July 8, 2016
NAAA eNewsletter

Marking Requirements for Towers Under 200 Feet Set to Become Federal Law

After years of tireless work, NAAA is happy to announce that we’ve secured tower marking requirements and an FAA tower database for towers between 50 and 200 feet. Those measures are included in an agreement the House and Senate released yesterday to extend the FAA’s funding authority through September 2017.
 
The tower marking requirements apply to all towers with an above-ground base of 10 feet or less in diameter that are on undeveloped land, including land used for agricultural purposes. The tower database will be accessible to all aviators who require tower location information for safety.

New UAS Safety Provisions

These tower provisions will greatly improve safety for agricultural aviation, but that’s not the only good news in the FAA bill; the FAA extension takes significant steps to improve unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) safety as well.
 
First, Congress is requiring all small UAS (sUAS) manufacturers—any company that manufactures UAS weighing 55 pounds or less—to make available at the time of purchase a safety statement informing the buyer about laws and regulations applicable to sUAS and recommendations for safe use of the sUAS. The safety statement is also supposed to include FAA-approved language regarding FAA regulations and warn buyers that there may be penalties for violating these regulations.
 
Second, Congress is mandating that anyone operating a UAS who knowingly or recklessly interferes with a wildfire suppression effort is liable to pay a fine of up to $20,000. For those of you with firefighting contracts, this could be a huge relief.
 
Third, Congress will require that the Department of Transportation must establish a process to allow applicants to petition the FAA to prohibit or restrict operation of UAS in close proximity to a fixed site facility. This could potentially include agricultural airports, meaning you could apply for your airport to be a no-drone zone.
 
Fourth, Congress is directing the FAA to convene industry stakeholders to facilitate development of consensus standards for remotely identifying operators and owners of UAS, and gives the FAA the ability to require remote identification of UAS. This will greatly increase accountability among UAS operators.
 
Other UAS provisions include $6 million for a pilot program for airspace hazard mitigation at airports through UAS detection systems, a UAS traffic management research plan, a UAS traffic management pilot program, and a UAS-manned aircraft crash test program to determine what effect a UAS would have on aircraft in a collision. The funding legislation also directs the FAA to “continue the expeditious authorization of safe unmanned aircraft system operations in support of firefighting operations” and to enter into agreements with other agencies to facilitate expeditious authorization of safe UAS operations in support of service restoration efforts of utilities.

Next Steps

The bill is widely expected to pass the House and Senate within the next week as FAA spending authority expires on July 15 and the legislation must pass to keep the FAA running. While the bill could be slightly amended in the Senate, it shouldn’t change drastically. NAAA will let you know when it’s signed into law so we can all celebrate greater safety in the low-level altitude.

Must-See: NAAA’s First President on How It All Began

To commemorate NAAA’s 50th anniversary, the association has been exploring its history through a series of articles in Agricultural Aviation and in a documentary that will premiere at our annual convention in Long Beach, Calif., in December. In advance of the documentary, NAAA has produced a series of 50th anniversary “flashback” segments that highlight key moments and demonstrate why we need a strong national association for agricultural aviators. For our first flashback, NAAA’s inaugural president, Dick Reade, explains how it all began.

 

 

NAAA members and all aerial applicators owe a debt of gratitude to its founding fathers for the foresight they demonstrated in the mid-1960s. At that time, a perfect storm of new regulations confronted the aerial application industry, so Reade and a number of other visionaries established NAAA in 1966 as a national organization focused solely on advocating aerial application’s interests to the public, Congress and regulatory agencies. Federal agencies that had taken an interest in agricultural aviation included the newly formed EPA and the FAA as it was beginning to enforce its new Part 137 rules governing agricultural aircraft operations in the United States.


NAAA’s roots are one of several aspects that will be covered in our upcoming documentary. The informative video will also explore key drivers of the association’s development and growth over the course of NAAA’s history, as well as the essence of what makes NAAA NAAA. Thirty-two subjects were interviewed for the documentary, including numerous past presidents—most notably Reade, NAAA’s first president—and NAAA’s 50th and current president, Brenda Watts.

You can catch the world premiere of the NAAA documentary on Dec. 6 at the 2016 convention’s General Session in Long Beach. After the video, a panel of NAAA past presidents and industry leaders will expound on NAAA’s origins, successes and future. In that same vein, following the panelists, futurist Bob Treadway will help attendees envision what lies ahead for the agricultural aviation industry in the years to come.

 

Attendee registration for the 2016 NAAA Convention is open now.

NAAA’s UAV Safety Concerns Highlighted in Delta Farm Press

NAAA Executive Director Andrew Moore was interviewed by the Delta Farm Press on the aerial application industry’s reaction to the FAA’s new small UAS rule. His comments were published in the Farm Press Blog, which is frequented by farmers in the mid-South.

 

Moore spoke with Delta Farm Press Associate Editor David Bennett about the pros and cons of the small UAS rule in the eyes of ag pilots from a safety standpoint. NAAA is happy with the fact that the final small UAS rule requires UAV operators to give the right of way to manned aircraft and that UAVs must stay below 400 feet when they fly, but Moore said that the lack of lighting or tracking equipment means that “we’re basically depending on the UAV operators to avoid ag planes.” NAAA also feels that the FAA set the bar too low in terms of the requirements to operate a commercial UAV. “You just have to be 16 years old, pass a written test and a TSA security check. The FAA requires no type of pilot license or requirements demonstrating any operational control of the UAV,” Moore said. 

 

Moore’s comments originally appeared online in the Farm Press Blog, but the post is also scheduled to appear in an upcoming print edition of the Delta Farm Press. With a circulation of 26,500, the Delta Farm Press covers farming issues for growers and agribusiness professionals in the Mississippi Delta region.

2017 NAAA Membership Renewal is Around the Corner; Auto Renewal Now Available

August is right around the corner and that means you will soon receive your membership renewal information in the mail; however, there is no need to wait!  You can renew your membership at AgAviation.org by logging into your account in the upper right hand corner. Once you’ve logged in, click Membership Renewal on the left-hand toolbar (as seen in the graphic below).

 

Auto Renewal Information

You’ve asked and we’ve listened! NAAA now offers auto renewal for membership and NAAREF donations. When you sign up for auto renewal, NAAA will automatically charge the credit card on file every Sept. 1st. There are four ways to sign up for auto renewal:
  1. When you receive your renewal statement in August, mark the box in the payment area for auto renewal. 
  2. Renew your membership online and you’ll be asked during the process if you’d like auto renewal.
  3. Call the NAAA office at 202-546-5722 and request auto renewal.
  4. Return the membership form from the Summer and Winter 2016 Agricultural Aviation magazine issues and mark the box in the payment area for auto renewal.
NAAA membership is as important as ever as NAAA needs resources to continue pushing for stringent tower-marking requirements and to promote the safe integration of UAVs into the national airspace system (NAS) to ensure the safety of ag pilots (click here to view NAAA’s UAV safety campaign video). Similarly, NAAA has worked hard to make sure costly National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit (PGP) requirements don’t apply to agriculture, which NAAA members ranked as the second most important policy issue, just behind tower marking, in a recent survey.
 
NAAA continues to advocate daily on these and other important issues for the safety and continuity of the aerial application industry. An NAAA membership comes with numerous benefits whether you’re an operator, pilot or allied company including:
  • Stay up to date on the latest regulations. You never know what the federal government will try to do next, and NAAA helps you stay up to date on all the latest laws affecting our industry so you can avoid hefty fines.
  • Protection against unnecessary and overly burdensome regulations. NAAA vows to protect the interests of its members by working with policymakers and pursuing support for policies favorable to our industry—including the exemption of NPDES pesticide general permits, and as mentioned above, continuing to push for more stringent marking requirements for towers under 200 feet and ensuring the safe integration of UAVs into the NAS while proactively safeguarding low-level aviation. Your dues provide NAAA with the advocacy resources to foster support for aerial application interests and education of elected officials about the important role aerial applicators play in agricultural production and public health protection.
  • NAAA has worked with its agricultural and public health allies to support H.R. 897, the Zika Vector Control Act, which would be a major first step toward permanently eliminating NPDES PGPs for our industry and recently helped it pass through the House of Representatives.
  • NAAA has succeeded in placing tower-marking requirements in both the House and Senate FAA reauthorization bills, virtually ensuring that the marking of towers below 200 feet and the creation of a tower database becomes law in the near future.
  • NAAA has ensured its members are exempt from the 19.4 cents (avgas) and 21.4 cents (Jet A) per gallon fuel tax, saving our industry roughly $20 million per year.
  • UAV bill stuffers that you can use in the bills that you send to your customers to ensure UAV users take into account the safety of low-flying manned aircraft, such as ag aircraft, when operating UAVs.
  • Receive relevant and valuable benefits such as access to the NAAA Member’s Only section of the website, the NAAA Media Relations Kit, the new Flying for Your Food brochure, and the 2017 NAAA Membership Directory, which will be chockfull of NAAA resources available to you, NPDES pesticide general permit compliance resources, and your one-stop shop to find aerial application parts, services, equipment, pilots and/or work in the industry. 
  • Continue receiving this NAAA eNewsletter, which keeps you up-to-date between the published issues of Agricultural Aviation and contains significant information keeping you abreast of important things happening in the industry to help your bottom line as an ag pilot, operator, or if your business is aligned with the agricultural aviation industry. 
  • Continually evolving education programs and services such as the Professional Aerial Applicators’ Support System (PAASS) that reduce aviation accidents and save lives. PAASS attendees can receive potential discounts through their insurance providers. PAASS and other NAAA education programs also qualify for continuing education units applicators use to renew their commercial pesticides licenses. 
  • Reduced fees to attend the NAAA Convention for attendees and exhibitors.
You can read more about the benefits of NAAA Membership online. Your support of NAAA results in many significant benefits to the aerial application industry and you, such as advocacy and national representation, education and safety programs and the opportunity to network with fellow aerial applicators across the country. We are just a phone call or email away to answer your questions!  Contact the NAAA office at (202) 546-5722 or renew online today! Thank you for your continued support.

Attention, Exhibitors! Booth Sales Begin July 11 for 2016 NAAA Convention

NAAA Convention booth sales begin this Monday, July 11. We look forward to seeing you at the 50th Annual NAAA Convention & Exposition in Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 5–8 at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. Booth sales for 10x10 and 10x20 space will begin on July 11; large booth space is already on sale. Attendee registration is open here.
 
There are many exhibitor details, including booth rates, union rules and the exhibitor service kit online here. If you are a Diamond or Platinum sponsor or need a large booth space (20x20 or 10x30+) you can purchase your space in advance of the July 11 booth sales. Contact Lindsay Barber.
 
You can view the NAAA Trade Show floor map here.

Five Reasons to Exhibit at the 2016 NAAA Convention!

  1. The world’s largest targeted audience of purchasers of ag aviation equipment, parts and services will be attending the convention and will have the opportunity to obtain more information about your company and products.
  2. You can educate the attendees about your products and/or services. Show a demonstration or give away a sample or a takeaway (if applicable).
  3. Exhibiting enhances your company’s credibility and commitment to what you are offering.
  4. Networking with attendees on the trade show floor will generate new sales and/or leads and potential business partnerships for your company. You can visit with current customers to ensure a strong relationship and you will walk away with new contacts and very likely sales.
  5. Raise awareness about your company.

Convention Details 

Dates: Dec. 5-8, 2016
Location: Long Beach, Calif. at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
Schedule of Events: Click here
Hotel: Click here
Attendee Registration: Open here
Exhibitor Booth Sales: : Opens on July 11th for 10x10 and 10x20 spaces. Contact Lindsay if you need to purchase a large booth space (20x20+ or 10x30+).

Want to Win Thousands in Educational Scholarships? Enter Our Support Scholarship Essay Contest!

Attention, higher-education students: Don’t miss out on the opportunity to compete for a combined $3,000 in educational scholarships. The deadline for the 2016 Support Scholarship Essay Contest is Aug. 15. The NAAA Support Committee will award a $2,000 scholarship as top prize and Covington Aircraft Engines has generously agreed to sponsor a $1,000 scholarship.
 
The theme for this year’s contest is “Today’s Debate: The Pros and Cons of ADS-B.” The competition is open to all NAAA members and their family members. (Allied industry company members can only sponsor one eligible family member per contest.) The scholarship can be applied to any educational pursuit beyond high school; it is not restricted to a “flying career.” More information about eligibility requirements, contest guidelines and sample essays from past scholarship recipients is available online here.