June 1, 2017
NAAA eNewsletter
Final Vote Tally in Oregon Bans Aerial Application; Next Steps Being Planned
The final ballots in Lincoln County, Ore., have been counted and the majority of voters decided to effectively ban aerial application with a vote of 6,994 to 6,933—just a 61-vote difference. Even with a media campaign against the measure and strong opposition by the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, ballot measure 21-177 passed with 50.2 percent of the vote.
It looks as if those who submitted ballots in drop-boxes outside of Lincoln County voted in a high rate for the measure. This is possibly because they didn’t truly understand what the measure would do as it was titled “Prohibits aerial pesticide spraying and creates rights of local citizens,” on the ballot. While this ballot title was challenged in court, the circuit court judge decided that the title need not be changed.
The now-passed measure will ban aerial application in the county, and potentially air-blast sprayers and a few other methods that deposit pesticides into the air. It will also allow citizens to use “direct action” to enforce the measure, which is defined as “any activities or actions carried out to directly enforce the rights and prohibitions contained within this law,” and would make such actions immune to civil and criminal charges.
A coalition in Oregon and other stakeholders concerned about the decision, including NAAA, will fund a recount, but that is unlikely to change the result of the vote. The coalition is also looking at potential legal options to challenge the ballot measure, which is more likely to prevent measure 21-177’s implementation. NAAA will keep you updated on this issue.
"Dealing with Tragedy" Film Added to Videos on AgAviation.org
A fifth film has been added to the NAAREF Safety and Education video page on the NAAA website (www.agaviation.org). Each year we lose valued ag pilots to fatal accidents. Dealing with the tragic loss of a co-worker, close friend, or family member is very painful. Grieving is a natural process that helps us deal with the pain. Although there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there is one feeling that is universally shared and that is the feeling of isolation and being alone during this process. There are healthy ways to cope with the pain associated with loss, which in time can renew us and help us move on. With this in mind, “Dealing with Tragedy” was produced for presentation at the NAAREF Safety Session at the 2016 NAAA National Convention.
Although we don’t like to think that tragedy might befall us, unfortunately, it does happen to a number of us in the industry and there are ways that we can prepare for such undesirable situations. This is the focus of the video--steps to take to deal with such situations should they occur. In the video the real life experiences of two ag pilot/operators that dealt with the loss of a fellow crew member friend and relative are addressed in the video as well as their suggestions to others on how to prepare for such situations.
NAAREF has produced a series of high-quality educational, safety and training videos to further its goal of providing education and guidance to the aerial application industry. “Dealing with Tragedy” joins “Ethics – the Movie”, “Wires and Obstructions”, “First Response” and “Stall Spin Avoidance” as the fifth video in the series available on NAAA’s Safety and Education video page to allow those in the aerial application industry to view and review the video as often as necessary to keep the lessons in mind. Additional videos will be added to the page as they become available.
If you don’t have the direct link, these videos can be located by going to the NAAA website at www.agaviation.org and, under the “Media” tab, selecting“Media Center” and then “Safety & Education Videos” from the Table of Contents on the left side of the page.
Check Your 2017 Membership Directory for Possible Missing/Duplicate Pages
Yesterday a member alerted NAAA to a problem with his copies of the 2017 NAAA Membership Directory, the result of an apparent binding mistake by NAAA’s printer. In both copies of the directory his company received, pages 49-64 were missing while pages 33-48 appeared twice, back to back. We checked the copies of the 2017 Membership Directory in stock at NAAA’s office and did not discover any binding problems.
NAAA has notified its printer about the situation and is asking members to check their copies of the 2017 Membership Directory to make sure pages 49-64 are included. If you do have pages 49-64, check to make sure you also have pages 33-48. It’s possible some members may have received copies in which pages 33-48 are missing and pages 49-64 appear twice.
If you discover a binding mistake in your copy of the 2017 Membership Directory, please contact NAAA at (202) 546-5722 or jcalleja@agaviation.org so that we can send you a replacement directory with the correct pages. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
NAAA and NAAREF Board Meetings Oct. 6-7
The Marriott Plaza San Antonio will host the fall board and committee meetings of the NAAA and NAAREF Boards of Directors on Oct. 6–7 (some meetings, including PAASS Train the Trainer, will begin Oct. 4–5). View a tentative schedule of the board meeting here. All meetings are open to NAAA members; if you’re interested in attending, please email Lindsay Barber.
Board members and interested members should make their room reservations before Sept. 15 online or by calling (800) 228-9290 and refer to the NAAA Board Meeting to receive the $145/night room rate (single/double). Rate includes complimentary basic Wi-Fi in guest rooms and meeting space and self-parking is $25 per day. There is no airport shuttle; cabs are around $28 from the airport and you can also Uber from the airport.
The Marriott Plaza San Antonio is one block off of the Riverwalk. You can learn more about the Riverwalk here.
FAA Conference Planners Seek Helicopter Pilots’ Input
The Federal Aviation Administration is planning to skip a year and host the next FAA international rotorcraft safety conference in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in October 2018. Before announcing an agenda, the FAA would like to hear from the helicopter community about what issues, trends or safety concerns the conference should address. Please email your ideas to conference coordinator Gene Trainor at eugene.trainor@faa.gov.