA also solicited the companies to continue to support NAAA’s advocacy, education, and safety programs. He also brought up field days NAAA has participated in to educate EPA, pesticide enforcement state lead agencies, national grower groups and major pesticide manufactures on the benefits and professionalism of the aerial application industry. Two sites in particular were at Justin and Ashley Houston’s operation, AirWorks, in Hall, Tennessee, accompanied by pilots and senior staff at JBI Helicopters, Louisiana branch, where NAAA demonstrated a swath analysis clinic to ensure an efficacious set up of the aircraft for JBI’s Jet Ranger helicopter and AirWorks’s AT 802.  NAAA also participated in a field day with pesticide manufacturers and grower groups at a farm in Rock Hall, Maryland, educating EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs staff with the help of a helicopter aerial application by Rasmus Hansen of Helicopter Applicators Incorporated in Gettysburg, Penn.

 

Transportation policy in which NAAA is working, such as the safe integration of drones into the airspace was raised by Moore. The NAAA submitted comments per the FAA’s request determining aviation stakeholders’ thoughts about a recent aviation rulemaking committee’s (ARC) recommendation allowing drones to operating beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) without giving right-of way to manned aircraft and without detect and avoid technology. NAAA’s comments adamantly opposed this proposal. NAAA has also successfully worked to include language in the House of Representatives version of the FAA reauthorization bill on statutory language for protections to manned aircraft from UAS that are 55 pounds or greater and for drones operating BVLOS. The Senate has yet to pass their bill, but key Senators have shown support of this House language. In terms of tower marking/logging policy, NAAA was not successful in securing language in the FAA reauthorization that communications towers both mark and log towers in rural areas between 50-200 feet, both chambers of Congress require the FAA within a year to submit a report as to the reason for the delay, and to list the fatal aircraft accidents due to unmarked towers over past five years.

 

Moore also reported some potential good news—that being that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is expected to release this fall its notice of proposed rulemaking to allow states to approve the transportation of up to 1,000 gallons of Jet A without a CDL HazMat endorsement.

 

Moore concluded the policy discussion by urging members to contribute to the AgAv PAC by visiting the website.  The PAC is NAAA’s vehicle to contribute to the campaigns of candidates running for federal office that are supportive of the agricultural aviation industry’s policy issues. With the Farm Bill, FAA Reauthorization, federal aerial application research funding at ARS and other legislative issues that have come up this year, NAAA has been depleting the PAC and is in need of raising its funding levels.

 

Moore then shifted gears to communication issues and discussed the positive ads that NAAA arranged in Farm Journal publications this year with the “Above All Forms of Crop Care” campaign that lists the benefits of aerial application and the link to our website’s search function that allows a prospective applicator to find an NAAA aerial applicator near them.  The ads were in The Scoop magazine (circulation: 20,000 U.S. ag retailers and crop consultants); Top Producer (circulation: 100,000 U.S. farmers growing 1,000 acres or more); and AgWeb (circulation: 201,000 to mostly U.S. farmers). For seven years, including this year, NAAA sent out a press release to aviation, agricultural and news media sites at the season’s start informing drone operators that manned aircraft would be starting its season and to give right of way to them. Coverage was picked up by ag communication network RFD-TV’s Market Day Report that has an average viewership of 500,000 people per week and is one of RFD-TV’s top watched shows.  It was also in multiple other ag and aviation sources. NAAA followed up with a press release in September informing about the environmental benefits and soil health attributes of aerial applied cover crops.  The release expounded on aerial’s benefits due to the seeds ability to be applied pre-harvest for a longer growing period and due to aerial application not compacting the soil. The press release was picked up by CropLife magazine (circulation: 40,000 U.S. ag retailers), RFD-TV, and the American Ag Network that has nearly 1.65 million listeners tune in monthly and is heard on 40 U.S. radio stations including SiriusXM.

 

Moore also stated that on numerous occasions this year NAAA has worked to set the record straight about either cynical or biased environmental or drone media coverage, such as responding to a distorted column in The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa that unfairly suggested the costs of aerial application outweigh its benefits to agriculture and society. NAAA’s biting response received its own column in the paper.  NAAA also must play damage control to the media and policymakers in the rare occasion of an industry actor’s impropriety as was the case this summer of a reckless flying incident in the Midwest.

 

NAAA takes its message directly to the people too via a robust social media campaign.  This year it added a LinkedIn social media page to its pages on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook of which it now has 12,000+ followers, or nearly 3.5 times as many U.S. ag pilots and operators. NAAA’s communications received national recognition in 2023 as well.  The National Agri-Marketing Association was awarded a “Best of NAMA” regional merit award in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region its 100th anniversary website in 2021 due to its mass circulation.  It was a finalist for the national award in “Website Directed to Consumers” category up against large agri-marketing agencies and companies.

 

Moore continued that NAAA communications are constantly evolving to better serve the public and the membership. This year it revamped its website, AgAviation.org, with a fresher, simpler look without compromising substantive content. It will also add a new membership database component to its website making it easier for members to access its proprietary content. NAAA will also be back on the National Mall in May of 2024 with at least one ag rotorcraft provided by Glenn Martin and his team with Helicopter Applicators Inc. in Gettysburg, Penn. for “Ag on the Mall.”  NAAA displayed at the event in 2022 and over that three-day period of time over 270,000 people visited the Mall and saw ag aviation equipment and NAAA’s promotional materials about the industry.  The event also saw a large contingent of agricultural trade press, federal officials, congresspersons, and Senators visit NAAA’s booth. 

 

Due to the success of NAAA’s external communications and the results of last year’s communications audit where members polled wanted more resources devoted to external communications, in 2024 NAAA will go from publishing four to three magazines a year (winter, spring, fall).  The time and monetary resources saved will go towards an agreement with Farm Journal publications for four one-page articles on aerial application content and four half page ads a year in The Scoop magazine (circulation: 20,000 U.S. ag retailers, crop consultants) with the content also shared in their AgWeb eNewsletter (circulation: 200,000 U.S. farmers) and possibly other Farm Journal publications.

 

Moore switched gears to safety and stewardship issues and reported on multiple communications NAAA received from aerial applicators throughout the country about illegal drone operations. NAAA initiated an awareness campaign to report illegal drone use by directing observers witnessing such activity to a list of U.S. FAA Flight Standards District Offices and state commercial pesticide application enforcement offices to report drone operations that don’t have all licenses to commercially operate drones for either imaging or application purposes. He also discussed NAAA’s aerial application professional certification program, C-PAASS, which certified 26 different ag pilots this inaugural year. The ag pilots participated in the PAASS program the past three years, an Operation S.A.F.E pattern testing clinic one of the past two years and were both NAAA and state and regional ag aviation association members. In 2024 more robust training and testing will be added to the current C-PAASS requirements, including on-line coursework that can be taken from NAAA’s website—AgAviation.org—about flying safely around wires and understanding droplet size and the best aerial spray system setup to mitigate drift.  For the 2023-2024 PAASS season—its 26th year of original ag aviation safety and environmental professional curriculum—the training will focus on turning an ag aircraft safety, reiterate flying safely around wires, and impart avoiding normalization of unsafe aviation habits. The environmental professionalism module will use the atmospheric drift model AGDISP to show the importance of droplet size and boom length to mitigate drift and enhance efficacy. 

 

Accidents were then discussed of which there have been 54 total this year, ten of which, sadly, have been fatal. Eighteen of the total accidents were from controlled flight into terrain and 12 of those were from hitting power lines, six of which resulted in fatalities. In 2022 there were a total of 51 ag aviation accidents, nine of which were fatal. Moore stated that although one accident is too many there has been a 26.34% and 7.5% accident decrease in annual accidents and annual fatal accidents, respectively, since PAASS hit the stage in 1999 and drift claims have decreased by 26 percent.

 

Moore then shifted gears to the 2023 NAAA convention (Ag Aviation Expo) that will be held in Palm Springs, California, December 4-7. The Kickoff Breakfast speaker on Dec. 4 will be aircraft engineer Burt Rutan, designer of the Voyager that circled the globe non-stop without refueling and SpaceShipOne the first private suborbital aircraft. Rutan was described by Newsweek as “the man responsible for more innovations in modern aviation than any living engineer.”  The NAAA

 

General Session on December 5 will include presentations by EPA’s Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs Ed Messina; President of the Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology Terry Kipley, who will discuss adjuvants; and ag aviation flight school instructor Fran De Kock of Battlefords Airspray in Canada who, along with a group of expert panelists will discuss turning and aircraft safely.  The four-day event will include 26 educational sessions ranging from a full day wires course, the half day aerial application technology research session, and sessions on precision ag, chemicals, low-altitude safety, FAA policy, and much more.  Thirty-four states and certified crop consultants will be offering continuing education units for attending educational events.  The exhibit hall will include ten aircraft from Air Tractors to a Thrush to rotorcraft to drones, along with over 140 exhibitors of ag aviation parts, equipment, and services.  The always entertaining NAAA auction will include Pratt & Whitney’s donation of a new PT6A-34, plus an additional special gift to celebrate the PT6’s 60th year and one-billionth hour in operation.  Also, up for auction will be Air Tractor’s donation of a Can-Am Commander ATV, Turbine Conversion’s donation of their single point fueling system and much more.  The event looks like it will be teaming with attendees as room night reservations are currently higher than they have been in three years.  Moore also announced that the 2024 Ag Aviation Expo will be in Fort Worth, Texas followed by Reno, Nevada in 2025 and 2028, Savannah, Georgia in 2026, and Oklahoma City in 2027.  The convention from 2024-2028 will be held in November the week prior to Thanksgiving.

 

Finances were then discussed. NAAA completed its 2022-2023 fiscal year June 30, 2023, with a surplus of $158,743 and NAAREF ended the fiscal year with a surplus of $145,887. The surpluses were due primarily to strong convention and membership income as well as gains in the association’s investments value. NAAA had $4,986,264 in assets at that time and NAAREF had $1,158,420.  In terms of membership revenues versus total expenditures, NAAA dues account for only 32.7% of total expenses.  NAAA spends $1,690.58 on each member (operator dues are $635 a year or $1.74 per day and pilot dues are $270 a year or $0.74 per day). As of the end of September 2023 NAAA had a total of 522 operator members and 474 pilot members compared to 573 operator and 566 pilot members at the completion of 2022, a drop of 16.5%. To augment membership Moore mentioned that NAAA had investigated providing health care insurance to members and that a recent survey indicated that 79% and 77% of the industry were interested in health care and life insurance, respectively.  He also mentioned that insurance underwriters requiring C-PAASS for better rates and pesticide manufacturers offering label flexibility for those C-PAASS certified would be mutually beneficial to both NAAA membership and risk reduction for insurance and pesticide manufacturers. He also mentioned that membership numbers might also increase if dues were based on an operation’s total hopper capacity (for example lower dues for hopper capacity below 300 gallons and more for 500 gallons and even more moving up incrementally in total hopper capacity.

 

Moore concluded with some forecasting.  He raised concerns that U.S. agricultural trade is predicted to be down significantly in 2023 with USDA projecting an ag trade deficit of $17 billion (exports $181 billion; imports $198 billion). The 10-year U.S. ag trade average has been a $13 billion surplus.  Further concern is the Biden administration’s anemic pursuit of new trade agreements and high interest rates inflating U.S. ag goods.  Adding to the concern is GOP presidential candidates advocating for even more protectionist approaches, particularly with China.  World Trade Organization economists predict that trade disputes have the potential of shaving $4.4 trillion off global output--equivalent of a 5% reduction of the world’s gross domestic product.

 

Moore did forecast potential for the industry mentioning a recent article in CropLife magazine stating that the “use of drones for application work has increased among ag retailers from 14% in 2021 to 32% today based upon the findings of the 2023 CropLife/Purdue Precision Ag Adoption Survey. ‘And the anticipation, according to the dealers surveyed, is that percentage will reach 54% over the next two years,’” according to Purdue. NAAA’s own Summer 2023 issue of Agricultural Aviation magazine interviewed a few manned ag aviation operators, such of Robert Ching of Aura LLC in Zeeland, Michigan who is using drones to treat parts of fields difficult to reach by manned aircraft as a safety enhancement to his operation. The issue also interviewed several drone application companies that state their work is primarily being conducted in areas that are too difficult to reach by larger manned application emphasizing that their service is more complementary rather than competitive. The CropLife magazine article also stated how drone crop surveying use by ag retailers is projected to increase to 75% in 2026 from 57% in 2023, while satellite imaging of cropland has declined as used by ag retailers from 70% in 2019 to 55% this year. Moore stated that NAAA operator members are the experts in aviation and should be the ones to utilize this technology to operate it in the safest manner and most professional manner.  The CropLife magazine survey also stated that precision application use by retailers is on the rise with pesticides and fertilizers projected to be applied by 43% and 87%, respectively, by ag retailers in 2026.  This is another service, Moore mentioned, that can be conducted via aerial application for ag aviation operators to pursue. Moore then concluded his presentation.

 

With the Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet that concludes the Ag Aviation Expo every year coming up December 7th in Palm Springs, the Awards Committee, with input from the Allied and Operation S.A.F.E. Committees, decided, as announced by Committee Chairman JT Helms of Old Republic Insurance, on the following slate of outstanding individuals that have gone above and beyond in serving the agricultural aviation industry:  

• Natanael Vaz (Pratt & Whitney) for the Allied Industry Individual Award awarding outstanding contributions to the industry from an allied member.
• Robert Ching (Aura LLC) for the Evans-Christopher Operation S.A.F.E. Award, for outstanding contributions to aerial application testing for efficacy and stewardship.
• Delta Airlines "Puffer" Award: Chris Doyle of COFire Aviation, for outstanding contribution to the design of ag aircraft and associated equipment
• John Robert Horne: Trevor Peltier of Meyer Agri-Air, for a new pilot’s exemplary safety record. 
• Larsen – Miller Community Service Award: Dwayne O’Brien of O’Brien Flying Service, for great contributions to his local community.
• Opal & Bill Binnion Memorial Award: Michael Hutchins of Custom Air, Inc., and Terry Humphrey for efforts to educate the public about aerial application.
• Richard “Dick” Reade Memorial Award: Jim Hirsh of Air Tractor for outstanding contributions to the industry.
• William O. Marsh Safety Award:  Darrin Pluhar of Plu’s Flying Service, for significant achievements in safety education to the industry.  
• Zoren & Joan O’Brien Memorial Outstanding Service Award: Sam Rogge of Jet Stream Ag Aviation and Rob Scherzinger of Aspen Ag Helicopters, for outstanding service to the commercial ag aviation industry.

 

 

Treasurer Ray Newcomb oversaw the annual audit of the NAAA and NAAREF’s finances.  This audit is conducted each year by an independent CPA to ensure that the association’s procedures follow professional accounting standards.  The audit received a glowing review and was accepted by the board. 

 

Chairman Matt Regier successfully sought Board approval for moving ahead with a contract with Farm Journal for a one-page article and half page ad in four issues of The Scoop each year which has a circulation of 40,000 ag retailers and crop consultants nationwide.  The article will also be published in AgWeb’s eNewsletter (circulation: 100,000 U.S. farmers and possibly other Farm Journal publications.  The money saved from going to three from four Agricultural Aviation magazines a year will pay for this widely circulated external promotional information to potential agricultural aviation customers.  

 

Regier also announced that the NAAA eNewsletter will have a new look in 2024, that NAAA  launched a new look and feel to its website: AgAviation.org, and that AgAir Update will continue to publish a monthly NAAA column in its magazine as it has so generously done since 2012. Also, NAAA is providing Flying Magazine a free booth in exchange for an ag aviation career based advertising in their magazine of 82,000 subscribers.

 

Chairman Regier also announced that Syngenta has agreed to host another NAAA Leadership Training Program in 2024 with 14 attendees which takes us back to what the program was pre-pandemic in terms of aerial application participants.

 

Co-Chairman Lynn Justesen of UPL urged everyone to take advantage of early attendee registration for the Ag Aviation Expo that ends on Nov. 3rd that will save $75 per person. He also mentioned that he’s conversed with people that have booked airline tickets to Palm Springs recently and some good rates can be had right now so he urged folks to book their tickets soon. 

 

He also mentioned that Pitch Perfect for PAASS will be held on Sunday, December 3rd in Palm Springs which is a karaoke fundraiser supporting NAAREF.  The fee to attend is a donation directly to NAAREF in the amount of $110 in return for two drink tickets and appetizers for the opportunity to watch some of the ag aviation industry’s greatest singers, which could be you if you want to throw in your name to karaoke. 

 

The committee discussed in detail ADS-B collision avoidance technology. Chairman Reabe summarized that the general thought direction of the committee is that NAAA should promote ADS-B as a safety device, and that NAAA advocate that ADS-B data not be used by the FAA as an enforcement measuring technology, but rather as solely a collision avoidance device.  This is due to fears that ADS-B signals are available to the public and government to identify specific aircraft and their owners that could lead to unwarranted, frivolous investigations. Concerns were also registered that the technology is not failsafe due to situations where it loses its signal and incidents where its signal is spoofed.  As such a full position requiring its use was not advocated by the Committee at this time.

 

Sam Rogge, Committee Chairman, reported on an NAAA survey where operators were asked if they would be interested in health and/or life insurance through NAAA. Seventy-nine percent (79%) reported interest in health insurance and 77% reported interest in life insurance.  On the health insurance end, NAAA is working with a nationwide network—Decisely—to provide health insurance to NAAA members.  For the program to be successful, it would need at least 1,000 participants to benefit everyone and reduce insurance costs. The committee supported moving forward to pay Decisely to conduct a larger survey of NAAA members and the industry and to develop a health insurance plan.  This motion was approved by the board.

 

Chairman Dwayne O’Brien, and the committee determined the Ag Wings of Tomorrow scholarship applications and the highest ranked winners. Scholarship recipients are: Macy Arbuckle (sponsored by Mark Noe, Vinton IA); Max Gschwendtner (sponsored by Scott Petersen of Pontiac, IL); Delfino Martinez (sponsored by Pat Kornegay, San Benito, TX) and Saint-Andre Roux (sponsored by Scott Heinen, Seneca, KS).  The committee also determined the Charles Stokes Memorial Turbine Training Scholarship recipient, which is Drew Cavanaugh (sponsored by Robert Shepard, Minden, NE).

 

Chairman Matt Woolard announced that the Snow S-2 aircraft—one of the first aircraft built specifically for aerial application, will be delivered to the National Agricultural Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame in Jackson, Miss. in 2024. The engine will be removed, auctioned off and the proceeds will go to the museum.  

 

The committee also discussed a walkway at the location lined with bricks with the names of fallen pilots on each brick. Graham Lavendar of AgAir Update has taken up obtaining names with some assistance from NAAA. It is a noble, honorable tribute to these men and women pilots that have given the ultimate sacrifice to the industry.  

 

2022 NAAA President and current Nominating Committee Chairman Jim Perrin recommended the following people for the 2024 NAAA Officer team: 

• President – Ray Newcomb (Northeast)
• Vice President – Glenn Holloway (Miss.)
• Secretary – Joel Meyer (Iowa)
• Treasurer – Matt Woolard (Ark.)

 

The nominees will be officially voted on at the Sunday, December 3, 2023, NAAA board meeting in Palm Springs, Calif.

 

Matt Hovdenes of North Dakota, Committee Chairman stated that in conjunction with the Helicopter Association International a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) specific for agricultural aviators has been developed. A FRAT is a tool used by aviators to access various sources of risks for the flight they are about to take. These include pilot health, experience, weather conditions, aircraft condition, distractions, safety equipment, landing conditions, and obstacles. The FRAT designed for ag operations is split between risks that should be assessed weekly, daily, and every flight. Not that the agricultural aviation FRAT has been developed it will not be beta tested by some ag pilots that are still flying this year. After that input is collected the Committee will determine the next steps in February which could include full deployment to the industry.

 

Tiffany Rivenbark, Support Chair. announced that with the new Athena Project logo comes a new Athena Project curricula this season which will be presented at 13 different state conventions. The topic is “Five Blades to Propel your Health and Wellness” and will cover nutrition and hydration, physical, mental, and environmental health, as well as relationships for ag aviation operations’ pilots and crew.

 

Rivenbark also mentioned that the Support Committee scholarships were awarded to Lillian Chisum as the $2,000 recipient and Shelby Heinen as the $1,000 recipient. The 2024 topic will be “What are the biggest obstacles to the ag aviation industry in your local community?” 

 

NAAREF President Perry Hofer provided the report and stated that the PAASS program will be presented at the Helicopter Association International’s 2024 convention—HELI EXPO in Anaheim this winter.  He also mentioned working with various helicopter groups on wire strike avoidance and low altitude hazards for future sessions at their conventions. 

 

NAAREF also announced new nominees to its board, those being:

• Jim Perrin, Wisconsin (first term)
• John Wright, Assured Partners (first term)
• Matt Hovdenes, North Dakota (second, three-year term)

 

President Hofer thanked the outgoing NAAREF Board Members: JT Helms and Dominique Youakim.